Instructors
Dr. Kofi Gbolonyo
Dr. Kofi Gbolonyo is a Ghanaian ethnomusicologist who holds a PhD in ethnomusicology, and a graduate certificate in African studies, from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a professor at the University of British Columbia. He is also Founder and Director of Nunya Academy and Director the Ghana School Project. Dr. Gbolonoyo is also an accomplished drummer and dancer with expert knowledge of Ghanaian music and culture. He has traveled around the world giving lectures and workshops on West African music and culture. Dr. Gbolonyo will give instruction in traditional Ewe music and dance.
|
Maya Cunningham
Maya Cunningham is an ethnomusicologist, a cultural activist and a powerhouse jazz vocalist. She is completing a PhD at the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in African American studies with a concentration in ethnomusicology. Cunningham holds an MA in ethnomusicology from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2018, an MA in jazz performance from Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College and a Bachelor of Music in jazz studies from Howard University. Her research focus is on culturally responsive education for African American students and traditional African American music and identity. Cunningham also has eighteen years of experience in music education and is an expert in African American expressive culture, African American history and jazz history.
In 2017 Cunningham received a Fulbright fellowship to research how traditional music is used to teach national identity to primary school students in Botswana. Based on her research she has developed culturally responsive music education models and curricula for African American students who have been marginalized in United States education. |
Allyson Chamberlain
Allyson Chamberlain is an award winning, master music educator, an arts integration expert and a powerhouse gospel vocalist with over eighteen years of experience in teaching and performance. She is a Music Educator at Moten Elementary School and served as coordinator of the District of Columbia Public Schools Turn Around Arts Program. In 2016, Ms. Chamberlain received a Fund for Teachers fellowship to study Ghanaian music in Ghana, West Africa. The Washington Post featured an article about her fellowship in September 2016. The choir she directs at Moten has performed all over the Washington DC area, including the White House for First Lady Michelle Obama. This appearance was featured in Capitol Community News. Chamberlain has a Bachelor of Arts degree in vocal music from Lincoln University. She holds a Master of Arts degree in arts integration from Towson State University. She is seasoned in using music to educate at-risk African – American children and will contribute her expertise in arts integration, vocal pedagogy and lesson plan design.
|