Music To Our Ears

The one thing I didn't think we would have to worry about in Africa was musical ability.  Almost every African-American I know has incredible rhythm and is tremendously gifted when it comes to any kind of  music:  singing, dancing, playing any kind of musical instrument, etc.

The first shock came when we discovered that the only person in all four branches here in Sunyani that plays the piano is Elder Brown from Dallas, Texas.  All of the branches have been sent really nice elaborate keyboards for their chapels, but no one knows how to play.  Elder Brown goes home the middle of June--BIG PROBLEM!

The way they lead the music and sing hymns is quite unique.  Someone (a missionary, a person in the audience, the chorister) attempts to sing the first two lines of the song to hopefully get everyone in the audience familiar with the tune.  Then the chorister, who really doesn't know how to lead but rather just waves his or her hand back and forth, says, "One, two, sing," and they all start singing, usually way too slow with long pauses between verses or even measures.  If that's not bad enough, the majority of the voices are loud, way off-key, flat and sharp, and with absolutely no rhythm.  The first time we experienced it we were in Fiapre.  It wasn't bad--it was horrible; but they all sing at the top of their lungs.  Both Gary and I didn't even dare look at each other for fear of laughing out loud it was so bad.  They try so hard and they're not at all uncomfortable with just blurting it out.

One of the first things on our goals for the new district is to improve the entire area in the music department.  Where is Jane and Gary Lambert when we need them?  We started looking for someone, anyone, in Sunyani that we could hire to give piano lessons to a couple of members from each branch.  We figure that the keyboard with even a one-hand accompaniment might help in the melody department. 

President Mintah, Gary's first counselor in the district, is a young Ghanaian who served a mission several years ago and then taught at the MTC in Accra for a while.  He's very talented and has great ideas.  He also put on the goal list that we form a district choir. (Oh, heaven forbid!)  So the search is on for a choir director as well.

Then the miracle happened.  Last week, an army officer, out of the blue, attended the Sacrament Meeting of the Penkwase Branch.  He told the missionaries that he was a member but had been inactive for many years.  The missionaries got his phone number and asked President Thayne to call him and perhaps go meet him to reinforce his desire to come to church.  Gary called him and he said, "Yes, I know who you are--I see you and your wife all the time driving in your white truck."  Wow, we can't go or do anything without being noticed by everyone!

He invited us to come and visit him at his home in the Barracks (army compound).  Foreigner are not allowed in the compound but because this man is an officer (intelligence) he made arrangments and said he would escort us in and we could visit him in his home.  He met us at the gate and told the armed guards we were with him.  Then he took us through the huge, wooded, clean grounds to the married officers' quarters.  The missionaries couldn't believe it--they said they have never seen foreigners allowed even past the gate.

We went to his very modest (but nice for Sunyani) little house and met his wife Belta and his two little daughters, Anna-4 and Beverly-2.  The wife is a non-member and reluctantly agreed to have the missionaries teach her the lessons.  Then we noticed a keyboard in the corner of the room.  Daniel, the officer, said he used to play many years ago in his ward in Accra, but that he was really rusty now.  He said he loved music, sang bass, and had been in the process of organizing an area choir there in Accra, but had been transferred before it had really got going.  We couldn't believe our ears!  We told him he was a miracle--an answer to prayer.  It was unbelievable, that here we were struggling to find anyone who could help us with the music and choir and then he just appears at church out of the blue!  Miracles do happen!