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This days classroom was like a dream. Rita had organized everything very well again. Todays mission was learn about rhythms around us. Every culture has their own raditional songs, dances and instruments.

Gwo ka, which means a big drum, is for creolian people playing drums, singing and dancing together. Today was our turn to make gwo ka as a group. We had very tallented teacher Michell who really knew what he was doing. Playing drums in a group was nice experience. If I felt, I allways catched back to rhythm because the others in our group. The power of group work was huge. I also liked the sounds and rhythms of these big drums. Singing and dancing together in such a beautiful place, was relaxing and fun. But doing them alone was harder work.

I admire Gwo ka and all the traditions what are still important for todays guadelupian people. In Finland I feel such belonging to my nation only in christmases in the church or our independence day. Then the songs are very important to me.

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Music affects us many ways and it unites people all over the world. The uniting factor of music was very much present today.
Listening and playing the rhythms of Gwo ka was a unique experience. We learnt a lot about the 7 rhythms of Gwo ka and played five of them. The emotions that each rhythm expressed were there to be sensed even if was the very first time when I heard and played the rhythms.  Playing together was a genuine group experience in which we all gave a piece of our soul. Gwo ka is truly for participating!
Music is a universal language and in international projects playing, singing and dancing together offers very often the key for making connection and bonding even if there is no common language.

Quote of the day: 7 ways to sing, 7 ways to beat, 7 ways to dance. Gwo Ka is the soul of Guadeloupean”  (Eric Cosaque, Singer)

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Todays's lesson on music and traditional instruments was great! Rita introduced us with background of history of traditional instruments and the stories behind them. Very valuable!
Also, sharing ideas of competenece learning and teaching was inspiring and made me think a lot.
And, drumming lessson of two professionals- that was great and challenging for me. It has always been easier to do singing and dancing for me than playing instruments. But inspiring lesson from local professionals was more than great! The explicit lesson on the traditions and the rythms of Guadeloupe was exciting. The movements and sounds of local music is something is what we do not have in Latvia. It will certainly go back home with me and find its place in my classes!

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I really enjoyed playing the drums together today, that was a lot of fun and William was a very inspiring teacher. It is always fun to do something together where everyone can participate at their own skill level. Also the dancing together as a group in the end was fun. What I didn't enjoy that much today, was the part where everyone was forced to dance in the middle. That's a way of teaching that was being used a lot in Finland decades ago, but nowadays no teacher would use this method anymore. If you want someone to learn something new and enjoy something they are not used doing, forcing is never the right way to do it. This is also something I find very important with my students, and I always try to find ways for everyone to participate in a way they can enjoy it and express their selves in their own way.

Music and dancing is and has been very important part in many cultures, as we have also learned during this week. But you have to also remember that music and dance doesn't have to be a big part in everyones life. It's naturally one's own choice how they want to enjoy music and dancing, there is also very many different ways to enjoy them.

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It feels great writing a reflection along the rythm of gwo ka down on the street, hearing it with a little more knowledge as before.
At first we were debating about five dimensions of multiculturalism in the school by Banks: content integration, knowledge construction, equity pedagogy, prejudice reduction and empowering school culture and social structure. We all should be aware that there is no superior culture, we have to respect all and every, to learn from each and about each. If we want to change for better, we have to know, to care and to act, which is my quote of the day.
We have had an insight into Guadeloupe culture also through Gwo ka. The two words mean music, drum, song and dance. Gwo ka isn't meant to be only listened to, but to participate, to take your drum and play it, to sing along with the singer or to dance with the rhythm. Their is also a very social aspect in playing drums in a group of many. If you lose a rhythm, there are other that are still playing correctly. So if you fall out of it, you just come back in and play like before. It's like in life, if you have people around you, they will help you to get back into the right rhythm.
Gwo ka has seven basic rhytms which are influenced by the everyday lifestyle.
When we were learning or better repeating the lyrics after William, I was reminded how hard it is to learn and remember something you don't understand. We often do something like that with our students. I have to change my way teaching into a process of learning how to learn.
I enjoyed playing gwo ka drum, because I really enjoy playing with different rhythms and I hope I will be able to teach my students at least one rhythm. Each time when we have music and we are doing different rhytms they are really enjoying, so it feels almost obligatory to share some of my feelings with them.

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I really enjoyed this day and participation in Gwo Ka. Today's session we started with calm music when Rita was playing traditional Lithuanian instrument and finished with Gwa Ka. The powerful drums sounds remainded me how hard was slaves' life. Howewer, they found their inner strenght after long working day to be together. It all made a sense for them. And now we could be a part of it.
I had never played the drums and I wanted to do it, expecially after carnival parade in Sainte-Anne, where I saw so many drummers.
Playing drums while surrounded with amazing people gave me strong feelings. I totally enjoyed being with the music and myself in this process- I can say that was very much close to medidation process I went through today.
Thanks to our great teachers!

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Go Kwa drum gathered people together today. These drums differ from the Sámi drums; Sámi drum had a shamanic meaning and usually the patterns reflected owners world of view (there were also patterns of secular property for example amount of reindeers). Why do I speak in a past form? Almost every single drum were collected and taken out of their use from Sámi people in the 18th century, when Sámi people were forced to turn to christianity. Why did the Finnish officials do that collecting? Was the drum a threat to christianity?

Today I learned how powerful instrument the drum is; At the same time I learned the meaning of Go Kwa; music unites people. You can`t only listen to the music, you have to participate it. Every single time when I lost the rythm, I noticed that the music continued and I was able to get back to the rythm. I felt togertherness.

I think in the case of this little minority group of Sámi people in Finland, the only opportunity to change the way people behave was to take something very important from them. Music has a strong meaning in the culture; when you collect the drum from the people, at the same time you take away their ability to feel the same that I felt today. As a cherry on the top of the cake you end witchcraft, but I think that is just a side issue. Like Rita said Life is full of Rythms; it is not only what you can hear but you can see, feel and experience.

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„Life is rhythm.“ (Rita) And „Gwo Ka is life“. (William) So „Gwo Ka is rhythm“. (me)

It was my first time on the drums and, although not being overly gifted, I really enjoyed it. Usually I prefer having my own rhythm, but here it was good to follow the rhythm of others. It created a feeling of belonging and enhanced group dynamics. Once I got the rhythm, it even set my mind free.

However, I once again noticed that I don‘t like being forced to do something I really don‘t want to do. And that‘s what I also try to do in teaching. For me it‘s important not to insist when I see there is too much resistance. I try to respect the students and talk to them in a less heated moment to figure out what‘s going on.

I really liked the Lithuanian ritual of planting a tree for each newborn child and cutting that tree after the person‘s death in order to make an instrument out of the wood, so that the player of the instrument can communicate with the dead. It also reminded me of a Balinese ritual where ancestors take gifts like parasols or water bottles to the graves since they believe that as long as the dead are not burned (sometimes that takes years to happen) their souls are still alive.

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It was quite an experience today to participate in the gwo ka: the drumming, the dance and the singing. I wouldn't say it's right up my alley but I really enjoyed the drumming and got to feel the Guadeloupean rythms.

At the memorial yesterday, I found out how music was used in a way to resist the power of slavery and keep the culture alive even though drums were forbidden by the Code Noir. It really represents how powerful music can be in creating togetherness. As we talked today, gwo ka is not for listening but participating.
Quote of today:
Alors on danse 💃

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Today was a great day for me because I like music and dance. I learned to play the drum and music called Gwo Ka. This is something I have not  done before and I really enjoyed it. I have danced to the drumbeat earler as I dance afrocuban dances like salsa, son ond Cuban chacha. Still dancing was new with these Guadeloupian beats, The dance is also called Gwo Ka. There were at least six beats that we got to know. I learned a lot today.

I think that these kinds of exercises will be useful with the students at school too. Weather we would have the chance to play instruments or do some other group activity wherein we would need to work as a group towards the same goal. It was great to learn a new skill and at the sametime notice that others kept the ship moving if I stumbled. This is also useful within Erasmus + ka2 projects and other grouping activities.

I am very interested in meeting new people and to learn about their culture. William and Michel have been easy to talk to and they have told us a lot about their life on the island. I am very thankfull for this day.

It is inspiring to see Rita's confident teaching style and storytelling. I see that the course has been carefully planned and is well organized.