The gonje (alternatively spelled gondze or goonje) is a mysterious instrument—strange and uncanny even to those among whom its playing is commonplace.  The sounds, the technique, and the crafting of the gonje all make for an intensely singular aural experience. Decorated with scarves and a specially designed brass ball for ornamentation, it is nearly inexplicable for an outside observer to discern how a mass of string tied to a resonator can produce such a range of sounds.  The gonje screeches and wails and hums better than the most accomplished avant-garde saxophonist.  What is probably an ancestor of the lute, the fiddle and the violin, the single-stringed gonje is found in different variations across West Africa.  Gonje musicians became members of the royal court of Dagbon (the ethno-linguistic territory for the Dagbamba people, in which Tamale is situated) in the 19th century during the rule of the Dagbamba paramount chief Naa Yakubu I, although the gonje, said to have come from a town called Yambi in what is now Burkina Faso, has been integral to Northern Ghana for many centuries.

Surely one of the most stately, graceful, dances in West Africa, the Akan “Adowa” takes its name from the impressive animal, the antelope.  With its silent, swift movements, the antelope is evocative of the ideal warrior, and that is how this funeral dance is said to originate.  Feet move quickly; the waist with moderation.  But it is the hand gestures that figure at the center of this regal dance: the subtle flexing and rotating of the wrists, and the lightly closed fists spreading outwards into open palms, are highly symbolic forms of non-verbal communication.  The drumming too, on the large “atumpan”, is full of proverbs in Twi, the Ashanti language.  Interestingly, this drum (called Timpani in the Dagbani language) is said to have gained importance during a peace treaty between the Ashanti and the Dagbambas (the ethnic group of most of the Bizung students).

The foundation has been offered an exciting opportunity and we need everyone’s help to make it happen.

Every 3 months a great company called Cultivate Wines gives $100,000 in grants to causes related to education and basic human needs. The Playing For Change Foundation has been selected to participate and now it’s up to you.

YOU can vote EVERY DAY at www.cultivatewines.com/cause/6178/ between now and March 31st and help us win a $10,000 grant or $50,000 if we get the most votes overall!

Flirt for a Cause, an organization which hosts fundraisers for various non-profits, while creating possibilities for singles and couples seeking love and romance, presents The 2012 Valentine’s Flirt Off. Flirt 4 a Cause - Valentine’s Flirt Off on Friday, February 10th, 2012 @ 8 PM - 1 AM, is being held at CAFÉ-CLUB FAIS DO-DO - 5257 West Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016.

The evening will raise awareness and funds for the non-profits: the Playing for Change Foundation, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Angel City Pit Bulls. Each guest will choose which of the 3 non-profits they’d like to give their “rose” to a la the hit reality TV shows, “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette.” The proceeds will be divided according to the percentage of roses each non-profit receives. so come out and show your support for Playing For Change Foundation by making us your Valentine!

In all my years as a musician and teacher, I have never seen an entrance like that of the students at the Bizung School of Music and Dance.  While the rest of us prepared the performance space at the Youth Home and Cultural Center, setting up microphones and dialing the console, a driver had been sent to bring these young musicians across Tamale for their show.  About twenty minutes before the concert was set to begin, we began to hear the drums.  As the sound got closer, voices began appearing on the sonic landscape and soon, the students appeared about a hundred yards down the road.  They had been drumming and singing all the way from the school to the venue.  We could hear them coming from nearly half a mile away!

Join us for a night of LIVE MUSIC. BELLYDANCING, MAGIC, SHOPPING, FUN! 
This Sunday, January 22nd at the Paul G. Gleason Theater 6520 Hollywood Blvd Hollywood, CA 90028 from 5:00 to 8:00pm.  Doors open at 4:00pm.
Arrive early to get a good parking, shop, eat, and see the magic show!
Bands and Bellies is hosting their 9th - and biggest yet - show and a portion of proceeds will be donated to the foundation.  This is sure to be a memorable night of music and dance.

Partnership announcement: Playing For Change & Elan Chalon: a winning combination

We’re proud to announce that Playing For Change has partnered with a french Basketball team who wants to support the movement and raise funds for the Playing For Change Foundation.

Jera is a potent dance.  As with most dances in the North, the history of Jera is deep, obscure and mysterious.  Most sources trace the origin to one particular hunter called Nanja who, while in the bush, came across an ill omen: group of dwarfs.  Jera came to be performed as part of a religious rite when returning from hunting trips, and later after midnight at the funerals of elders and chiefs.  On these occasions, some believe the drums can sound without a drummer.  The embedded religious significance of Jera is now decontextualized, and it is performed at all times and on a variety of social events.

In addition to planning our first global event, we’ve continued to support and strengthen our 7 programs in Mali, Ghana, Nepal, and South Africa, and we’re excited about plans for expansion into new communities in 2012.  Nothing inspires us more than knowing that a child who has never been given the opportunity to learn an instrument, or play and dance with others, or in some cases to go to school of any kind, is now learning and thriving thanks to the support of their teachers and fellow students in a PFCF music program.