University of Ghana, Legon  

 

Faculty of Arts

School of Performing Arts
Music Department
staff list

 

 

P. Zabana Kongo   -               Lecturer, Head of Dept
Dip in Music (Kinshasa) MA. DEA PhD (Paris)

 

 

zabkong@yahoo.co.uk

EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY OF PARIS X-NANTERRE, PARIS 1986-1994

PHD. IN ETHNOMUSICOLOGY
Under Bernard Lortat-Jacob and Simha Arom (1)

FRENCH DEA (2) IN ETHNOMUSICOLOGY(3),
A few mentors:
Eric de Dampierre : Post Graduate Ethno Seminar,
Jean Gardin : Epistemology in the IT era,
Bernard Lortat-Jacob : Supervisor,
Hugo Zemp : Fieldwork techniques,
Michelle Castellengo : Musical Acoustics,
Simha Arom and Vincent Dehoux : Music Theory in oral cultures…


 

MAÎTRISE = MASTER, ETHNOLOGY (ETHNOMUSICOLOGY) (4)
Under Eric de Dampierre, Monique Brandilly, Mireille Helfer, Hugo Zemp, Bernard Lortat-Jacob and Simha Arom.

 

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ARTS - INSTITUT NATIONAL DES ARTS (INA), KINSHASA 1976-1979

*(“GRADUAT”=) DIPLOMA, IN MUSIC (5)

 

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, EVANSTON (ILLINOIS)

INSAAS, BRUSSELS

1986

COMPOSITION AND ELECTRONIC MUSIC
Under Stephen Syverud and Wolman Amnon

VIDEO TECHNIQUES

 

CENTRAL AFRICA MUSEUM, TERVUREN, BRUSSELS,

ORGANOLOGY with J. S. Laurenty

TRADITIONAL MUSIC ARCHIVES, KONGO BIBLIOGRAPHY
Under Van Geluwe and: Jos Gansemans

CAREER

SCHOLARLY INSTITUTIONS

1996-2005

1986

1983

1979-1983

 

1974-1976

HEAD, MUSIC DEPARTMENT (SCHOOL OF PERFORMING ARTS)
University of Ghana/Legon
SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW (ICAMD),
LECTURER (SPA) University of Ghana/Legon
HEAD, DEPARTMENT OF MUSICOLOGY,
National Museums Institute of Zaire, Kinshasa I
ASSISTANT TO THE MUSIC CURATOR Benoît Quersin
National Museums Institute of Zaire, Kinshasa II (6)
PIANO INSTRUCTOR
National Institute of Arts, Kinshasa
RESIDENT ARTIST (7)
National Ballet of Zaire
RESIDENT ARTIST AND RESEARCH FELLOW:
National Ballet of Zaire

SCRIPT SECRETARY TO THE LE PROGRÈS DIRECTOR
Zairian Le Progrès news-paper: weekly release of political comments signed by the Director as Les tablettes de Mpanu Mpanu Bibanda.

 

BROADCASTER, PROGRAM MAKER
Zairian Educative Radio Station (STAR):
Sunday religious program and The hundred visages of songs.
SHOW BUSINESS IN KINSHASA
1967-1974 AS A KEABOARD LEADING LIGHT AND MASTER MUSICIAN,
Established the use of musical synthesizers in Post-Colonial Congolese Town Music under the stage nickname of Pacquy. Performed with the following 3 giants of the musical scene of Kinshasa:
- The Yss-Boys (Exotic music)
- The Sosolisso Madjesi Trio and African Jazz (African popular brand)

Combined journalistic activities with music performance (Shows, Music Halls (8), Dance Halls, Touring, Festivals and Sporting events (9), Piano Bars, Dinner Rooms (10) and Night clubs ) (11).

RESEARCH OR MAJOR PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN

At the National Museums Institute of Zaire, Kinshasa II:

• EXTENSIVE TRANSCRIPTION of traditional music including an exhaustive version of a renowned Baassa aksak of the Mongo people.

• Participated in NEGOTIATIONS WITH UNESCO (Paris/Miollis) for the publication of 10 cassettes of traditional music.

• EXTENSIVE FIELDWORK
Covered the Western regions of Zaire especially the Kongo, Teke, Boma Sakata and Mongo ethnic groups.

 

1997

At the National Institute of Arts, Kinshasa:
• COMPOSED the music of the Muzang tragedy and the music of the Ngembo and Mundele Ndombe musicals for the National Ballet of Zaire.

At the International Centre for African Music and Dance (ICAMD), Legon: Initiated the AFRICAN DRUM MUSIC SERIES of 15 didactic booklets, multipurpose Drum scores for Educators, Composers, Scholars and Students. (See Publications).

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

As a Senior Research Fellow (ICAMD) and Lecturer (SPA), University of Ghana/Legon:

• Taught PIANO IN UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE CLASSES (1986-2000)

• Established INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN THE TEACHING OF COMPOSITION in Ghana, Legon and Cape Coast Universities

• Handled the School of Performing Arts and the University of Cape Coast’s track of MUSIC THEORY AND COMPOSITION, WITH CULTURAL ALTERNATIVES IN AFRICAN MUSIC.

• Chaired the Wednesday’s INTERNAL STAFF SEMINAR ON RESEARCH AND METHODS in Ethnomusicology, Legon.

• Bared a significant weight in the SUPERVISION OF GRADUATE THESES AND UNDERGRADUATE DISSERTATIONS, in the Legon Music Department.

At the National Institute of Arts, Kinshasa

• Taught piano in the undergraduate classes

• Organised private piano classes for expatriate children in Kinshasa.

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOPS
As a Theorist in African Music within international platforms:

January 2003

October 2003

As a Music Educator:

• Michigan, Ann Arbor. .INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AFRICAN MUSICAL EDUCATION.

• Pretoria. THE JOURNAL OF AFRICAN MUSICAL ARTS’ CO-AUTHORS WORKSHOP.

• Princeton. INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON AFRICAN MUSIC

• UNESCO WORKSHOP FOR THE TRAINING OF MUSIC TEACHERS IN FRENCH-SPEAKING AFRICA. (Co-hosted by MASA 99, Abidjan).

As a composer:

March-June 2000

 

• Northwestern. 2000 INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY & RESEARCH IN AFRICAN HUMANITIES: COMPOSITION AND TRANSMISSION TECHNIQUES. An interdisciplinary approach.
As a Cultural Development Agent:

March 1998

 

LOCAL WORKSHOPS

PAN-AFRICAN CONSULTATION ON CULTURAL POLICIES FOR DEVELOPMENT held in Lome, Togo, and organized by UNESCO in conjunction with the Organization of African Unity, the Bellagio Group, and the Government of Togo

As a contribution to the 3rd and 4th generations of Ghanaian composers, respectively

January 1999

• Organised the Year.1999 GHANAIAN COMPOSERS’ WORKSHOP sponsored by the French Embassy in Accra. Resource person: the French composer Fabien Tehericsen.

2005

Main consultant for the German sponsored GLOBAL INTERPLAY WORKSHOP (September 2005) for young composers’ intercultural music competition (African Pool): Main Resource persons: Dr. Nkeiro Okoye and Dr. Ralph Alexander Kohler.

As a contribution to the ICAMD international conferences in Accra, Legon
1996-2005 • Participated actively as a Senior Fellow in all the International conferences initiated by the International Centre for African Music and Dance (ICAMD):

- MUSIC AND HEALING IN AFRICA AND THE DIASPORA (1997)

- THE FUNDAMENTALS OF AFRICAN CHURCH MUSIC, (July 3-17, 1998)
- UNESCO INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE WORKSHOP (January 12-14, 1999), etc

INTERNATIONAL BOARDS

July 2003

• MEMBER OF THE JOURNAL OF THE MUSICAL ARTS IN AFRICA, South African College of Music, University of Cape Town.

July 2004

• Accounting for abstracts concerning books and theses directly published in West and Central Africa about music for the RILM INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF MUSIC (ONLINE MUSICAL ARCHIVES).

January 2004

• Official Ambassador Extraordinary in Francophone countries of the PASMAE, PAN AFRICAN SOCIETY FOR MUSICAL ARTS.
LOCAL BOARDS AND COMMITTEES

2004-

2004-

2005-

2005-

2005-

PUBLICATIONS

BOARD OF THE FACULTY OF ARTS, University of Ghana, Legon

ACADEMIC BOARD, University of Ghana, Legon

FINANCE COMMITTEE, School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, Legon

PLANNING COMMITTEE, School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, Legon

IT COMMITTEE, School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, Legon

THESES, DISSERTATIONS

1.

Musical Traditions of the Kongo People: Western Central Africa. An inclusive perspective. PHD. Thesis: Paris X-Nanterre University, 1994, 480p,

2.

3.

A Musical Chart of the Western Zaire. DEA Article, Paris X-Nanterre University, 1988, 40p.

Traditional Music of the Boma-Sakata and Ekonda of the Maindombe Lake (Western Zaire) M.A. Dissertation, Paris X-Nanterre University, 1988, 120p.

4.

About an ‘Ekonda’ Melody. Diploma Final Work, National Institute of Arts (INA), Kinshasa.
BOOKS AND ARTICLES
Theoretical essays
5

“Ethnomusicology of Africa or African Musicology: a self-reliant theoretical perspective”, Paper Presented at the International Conference on African Musical Education, Michigan, May 2000.

6. "Form in African Music." Paper Presented at the Center for Intercultural Music Conference, Cambridge, August 2001

7.

”Improvisation and Extemporization in Sub-Saharan Africa”, Paper Presented at the International Symposium on African Music, Princeton, October 2003.

8. “African Francophone and English-speaking Tertiary Programs in Music Education”: An inaugural report for PASMAE, Bilingual (English, French). March, 2004
9. "Fieldwork in Central Africa: a Sociology of Research" Bilingual (English, French). In the Journal of African Musical Arts, Cape Town, January 2003.
Chapters in books

10.

”Improvisation and Extemporization in Sub-Saharan Africa”, in the Journal of African Musical Arts, Cape Town, January 2003.
Pedagogic booklets
  African Drum Music Series
11. Adowa. Accra, Ghana: Afram Publications, 1997.
12. Slow Agbekor. Accra, Ghana: Afram Publications, 1997.
13.

Kpanlogo. Accra, Ghana: Afram Publications, 1997.

Twelve hanging numbers should be added to the series originally sponsored by the ICAMD without further incentive in 7 years for their publication. These booklets are

African Drum Music continued: a) Adevu b) Agbadza c) Asafo d) Atsiagbekor e) Bamaya f) Borborbor g) Bima h) Fontomfrom i) Gabada j) Gome k) Sikyi l) Zigi.

Ongoing writings

- An ongoing Synthesis of the above African Drum Music corpus in a single book under the title of
  Ghanaian Drum Music: Fifteen musical types, short performance practice, theoretical issues, full scores.
- An English translation of a personal French PHD thesis:
  Musical Traditions of the Kongo People: Western Central Africa. Paris X-Nanterre University, 1994, 480p,
MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS
An insight into musical software applications has enabled an unrestrictedly use of orchestral templates without wondering about the lack of performers. Worthy to be quoted for the last 5 years:

Pedagogic material (2000-2003)

14.

15

16. .

The Ghanaian Suite

Didactic medley: Fugue, String quartet and Orchestra.

On a theme by A.A. Mensah: Divine Providence

For the ORBIT project, World Music Day 2004, Switzerland.

17.

18

Fanfare 1.

Fanfare 2.

For GBC: Philharmonic Pearls (2005)

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

Ghana National Anthem: Concert Version

Welcome Prince.

Kongo Dreams.

78 months in Ghana.

February 2003 in Accra.

The TransAfrican Motorway

Church music (advanced rehearsals with the LEGON ALL STARS: a vocal octet with piano forte)

25. The Lord on our Side, Psalm 124 (2005)
DISCOGRAPHY

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

"Chants Kongo" (Paris, Musique du monde, BUDA Music: 82512-2)

"Tambours Kongo" (Paris, Musique du monde, BUDA Music. 92525-2)

"Petites musiques du Zaïre” (Paris, Musique du monde, BUDA Music 92372-2)

“Souvenirs du Zaire”: Paris, Shamar Ed., 1993.

“Dwarfs consultations” for GBC, Philharmonic Pearls, 2005.


FILMS/DOCUMENTARIES

Main consultant in the “BOBONGO” coverage of an Ekonda musical Festival by French students in cinema (1988).

WEBMASTER

2003-2005

www.african_atpm.com Personal ongoing research in African Art, Traditional and Popular Music, with a link to the University of Ghana, Faculty of Arts, Music Department Website, a personal achievement.

   
staff list, Music Department
E. J. Collins             -               Professor.*
BA (Ghana) PhD (SLJNY)

1.  NAME:          PROFESSOR  E . JOHN COLLINS

2. FULL CURRICULUM VITAE FROM FIRST DEGREE

Education/Degrees:

1969 – 72: University of Ghana BA degree in sociology/archaeology.

1989 – 94: Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology.  State University of New York at Buffalo.

                Thesis:  The Ghanaian Concert Party: African Popular Entertainment at the Cross Roads Published by University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan 1995 (pub. No. 95-09102)

2000         Associate Professor, University of Ghana, Legon.

Present Appointment:

                Senior Lecturer in Music, School of Performing Arts, UG. [Since Sept. 1995].

Teaching & Other Relevant Experience:

1969 –72:  During holidays and spare time played and toured with the Jaguar Jokers and F. Kenya’s concert parties.

1973:         Taught chemistry at GATECO, Koforidua.

1973:         Played for four recordings by Koo Nimo’s band, released by Phillips.

1974 – 79:  Taught physics and chemistry at the Ghana International School (GIS), Accra.

1974 – 75: Worked as musician with the Bunzu sounds band of the Napoleon Club, Accra.  Toured Nigeria, the Benin Republic and Togo with them in 1974 and recorded 2 songs with them in Lagos – later released by the Makossa label of New York.

1975:         Toured as musician with Victor Uwaifo;s band in Bendel State and Eastern Nigeria.  Recorded with him on his ‘Laugh and Cry’ album.

1975 – 79:  Performed with and managed the 14 strong Bokoor Band which was affiliated to the Arts Council and commercially released two cassettes and two singles.

1976:          Received a grant for research into African music from the Authorship Development Fund of the Curriculum Division of the Ghana Teaching Service.

1977:          Performed in Lagos for the Black President film production of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.

1978:          Worked for the BBExternal Service’s for two months and presented itsfirst ever series on African popular  music: five half hour programmes for the External Service on the history of African popular music  called In the African Groove. Subsequently have done thirty or so other  BBC broadcasts.  Have also done radio programmes for the VOA and American Public Broadcasting, Radio Gabon, France Internationale, Radio Deutchevelle, Radio Netherlands and Radio   stations in Ghana, Togo, Liberia, The Cote d’Ivoire, CanadaDenmark and Italy.

1979:          Became an Executive Member of MUSIGA (Musicians Union of Ghana) and became their representative in early negotiation between them and international copyright organisations.

1979 – 80:   Taught African Music and Black Studies to West Indian youth at the Wolverhampton Council for Community Relations in Britain.

1982 – 88:    Worked with the Arts Council/ Nat. Comm. On Culture on various projects (involved with their children’s cultural competitions and Roots of Highlife film; documentation of journalistic and archival work with the Arts Council, National Orchestra/ Dinah Reindorf, NAFTI, DuBois Centre, Ghana Film Corporation and Ghana Dance Ensemble)

1983 – present: Manager of Bokoor Recording Studio.

1983:           Gave a course of six lectures on African popular music and drama to NAFTI students.

1983:           Consultant for Third Eye/ BBC film on black music ‘Repercussions’

1984:           Worked in Liberia documenting popular musicians – at the invitation of Studio 99 in Monrovia.

1987:           On the local Organising Committee for the 4th International Conference of the international Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM).  Together with Prof. Nketia and Koo Nimo became an Honorary Life Member of IASPM.

1988:           Consultant for Danish Loki Film production ‘African Cross Rhythms’ (released 1994)

1989:           Whilst working on my Ph D. At SUNY Buffalo taught an undergraduate course at its Dept. of American Studies on African and African-American Music’

1990:           Together with Koo Nimo, E.T. Mensah, Kwaa Mensah ‘Opia’, King Bruce and other popular performers, established the Bokoor African Popular Music Archives Foundation (BAPMAF)

1991:           Given a Certificate of Honour by the National Commission on Culture for providing documented information for the First Ghanaian Brass Band Festival of 1991.

1991:           Invited by the NCC to become a Trustee of the Ghana Folkore, established that year.

1992:           Consultant for the Dutch ID TV film on Ghanaian brass bands ‘Brass Unbound’

1994:           Became a Resident Fellow of Northwestern University’s Institute for the Advanced Study and Research into the African Humanities 1993/4 program ‘The Enscription of the Material World’ with Dr. Karin Barber as Preceptor.

1994:           Consultant for Ghana Television film ‘The Story of Highlife’

1994:           Consultant for German Huschert Realfilm production ‘Highlife in Ghana.’

1994 – 96:    Technical Director of the Univ. of Mainz/ Univ. of Ghana project to re-copy and re-document the Institute of African Studies music archives.

1995:            Consultant for German Bavarian TV film ‘Art Music in Ghana

1995:            Consultant for Norwegian Vision TV film ‘When the Moment Sings’

1995:            Began work as Facilitator/Assessor/occasional lecturer for the Danish/Ghanaian AGORO non-formal education through music Project bases in Cape Coast.

1995:            October.  Took up appointment as lecturer in the Music Department of the School of Performing Arts, Univ. of Ghana.

1996:            Co-organiser of the joint Goethe Institute/BAPMAF ‘Highlife Month’ in February that involved a photo exhibition, seminars, films and performances.

1996:            Establishment of the BAPMAF Highlife Museum at my residence Bokoor House, Ofankor.

1997                          For one year provided a once weekly series of talks on the history of highlife for Radio Gold.

1997                             Worked on a project of using local popular songs to educate children on the dangers of water-borne diseases – for the Lower Volta Basin Research Project.

1998                            Became PRO for the Ghana Music Pioneers Association. Later became involved with its sister organisation the Ghana Old Musicians and Artists Welfare Association (GOMAWA)

1998                                Given the Ghana National ACRAG Arts Award for thirty years pioneering  research into highlife music and sixteen years of running the low-budget Bokoor recording studio.

1999                                 Facilitator for Palm Pictures/Island Records ‘Astronaut’ music-video film.

2000                                   Performance/lecture tour with Koo Nimo of New England Universities (Yale , Harvard., Wesley, Boston, Trinity,etc)

2000                      Awarded Associate Professorship by the University of Ghana.

 2000                      June. Presented a paper in Washington DC on the  Music Industry in Six African Countries for the World Bank and  the Yale based Policy  Science Center. Became member of World Bank working committee on above project headed by Michael Finger, lead economist of the World Bank’s   Poverty Reduction  and Economic Network (PREN) department.

2001                      Joint organiser of the French Embassy/BAPMAF/Harmathan Management ‘Highlife Story’  celebration (photo exhibition, lectures, films, discussion panels and concerts)  held at the Alliance Francais premises, Accra from 23rd May to  June 6th.

2002                       Organiser of joint US Public Affairs Section/ BAPMAF Jazz  Returns to Africa  lecture/concert series held at the National Theatre, Accra  8th February to March 22nd 2002

2003                                    Feb 15-May to 20th  on a   short-term contract with the  World Bank to  prepare a   working document (in consultation with the Univ of Ghana Music Dept and four Ghanaian performance unions)  on the needs of the Ghanaian a music   industry

3)                  DETAILS OF RESEARCH OR MAJOR PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN

a)      Ongoing research from 1969 on West African popular music and drama.  Includes documenting the social history/collection of individual biographies/relation to the traditional performing arts/the role of women/the music industry and copyright/the growth of neotraditional performance styles/the links between African and black diasporic performance/as a ‘history of the inarticulate’.

b)      Ongoing collection since 1969 of photographs, recorded materials, documents, books, posters and memorabilia associated with African popular performance.  Since 1990 these have become part of the BAPMAF collection and its Highlife Museum.

c)      Currently running the  Local Dimension band (formed 1997) composed of students and instructors of the School of Performing Arts.  It combines modern with traditional instruments and plays its own compositions based on African popular and folk idioms.

d)      From  2000 began researching into the Ghanaian/African music industry for the World Bank and as a consultant for various Ghanaian music/performance unions.

4)         DETAILS OF TEACHING EXPERIENCE AT UNIVERSITY LEVEL

From 1981, occasional lectures and workshops at the following universities and other institutions of higher learning.

Britain: School for Oriental and African Studies(SOAS), University of London Anthropology Dept, Centre for West African Studies Birmingham, the Africa Centre, London, Dartington College of Arts, Cambridge University Music Department, Exeter University, Anglia Polytechnic and University.

Holland: the University of Amsterdam’s sociology and anthropology departments, Neimegan University’s Mass Communication Dept, the Tropical Institute in Amsterdam.

Denmark: the Uninversity of Copenhagen Anthropology Dept. the Aarhus University Music Therapy Dept. the Aarhus Music Conservatory, the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, the Silkeborg Centre for Rhythmic Music and Dance.

Germany: the Iwela Hausa African Studies Dept in Bayreuth, the University of Mainz Ethnology and African Studies Dept, the Berlin Museum fur Volkerhunde, the University of Witten/Herdecke.

France: The L’Ecole de Mines, the African Studies Centre in Paris.

Sweden: the Music Depts of the University of Lundt and of Goteborg.

Canada: The Royal Toronto Museum, the University of Guelph Music Dept, the University of York African Studies Dept, the University of Carleton Arts and Culture Dept.

U.S.A: Columbia University, New York, Ethnomusicology Dept, Tufts University Ethnomusicolgy Dept, SUNY Brockport African Studies Dept, Yale University IASPM conference, University of Washington Seattle Ethnomusicology Dept, Columbia College Chicago Black Studies Dept., Harvard University, Wesleyan.

Switzerland The History and Ethnomusicology Departments of Zurich University, the Ethnmusicology and History Departments of Basel University, the Swizz Ethnomusicological Society at the Basel Mission.

a)      SUNY Buffalo 1989/90 Teaching Assistant for its American Studies Dept.  Teaching an undergraduate course on ‘African and African-American Studies.

b)      1994 Northwestern University.  As a 3 month Resident Fellow for the Institute for the Advanced Study and Research into the African Humanities, gave a series of lectures to undergraduates in the Dept. of Music and Dept. of African-American Studies.

c)      1995.  Began teaching undergraduate and M.A./M.Phil courses for the Music Dept. of the School of Performing Arts, Legon.

d)      2003. Feb-March, one month residency at Dartington College of Arts, Totnes, UK  

5.        CONFERENCES, SPECIAL  SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS AT WHICH PAPERS WERE READ,  WITH REFERENCES WHERE APPROPRIATE.

1.      First International Conference of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM) held in Amsterdam in 1981.  Joint paper with Dr. Paul Richards of SOAS entitled ‘West African Popular Music: Suggestions for an Interpretive Framework’ First published in Popular Music Perspectives by IASPM Exeter/Goteborg, (eds) Phillip Tagg and David Horne, 1982, pp. 111-141.  Reprinted under the title ‘Popuar Music in west Africa’ in 1989 in World Music, Poltics and Social Change (ed) Simon Frith, Manchester University Press, pp 12-67.

2.      The Second Nordic/African Audio Visual Archives Conference (AVA-90) held in Fayum Sweden in 1990 July. Paper entitled ‘Running a Band, a Music /studio and Music/archives in Ghana’.  Published in the Proceedings of AVA 90 by the Dalarna Research Council, Sweden, (ed) T. Kvifte and Gunner Ternhag, 1990, pp. 9-19.

3.      National Workshop on Copyright held by the Ghana Copyright Administration, the Ghana National Commission on Culture and the World Intellectual Property Organisation, WIPO, at theAcadamy of African Music and Arts, AAMA, at Kokrobite, Accra October 9-11th  1990.  Presented a paper entitled ‘Folklore : Some Problems of Oral Copyright’.

4.      National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC) held in Kumasi in August 1992.  Paper ‘The Concert Party, Popular entertainment and the Ghanaian School Syllabus’.  Published by the Centre for the Study of Education in Developing Countries (CESO), the Hague, 1992, No.176, pp. 171-177.

5.      The First PANAFEST held in Cape Coast in December 1992.  Led discussion and gave paper ‘come Music and the Roots of Highlife’ incorporated into Chapter ‘Goombay, Gome and Asiko’ of Highlife Time by John Collins, Anansesem Press, Accra 1994 and (second edition) 1996.

6.      Seminar on Ghanaian Folklore in Retrospect held in Koforidua in March 1993 and organised by the Copyright Administration/National Folklore Board of Trustee/Eastern Region Centre for National Culture.  Paper entitled ‘The Yaa Amponsah Story’ published as chapter 2 of Highlife Time by John Collins, Anansesem Press, Accra, 1994 and 1996.

7.      Seminar on Tradition and Innovations organised by the American united States Information Service, Accra, in August 1993.  Paper on Ghanaian Popular Music.

8.      The African Composers Forum organised by the International Centre for African Music and Dance (ICAMD) at Legon in August 1994.  Paper ‘The Musical Ghost in the Machine’ incorporated into Chapter 51 ‘Highlife, Computers and the Highlife Imagination’ of Highlife Time by John Collins, Anansesem Press, Accra, 1996, pp. 281-295.

9.      Copyright Administration/National Folklore Board of Trustees/NCC Seminar on Folklore held in Tamale in August 1994.  Paper read entitled ‘Folklore and Popular Music: The Case of Dagomba Simpa Music. “Portion of this paper incorporated into the Chapter  ‘The Simpa Music of Dagbon’ in Highlife Time by John Collins, Anansesem Press, Accra, 1994 and 1996.

10.  Conference on The Wider World of Music and Dance organised by the ICAMD, Legon in December 1994.  Paper read entitled ‘Some Major Trends in Highlife.

11.  Goethe Institute/BAPMAF Highlife Month panel discussion on 28th February on ‘The Future of Highlife’ (with Profs. Agovi, Anyidoho and Kwesi Yankah, Dr. Komla Amoako, Koo Nimo and King Bruce) Paper presented titled ‘The Highlife Imagination’ incorporated into a Chapter of Highlife Time by John Collins, Anansesem Press, Accra, 1996.

12.  The University of Ghana/Ohio University/National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute held in Accra in August 1996.  Paper read entitled ‘The West African Popular Music Tradition’.

13.  The Conference on Research and Education in African Music and Dance organized by the ICAMD at Legon in December, 1996.  Paper read entitled ‘Popular Music, The Ghanaian School Syllabus and the Infinite Art of Improvisation.’

14.   Conference on Music and Healing in Africa and the Black Diaspora organised by the ICAMD at Legon 3-5  September 1997. Paper entitled ‘Gospel Highlife: Ghana’s New Answer to Urban Anxiety’.

15.  ‘Goombay: The Impact of Freed Slaves on African Popular and Neo-Traditional Music’. Paper read at the Afromusique/Africania Colloquium, Grand Bassam, Cote d’Ivoire, 2-5 December, 1998.

16        Ghana’s Folk Tax: A Cultural Conundrum’. Paper presented at the Regional, Seminar on the Application of the UNESCO 1989 Recommendations on   Safeguarding Traditional Culture in African Countries, held at the University of Ghana,  Legon,  26-26 January,  1999.

17.     Presented three seminars on the ‘De-colonisation of Ghanaian Popular Entertainment ‘ for the CODESRIA African Humanities Institute Program at   the Graduate Studies Centre, Legon, February 2000.

18.     Paper entitled ‘The Reasons for the Recent Local Gospel Music Boom in Ghana’ read at the Consultation on Religion and Media in Africa, held at GIMPA, Accra, 22-24th May 2000.  

19.    June 2000 presented a paper in Washington DC on the  Music Industry in Six African Countries for the World Bank and  the Yale based   Policy Science Center.

20.    Plenary paper entitled ‘The Generational Factor in Ghanaian Music: Past, Present and Future; at the Playing with Identities in African Music Conference of the Nordic African Institute at Turku/Abo, Finland, 19-22th October 2000.

21.    The Copyright Consequences of Paul Simon Meeting West Africa’s Highlife Muse:Yaa Amponsah. Paper read on 9th November at the  Millercom Lecture Series of the University of Illinois.

22.    Paper called  ‘Transnational Culture and Ghanaian Music: Copyright Conundrums in a Developing Nation’ read at a colloquium of the Centre of African Studies, University of Illinois entitled ‘Transnational Cultural Industries in Africa and Local Sites of Production’, 10th November 2000.

23.    Making Ghanaian Music Exportable. Paper read at the Ghana Music Awards 2001 Workshop held at the National Theatre, Accra, 6th April 2001.  

24.    The Pan-African Goombay Drum-Dance: Its Ramifications and Development in Ghana. Paper read at the 12th Triennial Symposium on African Arts of the Arts Council of the US African Studies Association held in the US Virgin Islands, 25-29th April 2001

25.    The Problems of Applying Copyright to Ghanaian Folklore.  Lecture  held at the ITnter-faculty Lecture of theUniversity of Ghana on the 6th dec 2001:  chaired by Professor  Kwese Yankah

26.    Seven lectures on the theme Jazz Returns to Africa  for the US Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy Black History Month, National Theatre, 8th Feb. to 22nd March 2002

27.    Ghanaian Christianity and Popular Entertainment: Full circle. Paper read at thre Symposium on Performing Arts organized by the Insitute of African Studies, University of Amsterdam June 13-14 2002 as part of the 300 years Ghana/Holland Celebration

28.    World Music and Eco-Toursim. Paper read at Eco-Fest Symposium. La Palm Hotel, 14-15th October 2002

29.    Sabbatical lecture tour (Nov/Dec 2002) Lectures on Ghanaian popular music and theatre/Caribbean influence/traditional retentions and progressive indigenisation/the impact of war/church influences/music workshops. GERMANY: the university of Witten/Herdecke and the Mainz Universiity  African Studies Dept. SWITZERLAND: the History and Ethnomusicology Depts. Of Zurich University, The Ethnmusicology and History Depts. Of Basel University. A meeting of the Swizz Ethnomusicological Society. FRANCE: The African Studies Centre in Paris.

30.    Sabbatical performance tour (Nov/Dec 2002) Tour of Germany, Switzerland and France with the acoustic  palmwine highlife  group  of Kwabena Nyama and the Local Dimension Band

31.    Sabbatical one month redidency 23 February-23rd March 2003 at Dartington College  UK and lectures/workshops  at Cambridge University Music Department, Anglia Polytehnic University, School of Oriental and African studies and Exeter Univerity

32.    ‘One Hundred years of West African Highlife: African “Guitarism”’paper at the 1-4th August 2003 ‘Second International Symposium and Festival on  Composition in Africa and the Diaspora’ held at Churchill College, Cambridge University, organised by Professor Akin Euba.

33.       Showcasing Archives in Africa: The BAPMAF Highlife Centre. Paper read at  the ‘Audiovisual Archives:Memory and Society’ Conference of the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA), held at the Univeristy of Pretoria, South Africa, 21-15 September 2003.

34.     Member of nine person panel of UNESCO  on safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage:Traditional Music and Dance, at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris 15-16  December 2003. Visit to UNESCO Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity Section.   

6.      PUBLICATION WITH DETAILS OF BOOKS AND ARTICLES, STATING EXACT REFERENCES   OF ARTICLES AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Since the early seventies I have had about one hundred publications.  For the sake of convenience here I have divided them into three categories; namely a) Journalistic works   b) Books    c) Academic/Educational articles.

a)                Journalistic Work

On the topic of West African (particularly Ghanaian) popular entertainment/music industry and unions/cultural and mass communications institutions.  Since 1973 I have supplied individual article, or series of them as regular correspondent, for the following magazines, journals and newspapers.  Pleasure Magazine (Accra), Music Express (Lagos x 2), Black Echoes (London x 7), Africa Now (Lagos/London x 8), Afrique Magazine (London x 2), African Magazine (London x 3), Africa Now (London x 5), New African (London x 5), Oor(Holland x 4) , West Africa Magazine (London x 21), Guardian Third World Supplement (London), Reggae and African Beat (USA x 2), African Letter (Toronto x 2), Latina (Japan), Hit Parade (Accra x 2), Uhuru Magazine (Accra), Around Ghana (Accra x 2)

b)               Books

1.                  My Life:  Victor Uwaifo the Black Knight of Music Fame, Black Bell Publishing, Accra, 1976.

2.                  African Pop Roots, Foulshams, London, 1985.

3.                  Music makers of West Africa, Three Continents Press, Wash. DC. 1985.

4.                  E.T. Mensah the King of Highlife, Off The Record Press, London, 1986, Reprinted by Anansesem Press, Accra in 1996.

5.                  West African Pop Roots, Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 1992.

6.                  Highlife Time, Anansesem Press, Accra, 1994.  New expanded version published 1996.

7.                  West African Popular Theatre (with Karin Barber and Alain Ricard) Indiana Univ. Press/James Currey, 1997.

8.                  King Bruce – The King of Blackbeat  (with King Bruce). Forthcoming Anansesem Press, Accra.

9.                  Fela : Nigeria’s Musical Warrior. Forthcoming Off The Record Press, London.

10.              African Musical Symbolism in Contemporary Perspective (Roots Rhythms and Relativity) . Forthcoming Peter Lang Publications  of Switzerland.

c)         Academic/Educational articles

1.                  Comic Opera in Ghana In African Arts, U.C.L.A., California, Vol.9, No. 2, January 1976, pp. 50-57.

2.                   Ghanaian Highlife.  In African Arts, U.C.L.A., California, Vol.9 10,No. 1, October 1976, pp. 62-8 and 100.

3.                  Post-war Popular Bands in West Africa, In African Arts, U.C.L.A., California vol. 10, No.3, April 1977, pp. 53-60.

4.                  West African music: An Audio visual Teaching Aid (with R. Graham), Pub. By Afro-asian Resources Centre, Newmann College Birmingham in 1980.

5.                  West African Music:  Suggestions for an Interpretive Framework (with Dr. Paul Richards).  First published in Popular music Perspectives, Exeter and Goteborg  (eds) ).  Tagg and D. Horne, 1982, pp. 111-141.  Reprinted under the title ‘Popular Music in West Africa’ in World music, Politics and Social Change, (ed) Simon Frith, Mancherter university Press, 1989, pp. 12-67.

6.                  Crisis in the Ghanaian Music Industry.  In Velernen Was Mich Stumm Mach, (ed) Al Imfeld, Uionsverlag, Zurich, 1980, pp. 226-228.

7.                  The Concert Party in Ghana.  In Musical Traditions, Exeter (ed) Keith Summers, No. 4, 1985, pp. 37-39.

8.                  Jazz Feedback to Africa.  In American Music, (ed) John Graziano, published by the Sonneck Society/University of Illinois Press, Vol.5, No. 2, Summer 1987, pp. 176-193.

9.                  Comic Opera in Ghana.  In Ghanaian Literatures:  Critical Perspectives, (ed) Richard Priebe, Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut, 1988, pp. 61-72.

10.              African Music Strengthens Cultural Autonomy.  In group media Journal, (ed) Sheila O’Connell, published by SONOLUX, Munich, Vol. VIII, No. 4, 1989, pp. 17-21.

11.              The Early History of West African Highlife Music.  In Popular Music, (ed) Ian Fairley and Stan Rijven, University of Cambridge Press, 1989, Vol. 8, No.3 pp. 221-230.

12.              Article on West African Popular Music (translated into Japanese) for Japanese Noise: Music Magazine, (ed. Toyo Nakamuru), Tokyo, Number 1, Spring 1989.

13.              Running a Band, a Music Studio and Music Archives in Ghana.  In Proceedings of the AVA-90 Conference, Fayum, Sweden, (eds) Tellef Kvifte and Gunnar Ternhag, published by the Dalarna Research Council of Sweden/University of Oslo, 1990, pp. 9-19.

14.              African Music in the Space Age:  The Agbadza Drums.  In Music Letter journal  edited and published by Charles Keil of SUNY Buffalo, 1990, pp. 57-68.  Reprinted in edited form as ‘Traditional Hot and Cool Rhythms’ in west African Pop Roots, by John Collins, Temple University Press, 1992, pp. 1-16.  Reprinted in full form as ‘The Traditional Musical Background’; in Highlife Time by John Collins, Anansesem Press, Accra, 1996, pp. 113-122.

15.              Die Populare Music in Westafrika Nach Dem Zweiten Weltkrieg.  In Populare Musik if Africa (ed) Veit erlmann, published by the Museum Fur Volkekunde, Berlin, 1991, pp. 15-31.

16.              Folklore – Some Problems of Copyright.In Ghana Copyright News, issue 3, Jan 1991-Dec.1992, pp. 17-19. Based on a paper presented at the National Workshop on Copyright held by the Ghana Copyright Administration, the Ghana National Commission on Culture and the World Intellectual Property Organisation, WIPO, at theAcadamy of African Music and Arts, AAMA, at Kokrobite, Accra October 9-11th  1990.

17.              Some Anti-Hegemonic Aspects of African Popular Music.  In Rockin’ The Boat (ed) Reebee Garafalo, Southern Press, Boston, 1992, pp. 185-194.

18.              The Concert Party:  Popular Entertainment and the Ghanaian School Syllabus (NAFAC 92 PAPER).  In The Empowerment of culture (eds) Ad Boeren and Kees A. Epskamp, published by the Centre fo the Study of Education in Developing countries (CESO), The Hague, CESO Paperback No. 17, 1992, pp. 171-177.

19.              The Problems of Oral Copyright.  In Music and Copyright (ed) Simon Frith, Edinburgh University Press, 1994, pp. 194, pp. 146-158.

20.              Interview with John Collins on the Cultural Policy, Folklore and Recording Industry of  Ghana, by  Cynthia Schmidt.In The Guitar in /Africa:The 1950’s – 90’s (ed. Cynthia Schmidt) In The World of Music  published by the International Institute for Traditional Music, Germany, volume 36, number 2, 1994, pp. 138-147.

21.              The Ghanaian Concert Party.  In Glendora Review, African Quarterly on the Arts (ed) Dapo Adeniyi, Lagos, vol. 1, No. 4. 1996, pp. 85-88.

22.              Music Feedback:  African-American’s Music in Africa.  In Issue, A Journal of Opinion (eds) B. Hawk and L. Brock, published by the African Studies Association of the USA, Vol. XXIV. No. 2, 1996, pp. 26-27.

23.              Fela and the Black  President Film. In Glendora African Quarterly of the Arts,  (ed) Dapo Adeniyi, Lagos, Vol. 2, No. 2, 1997,  pp.57-73

24.              The Evolution of West African Popular Entertainment. . The Encyclopedia of Sub-Saharan Africa (ed) John Middleton, Charles Scribner and Sons Reference Books, U.S.A. 1999.’

25.              Ghana Entry (with Ronnie Graham)  for the Rough Guide to World Music,Volume 1, (eds. S. Broughton, M. Ellingham and R. Trillo). Published by Rough Guide/Penguin, London, 1999, pp.488-498

26.              Hitechnology, Individual Copyright and Ghanaian Music,  in the book  Ghana:  Changing Values/Changing Technologies,  (ed) Helen Lauer,  published by the Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, U.S.A, 2000.

27.              Paper on the African Music Industry. For the June 20th 2000 Workshop of the World Bank on Developing the Music Industry in Africa.. Available from the Policy Science Center, 127 Wall St. Room 314, BOX 208215, New Haven, CT. 06529-8215.

28.              La Musique Populaire de L’Ouest Africain Anglophone, in  Notre Librarie: Literatures du Nigeria et du Ghana:2   (ed. Jean-Louis Joubert) published by the French Ministry of foreign Affairs, Number 141, July-September 2000, pp. 114-118.]

29.              The Generational Factor in Ghanaian Music: Concert Parties, highlife, Simpa, Kpanlogo and Gospel, Article in Playing With Identities in the Contemporary Music of Africa, (eds. M. Palmberg and A. Kirkegaard), Published by the Nordic African Institute/Sibelius Museum Apo, Finland. 2002. pp 60-74.

30.              Three articles on the Ghanaian Music Industry (A Quarter  Century of Problems:The Way Forwards: The Gospel Boom) In West Africa Magazine , London, 19-25th August 2002 (issue 4339) pp 8-13.

31.               Eight entries (on the Ghanaian and Liberian popular music and recording industry) for  the Continuum Encyclopaedia of Popular Music of the World Vols. I and II  (eds. John Shepherd, David Horn, Dave Laing, Paul Oliver and Peter Wicke)  published by Cassell, London, March and May 2003.

32.              The ‘Folkloric Copyright Tax’ Problem in Ghana. Media Development, the Journal of the World Association for Christian Communication, London. No. 1, 2003, pp 10-14.

33.              Fela and the Black President Film: A Diary. Chapter in  the book   Fela: From West Africa to West Broadway, (ed) Trevor Schoonmaker,  Palgrave/Macmillan Press, June 2003. 2003,pp 55-77.

34.              Ghanaian Women Enter into Popular Entertainment. Humanities Review Journal, (ed)  Dr. Foluke M. Ogunleye, Vol. 3, No.1, (ISSN 1596-0749),  Published by the  Humanities Research Forum,  Univerity of Idadan and Obefemi Awolowo University, Nigeria,  June 2003, pp.1-10.

7.         CD AND  MUSIC  VIDEO RELEASES

1983:       Consultant for Third Eye/ BBC film on black music ‘Repercussions’

1988:       Consultant for Danish Loki Film production ‘African Cross Rhythms’ (released 1994)

1992:       Consultant for the Dutch ID TV film on Ghanaian brass bands ‘Brass Unbound’

1994:       Consultant for Ghana Television film ‘The Story of Highlife’

1994:       Consultant for German Huschert Realfilm production ‘Highlife in Ghana.’

1995:       Consultant for German Bavarian TV film ‘Art Music in Ghana

1995:       Consultant for Norwegian Vision TV film ‘When the Moment Sings’

1999             Facilitator for Palm Pictures/Island Records ‘A  Giant Leap Forward/Astronaut’ music- video film and CD ROM .

2002             NAXOS  (US/Hong Kong  record company) release ‘Electric Highlife’.    

2003                   Otrabanda Records Amsterdam. ‘Vintage Highlife’ (acoustic guitar music  Kwaa Mensah, Koo Nimo and T.O.Jazz recorded Bokoor Studio.

2003                 Earthworks/Sterns African Records. ‘Guitar and Gun’ (recordings from Bokoor Studio)

8.      BOARDS AND COMMITTEES THAT PROFESSOR OF WHICH JOHN COLLINS IS A MEMBER

1)     Made an Honourary  Life Member (with Prof. J.H.K. Nketia and Dr.  Daniel     Ampomah/Koo Nimo) in 1987 of the International Association for the Study of Popular Musicc (IASPM)

2)      Manager of the Bokoor recording studio, Accra since 1982

3)      Acting Chairman of the Accra based African Popular Music Archives  Foundation  BAPMAF since 1990

4)     Music  Director since 1997 of the Ghana University based Local Dimension acoustic highlife band

5)     Became patron of the Afika Obonu Drum and Music Therapy Ensemble in Feb. 2002.

6)        Consultant since 2002  (on the World Bank project to assist the African Music Industry) for MUSIGA (the Ghana        Musicians Union), GOMAWA (the Ghana Old Musicians and Artists Welfare Assocation, the  GCPU (Ghana Concert Parties Union) and the Ghana Actors Guild .

7)        On the  Board of Directors in 2002 of Love Africa (Ghana music for schools project) established by Rocky Dawuni and modelled the US VH 1 Save the Music Project.

8)        Dec 2003 Imnited to be on the Editorial Bo  of the International Journal of Humanistic Studies of the University of Swaziland, editor Dr. (Mrs.) Foluke Ogunleye

FORTHCOMING ARTICLES IN THE PIPELINE

·        The Entrance of Ghanaian Women into Popular Entertainment.  Forthcoming  Journal of the School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana Legon, editor Dr. Ben Abdullah.(Gave Ben 2002 Originally given much earlier to Esi S Addy/Anne Adam for Efua sutherlands Festschift. Also (slightly updated) sent to Foluke Ogunleye Nigeria,  editor of Humanities Review Journal Sept 2003

·        Rumours, Religion and Popular Performance in Ghana. Forthcoming from African Literatures (eds. K. Agawu and K. Anyidoho), Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut. Also sent )Oct 2003 to  janet Topp Fargion ofUK  jouynral of Ethnomuisicology  oct 2003

·        Music and Mathematics. Chapter in Forthcoming History and Philosophy of Science, (ed. H. Lauer), Ghana University Press/African Book Collective.

·        Entry on Highlife for forthcoming Encyclopaedia of African Folklore (eds. Kwesi Yankah and Phillip Peek), to be published by Garland Press/Taylor&Francis Routledge, USA. Corrections seny May 2003

·        African Popular Music: A Global Historical Review for forthcoming  The Universe of Music: A History, Volume 5 : Africa (eds.  J.H.K.Nketia and Kongo Zabana), to be published by UNESCO. ( +  Esi Sutherland Addy (ed)  for Reader in African Studies April 2003 ?)

·        The De-colonisation of Ghanaian Popular   Entertainment. In the forthcoming  CODESRIA African Humanities Institute’s Trancending Boundaries (ed. by K. Agawu and K. Anyidoho) To be published by Carolina Academic  Press ed by Toyin Falola and Steve Salm) Sent April 2003

·        The Pan-African Goombay Drum-Dance: Its Ramifications and Development in Ghana. In the forthcoming book on Atlantic Rim Studies being edited by Robert Nichols of the University of the Virgin Islands. Also sent Janet Topp FargonUK  UK Journal of Ethnomusicology Oct 2003

·        Ghanaian Christianity and Popular Entertainment: Full circle. Paper read at the Symposium on Performing Arts organized by the Insitute of African Studies, University of Amsterdam June 13-14 2002 as part of the 300 years Ghana/Holland Celebration (sent April  2003 to David Henige of Wisconsin University via Veit Arlt.

·        'Urban Anxiety and Its Sonic Response'  version of my Gospel Highlife:Ghana’a Answer to Urban Anxiety presented for ICAMD concerence on Music and Healing in Africa and the Diaspora held at Legon in 1997( Ntone Edjabe of Zimbabwean  magazine Chimurenga, has told me (Sept 200)3 it has been published by Glendora of  Nigeria and now they Chimurenga is interested in  it so I sent it to him under original title ‘Urban Anxiety’in Sept 2003

·        article onGhana gospel (= discography) for fiesta magazine and never published

·        Ghana’s Gospel Glory (includes gospel discography and list of gospel artists recorded at Bokoor studio Mesant to be pub by FIESTA but never was  Text id modified Ghana Christianity Ful Circle paper – but the discographies have NEVER been published

staff list, Music Department

Asante Darkwa      -               Senior Lecturer*
Dip in Music (Ghana) MA PhD (Wesleyan)

EDUCATION

staff list, Music Department
W.O. Anku,            -               Senior Lecturer, Director, SPA
Dip in Music (Ghana) MNIE (Montana) PhD (Pittsburgh)

EDUCATION

staff list, Music Department
T.E. Andoh            -              Lecturer
B.Mus Dip Ed (C. Coast) MPhil (Ghana)

EDUCATION

staff list, Music Department

Contact on

- 024 4680200

- 027 7790534

- 021 501528 Ext 109/114

Email: joshuaamuah @yahoo.com

            jamuah@ug.edu.gh

Joshua Alfred Amuah  -         Lecturer
Diploma NAM – (U.C.C.), D.Ed. Music (UEW), MPhil. Ghana

AMUAH, Joshua Alfred, was born at Yamfo in the Brong Ahafo Region  on 22nd  July 1961 He trained as a professional teacher at  Komenda  College from 1982-85 after which he entered the National Academy of Music Winneba in 1988 where he did a 3 year diploma course in Music Education.

 Joshua also holds Bachelor of Education (Music & Gh. Language) Honours degree 1996, and Master of Philosophy (Music Theory and Composition) 2001 from the University of Education Winneba and the University of Ghana, Legon respectively.

 Joshua has spent his time mostly teaching and directing choirs. As a choral director, he has directed a number of Church and institutional choirs.

As a choral director, he has also adjudicated several singing competitions within the country.

 He is currently lecturer in the Music Department, University of Ghana Legon and teaches Theory of Music, Musicianship, African choral repertoire and directing, Music in Education and directs the choral ensemble of the Music Department.

 He was the Deputy Director and subsequently the Director of Music of the Cape Coast District of the Association of Methodist Church Choirs-Ghana (GHAMECC) from 1990 - 2003 and currently National 1st Deputy Director of Music of GHAMECC.

 To his credit he won the first prize award of the T.U.C (Ghana) anthem  composition contest in 1995.

 Some of the books he has written include:-

1          Practice in Rudiments of Music (A graded series)

2.         Songs for Christmas staff edition

3.         Songs for Christmas solfa edition

4.         Music and Dance for Teacher Training Colleges

staff list, Music Department
A. Dzokoto          -                Tutor
Higher Dip in Theory of Music (Ghana), Higher Dip in Band Mastership ARCMC (Lond)

EDUCATION

 
staff list, Music Department
Dina Mpereh,            -           Tutor
Dip in Music Ed. (UCC) BMus (Gh)

EDUCATION

staff list, Music Department
G.M. Amoah         -               Artiste in Residence/Technical Advisor*
LRSM (Lond) Dip African Music (Ghana)

EDUCATION

 
staff list, Music Department
Emmanuel Boamah -               Tutor
Dip Ed (Cape Coast) MA (Ghana)

EDUCATION

staff list, Music Department

 

 

 

 

Telephone:    0243-412-955

Bertha S. Adom -               Tutor
Dip Ed (Winneba), B. Mus., M.Ohil (Ghana)          

2. Education

                                                               i.      M. Phil in African Studies

                                                             ii.      B.Mus. Legon

                                                            iii.      Dip in Mus. Education

3. Professional Experience: Ghana Education Service

                                                               i.      Basic Schools

                                                             ii.      Preparatory Schools

                                                            iii.      Secondary/Senior Secondary School

 4. Interests: Ethnomusicology in Music Education, Choral Performances of Church (Charismatic) Music and Traditional Music of Ghana, Music Librarianship

 5. Articles and Papers:

        i) A Handbook for Music and Dance Teachers of Basic Schools in Ghana November 2003

ii) A Handbook of Music and Dance Teachers of JSS Schools in Ghana February 2004

iii) Faisal Helwani and 1-hs Contribution to The Music Business in Ghana (I 999) Long Essay, University of G@ Legon

iv) The Sociocultural Context of Imuw]dzi (Cradle Songs) Performance Among Biakpa-Avatime Women at Home and Madina, Accra (2003) M.Phil. Thesis, University of Ghana, Legon.

v) Thematic Analysis of Avatime Women's Cradle Songs (2005).  A Paper Presented at the 3rd Annual Faculty of Arts Colloquium, University of Ghana, Legon.

 

staff list, Music Department
Kyoung ok KIM    -               Instructor
BA (Korea) MA DCM (USA)

EDUCATION

staff list, Music Department
Nsissio Fiagbedzi             -               Senior Lecturer.*

EDUCATION

 
staff list, Music Department
A. Asiamah             -               Senior Lecturer.*

EDUCATION

 
staff list, Music Department
G. Addo            -               Lecturer.*

EDUCATION

staff list, Music Department

 

 

JOHNSON KEMEH: MASTER DRUM TEACHER
Johnson hails from Ghana’ Volta Region and has been teaching drumming at the University of Ghana since the 1970’s. In fact he is currently the longest standing member of the University Music Department and hundreds of Ghanaian and foreign students have passed though his practical course. He formed the Brotherhood Foundation Cultural Group of Alajo (a suburb of Accra) in 1976.With this drum-drama and dance group he has also trained many artists including members of the Dance company of the National Theatre, the Dance Ensemble at Legon. The group has played at Kiddifest in Ghana and toured Holland in 1997.

Johnson Kemmeh            -               Instructor

Aaron Bebe Sukura           -               Instructor

Performance in North Carolina: Leaf Festival

Website link: www://aaronbebe.com

staff list, Music Department

AARON BEBE SUKURA : TEACHER OF THE NORTHERN XYLOPHONE
Aaron Bebe Sukura was born in 1970 in the village of Tanchara in Ghana’s Upper West Region and has been playing the local gyil (wooden xylophone) since boyhood, which he learnt from his father. In 1992 Aaron moved to Accra where he began at the Music Department of the University of Ghana at Legon. Aaron is also an accomplished mbira (Zimbabwean hand-piano) player and a seprewa harp-lute player, a traditional Akan instrument whose ‘odonson’ style was incorporated into Highlife in the 1920’s and 30’s
Besides teaching at the university Aaron has played with the Novisi dance group, the Ghana Dance Ensemble, the Pan African Orchestra, the Abibigromma Theater Company of the University School for the Performing Arts and Hewale Sounds. Together with John Collins he is alsop co-leader of the Local Dimension ‘palmwine’ highlife band that was started in 1997 by some students and staff of the Music and Dance Departments of the University of Ghana at Legon. This seven piece group is led by Aaron Bebe Sukura on seprewa harp-lute, xylophone, mbira thumb-piano and John Collins on guitar and harmonica. For several years the band also featured the late great T.O. Jazz (of Ampoumah’s guitar band) who taught guitar for two years at the Music Department. His place is now taken in the Local Dimension band by T.O. Jazz’s longtime percussionist and principal singer Kojo Menu. Besides highlifes, this acoustic group plays, Afro-Beat, Congo Jazz (i.e. Soukous), Dagari music and songs in the traditional Adowa and Agbadza styles. In 2002 the band toured Germany, Switzerland and France and in 2003 Local Dimension released a CD of Aaron’s compositions (recorded at Pidgin Studios Accra) entitled N’Yong on the French Disques Arion label.

Performance at Louisville: USA

Performance in North Carolina: Leaf Festival

Students' Xylophone Ensemble

Performance at an engagement ceremony

Xylophone Class: 2001

Teaching: 1992

 

Ebo Taylor           -              Highlife instructor
staff list, Music Department
EBO TAYLOR: HIGHLIFE COMPOSER AND TEACHER
Prolific highlife composer who introduced palmwine guitar playing to the highlife dance bands and being influenced by jazz diminished and augmented and passing chords
Is Fanti and was born a Saltpond near Cape Coast in 1939 And began learning music organ at 9 years old as his father was leader of a local church choir his secondary school Saint Augustines College where he also began learning guitar. Ebo then went on to spend some time in UK at Eric Guilder School of Music in London and played atRonne Scott’s jazz club in London
His influences are two of the important local acoustic ‘palmwine’ guitarists in area such as Kwame Asare and Kwaa Mensah .he was also influenced by American guitarists such as Kenny Burell, Jim Hall and Wes Montgomery and also the music of Miles Davis John Coltrane and Charlie Parker.
At nineteen year old Ebo sent ot Kumasi to play with the Stargazers Band and composed ‘Mensu’ and ‘Dance Highlife Hits’ for them. Then he moved onto the Takoradi based Broadway Band that toured African countries as well as Russia and western Europe. He composed ‘Beye Buu’ and ‘Wofa Nunu’ for them and then moved onto the Uhuru Band. He is a prolific composer of highlife songs such as ‘Nsamanfo’ ‘Odo Ye Wu’, ‘Ghana Be Ye Yie’, ‘Twer Nyame’ and also produced and arranged records by Pat Thomas (‘My Love of Music’ and ‘Nsamanfo’), C.K. Mann (‘Funky Highlife’) Jewel Ackah and Papa Yankson. Ebo has released eleven record albums in all and has won five national awards.
He is currently (since 2002) been teaching guitar and running pop band ( as artist-in- residence) at the Music Dept of the University of Ghana at Legon. He has also
teamed up with old saxophonist friend Ray Allen who spent many years in the UK and has now returned to Ghana. Their small Afro-jazz combo is called Unconditional Love

 

staff list, Music Department
Michael Davor            -               Assistant Instructor

       
staff list, Music Department
B.A. Kyerematen           -               Instructor

staff list, Music Department
Auntie Maggy           -               Administrative secretary

 

staff list, Music Department
Lizy          -              Administrative secretary