janela

My drumming teacher was in São Luís, studying percussion last week, so we didn't have class.

Last night, at our class, I realized how alive I feel when I'm playing music, singing and dancing. It's a nugget of info I knew about myself since I was a kid, though after one of those "under-the-weather" days, beating on an alfaia drum gave me loads of energy. Feeling the tree trunk hanging at my hip bounce and hum a vibrating echo every time I hit the skin with my drumstick carved a permanent smile on my face! I don't know much about music therapy, but I think this qualifies as it.

Hehe...and we played some afoxé (another Brazilian rhythm) that we sometimes played in Toronto as well. My teacher began singing a song in Yorubá (an African language). Everyone in the class was confused and gave up trying to sing the song. It's tricky. The song is one of my favourites that we sing in Toronto. I have no idea how to spell this but I will write it phonetically:

"Morou me mah
Morou me ma-yoh
Morou me ma-yohroh aba doh a yeh yeh-oh
Ah la joshum, oshum me rei rei oh 2x

É leh meen-a me carodoh 2x"

Seeing that I was the only one who could sing it, Marcello made me sing it in front of the class! Hehe...It was great, I sang only the first verse and we had a good laugh as while I can speak some Portuguese, I can also sing some Yorubá. I don't know what the song means, though. I'll have to ask Marcello. He speaks the language.

Ah, what a great class! Drumming is an important hobby for me and will remain one for a very long time.