Sunday, May 31, 2015

Issa Coulibaly, master drummer, visits Team A students

Davisville Middle School seventh grade students were excited and proud to host for the fourth year in a row, Mr. Issa Coulibaly.  Mr. Coulibaly is a master drummer from Mali who now lives in Rhode Island.  He spent the day sharing drumming techniques, stories about Mali, descriptions of how djembe drums are made, and the importance of drumming in Mali.  Students learned how to properly play a djembe and worked at learning different rhythm combinations.  Students were amazed at how sore their hands were after playing for a short amount of time.  Mr. Coulibaly will be joining the students on June 16 for their end of the year performance:  Shadows from the Silk Road. This guest artist was made possible through major funding support from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

A trip in our "backyard"

                                


In early May, Team A students traveled to the Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum to learn about the Rhode Island slave experience, different types of mills, and about the impact dams have on our environment. Beautiful weather, great teachers, and curious students made for a FANTASTIC day.