Description: This is
a VOA Special English Education Report.
See text below
Text:
Current and former students from Berklee College of
Music in Boston recently returned to the United
States after three weeks in Kenya. They were part of
a cultural exchange program aiming to influence
lives through music. They taught music, performed
and donated instruments to a Kenyan community
center. They also learned about traditional Kenyan
music. Music is an important part of life in Kenya.
Sam Lutomia works for the Berklee College of Music.
But he was born and spent his early years in Kenya.
He helped to create a group called Global Youth
Groove. Its goal is to bring western music to young
Kenyans, and get them to consider music as a career.
Mr. Lutomia says he started talking with Berklee
students and teachers, and they all liked the idea.
Then they started collecting musical instruments.
Thirteen Americans made the trip to Kenya in July.
They included four high school students from the
Boston area. The first stop was Nairobi. There, they
got a chance to meet with local musicians and listen
to them play. Project coordinator Aaron Colverson
says the American group presented a gift during a
visit to Kakamega in western Kenya. The gift
included about 20 instruments, some recorders and an
entire drum kit. The Americans also gave out laptop
computers and recording software.Many Kenyans
attended the activities offered by the group. One
Berklee student, David Chapman, said for some of the
Kenyans, it was the first time to see and touch such
instruments. Aaron Colverson says music can give
someone a sense of power. When you put music in
front of children, he says, it seems that their
minds open up. Music gives them a chance to express
themselves through songs and writing the songs. The
Americans also performed at a national music
festival. During the trip, Aaron Colverson says,
they met with local musicians and listened to them
play. They also learned about traditional Kenyan
instruments, dances and songs. Trip organizer Sam
Lutomia says he is happy with the levels of energy
the exchange program has produced. He hopes the trip
will take place every year and expand to neighboring
countries. For VOA Special English, I'm , I'm Alex
Villarreal. You can learn English and stay informed
every day from your computer or mobile device at
voaspecialenglish.com. You can also find us on
Facebook, Twitter and iTunes at VOA Learning
English.
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Hi. I
personally reviewed this video and found it appropriate for
the news section of English Global Group. This
is a Voice of America video which covers an interesting
topic in Special English. I would appreciate some feedback from both
students and teachers about this video. You can comment in
the window below using any of a number of different services
including Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, and Hotmail.
