Music Education Tour of Kenya, Uganda and USA > Programs in Nairobi, Kenya > Workshops >
All Saint’s Cathedral Youth Choir
The magnificent cathedral in the heart of Nairobi was the center of my workshops in Kenya. The cathedral holds the music libraries of the choirs and Nairobi Music Society, the largest music-promoting organization in the city. Most of the workshops in Nairobi were conducted at this cathedral. 
On Saturday, June 17th, I conducted the first workshop with the All Saint's Cathedral Youth Choir. Professor Roberta Mutiso, an American who lives in Kenya, directed the group of twenty men and women volunteers. In this session we discussed basic concepts of hymn singing using the tune of St. Anne. Apart from obvious attention to dynamics, tempo and harmony, we discussed the concept of broadly sustaining phrases. By doing so, we were able to draw out the best sound from small-scale and simple music. A great amount of time was spent on reviewing staff notation, sequences, melodic contours, interpreting compositions without dynamic indications, and the basic rhythm concepts. My work with accompanists focused on how to arrange free accompaniments for choruses. The workshop closed with the choir performance of a Kiswahili song based on Psalm 119.
