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nia strings
Violin program
with Akhilah DeBow-Cherry
NIA MEANS PURPOSE!
our program
Nia Strings was founded in 2017, formally Love of Strings Violin Program founded in 2011, and is a violin program created for the purpose of building and developing our community. As the 5th principal of Kwanzaa, Nia, is defined as purpose in Kiswahili, this program is also geared towards the restoration of our people to their traditional greatness. Nia Strings focuses on culturally traditional music, and classical.
Purpose
The purpose of Nia Strings is to help in bringing us, as a people, back to our purpose through music and discover it's healing effects; using music as a way to connect us back to our roots, the earth, the land, and ourselves by helping to discover the true origins of music (specifically stringed instruments, as stringed instruments are very similar to human vocal chords).
The purpose of Nia Strings is to help in bringing us, as a people, back to our purpose through music and discover it's healing effects; using music as a way to connect us back to our roots, the earth, the land, and ourselves by helping to discover the true origins of music (specifically stringed instruments, as stringed instruments are very similar to human vocal chords).
learning about our past
helps us to understand the present!
The Goge/Goji
The Goge, or Goji is a West African one string stick fiddle, found in a variety of shapes and sizes. This stringed instrument predates the violin by thousands, possibly millions of years. There are a variety of names for the goge, the most common comes from the Hausa and Yoruba tribes in Nigeria. Typically, goge’s are made from a lizard skin and a covered half gourd (known to be used for carrying water). Bowed with a small horsehair bow, the goge has a very distinctive sound that makes use of a multiphonic voice. In Africa, it is customary to focus on our connection with the land, and being one with it. The structure of the goge emphasizes this connection, as well as it’s organic sound. Which is inclusive of some of the Earth’s elements (vegetation, animals, wind, etc). Played by both men and women with great virtuosity, the goge is used in small ensembles and to accompany singing.
The Goge, or Goji is a West African one string stick fiddle, found in a variety of shapes and sizes. This stringed instrument predates the violin by thousands, possibly millions of years. There are a variety of names for the goge, the most common comes from the Hausa and Yoruba tribes in Nigeria. Typically, goge’s are made from a lizard skin and a covered half gourd (known to be used for carrying water). Bowed with a small horsehair bow, the goge has a very distinctive sound that makes use of a multiphonic voice. In Africa, it is customary to focus on our connection with the land, and being one with it. The structure of the goge emphasizes this connection, as well as it’s organic sound. Which is inclusive of some of the Earth’s elements (vegetation, animals, wind, etc). Played by both men and women with great virtuosity, the goge is used in small ensembles and to accompany singing.
Country: Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Benin Region: Africa Type: bowed strings
© R. Raine-Reusch, Jan. 1999
