Events
LCMC hosts in-person and virtual events throughout the year on community music research. All events posted here are open to the general public.
Past Events
Panel 2: Ghanaian Drum Music in Postsecondary Education: Pedagogies, Strategies, and Teaching Methods
Friday Feb. 28, 2025
This panel discussion aimed at exploring and identifying effective teaching methods for Ghanaian drum music in North American educational contexts. The panel focussed on developing a pedagogical model that adapts the traditional teaching methods of Ghanaian drum music to suit students and educators in North America, while ensuring authenticity and cultural integrity.
Chaired by Dr. Sylvanus Kwashie Kuwor (Visiting Professor, Faculty of Music, Laurier) with panelists:
- Kathy Armstrong, Department of Music and Institute of African Studies (Carleton University)
- Dr. Kofi Gbolonyo, African Music and African Studies (UBC)
- Dr. Habib Chester Iddrisu, Ethnomusicology and Dance (University of Oregon)
Panel 1: Ghanaian Drum Music in Postsecondary Education
Friday, Jan. 24, 2025
We explored the impact of Ghanaian drum music on students’ musical abilities, cultural understanding, and overall learning experience. This virtual panel discussed the effects of integrating Ghanaian drum music into educational experiences of students in university and answered the questions: How do students develop core musical skills? Gain cultural understanding? How might Ghanaian music enhance music learning in postsecondary education?
Chaired by Dr. Sylvanus Kwashie Kuwor (Visiting Professor, Faculty of Music, WLU) with panelists:
- Dr. Curtis Andrews, Ethnomusicologist and Master Drummer (Memorial University)
- Dr. Samuel Elikem Nyamuame, Ethnomusicologist and Master Drummer (Binghamton University)
- Mr. Eric Baffour-Awuah, Music and Dance Anthropologist (University of Alberta)
Temple of Love: The Erroll Starr Story - A Film Screening and Panel Discussion about Fame, Identity, and Legacy in Black pop culture
Thursday, Nov. 15, 2024
We hosted the screening of Temple of Love: The Erroll Starr Story, the story of Canadian R&B icon Erroll Starr’s rise to fame and sudden departure from the spotlight in the 1980’s. Starr's career sheds light on Black Pop Culture and the erasure of those experiences in Canadian media. Temple of Love is also a story about resilience/breaking barriers, family, and healing.
There was a panel discussion featuring the film's producers, Erroll Starr, Laurier faculty, and community members. The film was directed by Kyle Sawyer and produced by Katie Billo and Aaron Francis, founder and curator of Vintage Black Canada, a multidisciplinary archive documenting the transnational modern history of the African Diaspora in Canada. This event was sponsored by the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community and the Office of the Associate Vice President, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.