Burim Blog #5 from Uganda–Pennywhistles to Pabo!!
Mar 24, 2011
Girl Playing Pennywhistle for First Time, Pabo Camp, March 2011
This week I gave 40 pennywhistles to the Primary School students living in the Pabo IDP Camp. They are age 8-17. The kids were so excited to receive the pennywhistle and to know that it is their own personal instrument.
Girls Learning Pennywhistle Fingering, Pabo Camp, March 2011
When I told them they get to keep it forever and I wasn’t going to take from them they all smiled and now they feel so good because they own something.
Pabo School Choir Director Teaching Pennywhistle Fingering, March 2011
Before the class I met with the choir director and gave him training on how to hold and play the pennywhistle and also how we teach the kids and then he helped a lot during the class. The choir director will continue teaching the pennywhistle to these children after I leave Uganda, so they will get to continue learning.
Magada, one of our Ugandan Youth Volunteers, came to Pabo with me, so he and I taught the children how to hold their pennywhistles, and did some practicing and playing together. Magada did a very good job in helping the students individually learn how to place their fingers and how to make it sound good.
Youth Volunteer Magada Helping Pennywhistle Students, Pabo, March 2011
Part of Pennywhistle Class, Pabo Camp, March 2011
On Tuesday I went to Gulu Central High School to announce our program to the students and invite them to participate. This school has officially made our program a part of their school program for any students who want to join. I met with the Deputy Head Teacher and he called the teacher who will be in
charge of our program in their school.
After a short meeting the three of us went to every classroom to announce the music program, and in every class we entered the students were excited and said that they want to join.
Burim Teaching Pennywhistle Class, Pabo, March 2011
Now that the school’s Board of Directors has approved our program and the school is helping a lot, we will have many students to teach and later to train to be Youth Volunteers. Our classes will meet every Tuesday and Thursday, and I can’t wait to go back there. After I leave Uganda, Magada, who is a student at Gulu Central, is going to continue teaching our program there.
Youth Volunteer Collins Wearing New Glasses, March 2011
Two weeks ago I took the Uganda Youth Volunteers to an Eye Clinic to get their eyes checked. Pete Korpi, an Eye Doctor from Muscatine, Iowa, who has come to Kosovo twice to do eye exams and give prescription glasses to all of our students, Youth Volunteers, School Teachers and Cleaners, and Youth Volunteer families, said that if any of our Ugandan Youth Volunteers needed glasses, he would make and send them to us with an American woman Liz knew who was coming to Gulu. After the exams, only one of the Youth Volunteers, Collins, needed prescription glasses.
Collins Looking Very Cool with Glasses on Pocket
The night that the glasses arrived I called Collins to tell him. The next morning he arrived very early to get them. He said he couldn’t wait. When he saw the glasses, he put them on and was SO happy. With a big smile on his face, Collins said, “I never actually thought that someone was going to send me glasses all the way from America.”
Youth Volunteers Teaching Singing Class at Pabo, June 2009
It is so fun teaching together with these youth volunteers. We meet together one day before we are going to teach. We write the lesson plans together and practice to make sure we know the songs that we are going to teach really well. I am loving it and they are also having fun. They are becoming amazing teachers and it’s really great having the opportunity to watch them improve and see how confident they are in teaching now.