Lily Iserson
Chief Copy Editor
Western music departments and Western cultures, according to percussion instructor Professor Jeff Neitzke, are sometimes victims of their own ethnocentricity. “There’s a tendency to view music and almost everything else through personal experience,” said Neitzke. “Yet music around the world is equally as important, and equally as complex.” In this spirit of exploring and raising awareness world about music genres, Neitzke jump started an ensemble class on African Diaspora Music for this spring semester.
The ensemble course primarily focuses on the music of African populations who were displaced in the trauma of slave trades and conquest. While everything has its roots in the African continent, diaspora music blends African traditions and the cultures of their new colonies. “These people [suffered] incredibly traumatic situations, and yet, they were able to create something positive out of their experiences,” says Neitzke.
Students learn traditional percussion techniques and authentic instruments: the kperlogo traces its roots to Ghana, while the rumba is a style of percussion unique to Cuba. Both styles incorporate lean, tall drum sets; smaller hand-drums are also used in a variety of styles.
Eleven musicians are currently enrolled in the class. According to Neitzke, some are music majors and professional percussionists, while some have less experience. A select handful of students are music therapy majors, who are particularly interested in different forms of percussion for the restorative effect of repetitive movement.
Neitzke emphasizes that his class only touches on a small part of what is a particularly multitudinous and diverse genre. The continent of Africa’s so large, after all, and the size of African diaspora communities makes addressing every kind of music particularly difficult. Students are also studying these music techniques without dance, an essential part of most of these percussion styles. “We have to focus on the music,” said Neitzke, who still describes the contextual background of several dances. For example, the Cuban rumba’s main focus is to create a musical response that complements male dancers. In some Brazilian drumming traditions, drumming includes coordination with dances and public parades.
Despite these difficulties, Neitzke nonetheless brings 20 years of percussion experience and research to The College of Wooster, while he simultaneously teaches at the Ashland University and the University of Mount Union. He actively performs while holding his positions as an educator.
Recognizing the importance of performing at large, Neitzke is confident that eventually, his new ensemble will give a concert. He is interested in collaborating with Wooster’s traditional percussion ensemble in a late-spring event, although a date has yet to be selected. With optimism for other future prospects, Neitzke also expressed interest in collaborating with student dance choreographers down the line, in order to exemplify the tradition in full. Eventually, Neitzke hopes to create modern dances based on these traditions, combining modern dance with rich cultural histories.
Although interested students can no longer join this spring semester’s class, Neitzke expects that this class will continue every semester at Wooster, so future percussionists are welcome to ask Neitzke questions about the upcoming fall semester. He says the existence of the ensemble is part of an effort that will bring more non-European music classes onto campus, a trajectory that he hopes will continue past the spring semester as well.