Our 2017 Beacon Scholarship Recipent: Beth Brewer

In her experience at the Nunya Music Academy in Dzodze, Ghana, 2017, Beacon Scholarship recipient Beth Brewer was immersed in the culture, music, and dance of the people of West Africa. She shared that while her program focused primarily on adult learning and material, she has created ways in which she could bring concepts of her learning to her students. Beth adapted Ghanaian drumming patterns and sound cues to fit into activities for teaching form to her classes. In a similar style to the music and dance in Ghana, she introduced patterns to which her students could move and dance, allowing the changes in patterns to guide changes in their movements.

As in many communities around the world, music and movement is central to everyday culture in Ghana. Bringing this value back to the United States, Beth has found ways to make her experience truly elemental, using the content of her learning as a model, and making it accessible to others. Training and technical ability are not required when jumping into music and movement with an open mind and willingness to learn!