Quick Links Academic Appeals Academic Calendar Academic Programs ANGEL Bid Announcements Campus Events Campus Life Campus Map College Catalog Computer Labs Continuing Education Counseling Center Course Schedules Dining Services Distance Learning Employment Opportunities Faculty/Staff Phone Directory Financial Aid Health Services The Matrix: Math Help Center My Grades & Schedule Registration Services Safety &amp Security Student Billing Student Clubs & Organizations Student Consumer Info SUNY NY-Alert

State University of New York

Be Informed! Sign up now!
SUNY NY-ALERT

News

SUNY Sullivan & New Hope Community Welcome African Drum Master Kofi Donkor

Come Share In The Joy of Drumming

 

Loch Sheldrake, NY (September 16, 2011) – Come Join Kofi Donkor and his students from New Hope Community this Tuesday, Sept. 20th from 6:00-7:00 pm at the Seelig Theater of Sullivan County Community College, for an enriching evening of African Drumming.  This relaxed presentation will teach the audience about different drums, as well as share the joy and connectedness that springs forth out of community drumming. Come share the joy and be entranced by the swirling rhythms of the drummers.

Mr. Donkor first learned the skills essential to a drummer at his grandfather's knee, in his native village, Otumi, located in Ghana, West Africa. As a teenager, he was commissioned like many Ghanaian youths, to carry on the traditions of his ancestors and performed for a number of years with the Folklore ensemble of Ghana. He became a master drummer before he graduated from the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, where his studies focused on his nation's culture, sculpture, rural art, and industry.

The students featured in the presentation are individuals supported by New Hope Community, an organization in Sullivan County that provides services to adults with intellectual and other disabilities. Each student was chosen to participate based on their interest in music.  Chris Latty, a Monticello resident, has been playing drums since he was a child, having been taught by his brother. He says he likes to play drums, "...because it makes people happy!" Shante Randolph, who lives in Loch Sheldrake, said that she loves music so much that she often dances alone in her room. David Steingart, also of Loch Sheldrake, says he has been playing drums since he was around 5 years old, starting out by listening and playing along with Gene Krupa records. Sharon Gleit, of Fallsburg says she just likes the opportunity, "...to learn something new."

The low-key presentation, which promises to be fun for the whole family,  will also feature dancers and the recitation of a poem by local actor/director Oliver King.