March 7, 2020
6-10:30 pm
The Vault | 35 E. Gay Street
Tickets go on sale February 2nd!
Proceeds from this fundraiser benefit Rafiki Children’s Center School of Music.
For upcoming information visit the Short North Rotary website.
The Rafiki Orchestra is in its birthing process. Thank God for faithful friends, Sara Burley from St. Benedict’s Church, Plantation, Florida and Jesse Henry from Columbus, Ohio for the wonderful gifts of the musical instruments to the Rafiki kids in the John & Joyce Edmondson School of Music. Special appreciation goes out to the Short North Rotary Club of Columbus, Ohio for the dedication and commitment towards the funding of this glorious music project that continues to blossom and grow. The sky is the limit. Shalom.
Daden teaches Elius (L) and Lewis (R).
The John and Joyce Edmondson School of Music is up and running. Rafiki has employed two music teachers to give our students a personal and quality music education. Edward has been working with the choir and teaching private keyboard lessons. Daden is our guitar instructor. He gives private lessons to the Rafiki children on Saturdays. They use a book written by Dean Jesse Henry called the “Colored String Method for Beginning Guitar.” So far they are very close to finishing the first book.
All of the children are given the opportunity to make music and take lessons. So far every child
Edward directs Class 3/4 Choir.
participates in the group choir. We have four students who have really taken a liking to guitar – Lewis, David, Naomi and Eluid. Other children have also taken up keyboarding.
Jesse Henry will be returning to Rafiki in January/February of 2014. During his time there he will be assisting the music teachers and helping them further develop the music curriculum. Rafiki also looks forward to growing the music deparment little by little with student concerts and recitals.
In March 2012, a group of Rotarians from the Capitol Square Rotary Club in Columbus and musicians from Columbus, OH, organized by Kirk Horn, and headlining Jesse Henry and Eric Nassau, made the trek to Rafiki to share the gift of music. Bringing with them the proceeds from the wildly successful “Music in the Round” fundraiser for Rafiki in Columbus, the group arrived at Rafiki ready to get to work.
They spent time with the kids on the Rafiki campus, writing songs with them, and rehearsing with the Upendo Choir from Tanzania. It all came together with a collaborative performance at Rafiki on Saturday, March 10, 2012 and at the Wida Motel auditorium the next day. Both performances were to “packed houses” and could not have been more fun for the performers and the audiences, as well. Dancing and clapping were the norm.
All proceeds from the performances benefited the future John & Joyce Edmondson School of Music at Rafiki. A Department of Music at Rafiki Academy has been started, providing for a teacher as well as various musical instruments.
Here are some scenes from the Saturday show at Rafiki.
At the Wida Motel the next day many local musicians from the area, organized by Peris Ndungu, joined the Upendo choir, the Rafiki kids, Eric Nassau and Jessie Henry from Columbus. Together they rocked the house!
But it wasn’t all rehearsal and performance. There was plenty of time to hang out and get to know the wonderful Rafiki kids. A bonfire on Friday night was used to show the kids how to roast marshmallows.
