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Second-grade students at Cold Water Elementary School in the Hazelwood School District learned that dancing, chanting and playing instruments are more than just a fun activity; it’s a way to explore culture and history.

For a week, students experienced “Dance to the Drum, Drum to the Dance” with Kunama Mtendaji, a Springboard program. The workshop features the music, song and dance of West Africa and its extensions in the Caribbean, South America and North America. The children learn to sing in Yoruba and Mandeng, the languages of West Africa, and French and Spanish Creole.

A semi-circle of folding chairs filled one side of the multipurpose room. Beneath the chairs were instruments such as drums, gourd rattles, drum sticks and bells. To start the day’s lesson, Mtendaji reviewed footwork, arm movements, claps and chants as the children followed along. The pulsing sound of drum beats and the spirited voices of the children filled the air.

“Unity, togetherness, one…” the class chanted, their index fingers pointed upward as they swiveled and swayed, trying to keep up with Mtendaji.

The students concentrated on the movements and the call-and-response chants, all while laughing, smiling and having a good time.

“They enjoy it tremendously,” said Beth Gratta, second-grade teacher. “They enjoy learning the culture, and dancing with the music is highly engaging.”

As the lesson continued, the children sat in the chairs to play the instruments. Jumbled sounds soon became a steady rhythm as small hands pounded drums, shook gourds covered in beads and tapped on metal bells with drumsticks. Mtendaji chose a few students to dance while their classmates played, adding to the liveliness of the workshop.

Springboard’s description of the program notes that through “the disciplines of percussion, dance and storytelling, history and geography are presented in a colorful way to help students understand how the arts can be used as a vibrant method to communicate ideas.”

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