25 May 2015 –
(If you are visiting for the first time, please scroll down to the start, the ‘6 May 2015’ entry below)
Staying by Lake Victoria, flying out from Uganda this evening. This is the last blog entry that we’ll be doing about the strumstick workshops.
The 2nd course begins with 8 boys from CCDO – Community Child Development Orphanage – in the community of Buyobo, accompanied by their young woman teacher.
Playtime.. some children were drawing, some playing football.
When rains permitted, we took a day trip to visit both ACIO and CCDO projects that LITA has been involved with now for many years.
The girl’s latrine and dormitory at CCDO beyond the beautiful floral surroundings.
PS from Cath – Already starting as of last week, we are very happy that the music classes that began in our garage workshop are going to continue throughout this second term, taught by Mr. Johnson twice weekly, at both ACIO and CCDO schools.
Please check out ‘Figurenotes’ at: http://www.drakemusicscotland.org to learn about an amazing approach to teaching/learning music that Mr. Johnson is using to further the children’s understanding about music, the recorder, and strumstick.
You can click here to watch a short video about ‘Figurenotes’.
Thank you for your kind consideration to support the continuation of this program with a donation to LITA’s music project. More info about donating can be found here.
16 May 2015 –
With nine strumsticks completed, on the last day of the 4 day course we had a fun music lesson, learning beginner recorder and strumstick arts.
Followed by a very important presentation of certificates to each participant.
Then after another big lunch, the truck ride home as far as Mutufu, and the walk on the trail through the village to the ACIO orphanage.
15 May 2015 –
On May 4th, the first workshop began with the 9 boys, their Director, Vincent, and Bern’s assistants helping.
8 May 2015 –
The day before the boys from the ACIO orphanage arrived, was spent on logistics in housing, transporting and feeding our 10 visitors – 9 boys and caregiver Vincent.
The boys had a long journey from their child care center, along the muddy trail carrying their foam mattresses on their heads, to the trading centre, where they were met with transport to bring them to Cath’s home in Kamonkoli.. some two hours away.
This was an exciting trip for the boys, many of whom have never left the village before, been in a truck or on a tarmack road, or seen a three storey building or been in a city like Mbale..
6 May 2015 –
After Bern and his cousin, David, attended a course on making a strumstick in Vancouver, Bern decided it would be a great project to take to the orphans supported by LITA in Uganda. A strumstick, originally derived from an African string instrument, is a simple 3 – stringed dulcimer tuned to one key and is a good preparation for learning to play the guitar.
With brother Norm, they developed a method for the kids to make a strumstick for themselves.
As there is no electricity in the countryside in Uganda, their design used hand tools only and inexpensive components. They designed aluminum jigs and pre-cut the main parts of the sticks. We packed two large suitcases loaded with tools and parts and off we went to Uganda.
The first week was spent preparing Catherine’s garage into a workshop, and training Bern’s three assistants who live with Cath, the founder of LITA.
