KWASI AMPENE

Curriculum Vitae

CURRENT ADDRESS 5566 W. 118^th Avenue Westminster, CO 80020 Home: 303-438-8921 E-mail: kwasi.ampene@colorado.edu Website: spot.Colorado.edu/~ampene

OFFICE ADDRESS University of Colorado College of Music 301 UCB Boulder, CO 80309 Work: 303-492-6439

EDUCATION

Ph.D. Ethnomusicology, University of Pittsburgh, 1999

Master of Music Theory, West Virginia University, 1994

General Diploma of Music, University of Ghana, 1990

CURRENT POSITION

Assistant Professor-Ethnomusicology.

College of Music, University of Colorado-Boulder, Fall 2000-present.

INITIATIVES

· Director, University of Colorado Summer Program in Ghana, Summer 2002-Present.

· Director, CU West African Highlife Ensemble, University of Colorado at Boulder, College of Music, Fall 2000-Present.

· Director, West African Highlife Ensemble Outreach Programs, Funded by the University of Colorado Outreach Committee, Fall 2001-Present.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Music composition in oral cultures with emphasis on the Akan of Ghana, Metaphor and the Theory of Embodied Cognition, Intersection of Phonology, Oral Composition and Performance, Music and Social Change, Popular Music, and the music of Thelonious Monk.

RESEARCH AND CREATIVE ACTIVITIES

a. Book Publication

Female Song Tradition and the Akan of Ghana: The Creative Process in Nnwonkorø, As part of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Musicology Series, University of London, UK. Publisher: Ashgate Publishing Ltd, UK, August 2005.

b. Book Review

• Music in West Africa, by Ruth Stone, Forthcoming in the journal Ethnomusicology fall 2006.

c. Contribution to Encyclopedia

• Mensah, E. T. Forthcoming in the New Encyclopedia of Africa to be published by Charles Scribner¹s Sons/The Gale Group

d. Submitted for Publication

• Give Me Silence, Space, and a Dance: The Pianistic Style of Thelonious Monk

e. Works in Progress Intended for Refereed Journals

• Akyeame, Mesan Aba, and Hiplife: Ghanaian Highlife in the Digital Age
• One on One: Kofi Ghanaba in Conversation with Max Roach
• Formal Templates of Song Units As Compositional Models in Nnwonkoro

f. Highlife Recordings

• Arranged and Produced Oheneba Kisi¹s debut LP in Ghana, 1991.
• Assa: Highlife Dance Time, Co-Wrote, Produced, and released Album with Kwame Seth Asiedu, renowned Highlife Singer in Ghana, 1987.
• Recorded over 12 LPs as a Guest Recording Artist with Nana Kwame Ampadu I and the African Brothers International Band of Ghana, 1980-1985.
• Recorded 3 LPs as Guest Recording Artist with Prince Osei Kofi and His African Heroes Band, Accra-Ghana, 1987-1990.

g. Presentation of Research at International and National Conferences

            Invited as a Speaker

• Formal Templates of Song Units as Compositional Models in Nnwonkoro, Invited presenter at the 2^nd International Symposium on the Music of Africa, Princeton University, December 9-10, 2005.

• Melodic Structures and Modal Orientations in Akan Nnwonkoro Songs: Creative Models for African-Based Written Compositions, at the Symposium, Africa Meets Asia: Dialogue Between China And Africa in Music, at the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing (China), from October 16^th-22^nd, 2005.

• Workshop: West African Highlife, at the Symposium, Africa Meets Asia: Dialogue Between China And Africa in Music, at the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing (China), from October 16^th-22^nd, 2005.

• Compositional Conventions in Nnwonkoro (A Female Song Tradition of the Akan, Ghana), at the College Music Society (CMS) Institute on the Pedagogies of World Music Theories for university professors in the USA, in the College of Music, University of Colorado-Boulder, June 7-11, 2005.

h. Conferences

• Themes for African Drums: Kofi Ghanaba¹s Conception of Afro Jazz and the Development of Avant Garde, Free, Modern, and Post-Modern Jazz, Presented at the 50^th Annual Conference of the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM), November 16-20, 2005.

• Music Composition or Improvisation: Oral Composition in Akan and its Challenge to Western Musicology, Presented at the 31^st Annual Meeting and Conference of the African Literature Association (ALA), University of Colorado-Boulder, April 6-10, 2005.

• Choral Music in the African Idiom in Ghana, Presented at the Annual Meeting of Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA), Colorado Springs January 27-29, 2005.

• Akyeame, Mesan Aba, and Hiplife: Representing Ghanaian Highlife in the New Information Age, Presented at the 45^th Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association (ASA), Washington DC, December 5-8, 2002.

· African World Arts, Aesthetics and Performance Traditions: Towards a Unified Theory and Pedagogical Methodology in the Study of the Arts in the African World, presented at the 26^th Annual International Conference of the National Council for Black Studies (NCBS), San Diego, California, March 6-10, 2002.

· African and Western Perspectives on Sampling, Rap and Digital Orality, joint presentation with Jeremy Smith (CU-Boulder) at the Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA), Colorado-Springs, Colorado, January 27, 2001.

• Recontextualizing Nnwonkorø Music in Akan Communities of Ghana, presented at the 43rd Annual Conference of the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM), Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, Oct. 1998.

• The Sounds of Heritage's Spiritual Commitment: Engendering Racial Identity and Survival Among African Americans in Post Modern U.S. Annual Conference of the National Council for Black Studies (NCBS), Gallaudet University, Washington D. C. Nov. 1996.

• Choral Music: A New Art Form in Relation to Social and Cultural Transformations in Ghana, 40^th Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Los Angeles, Oct. 1995.

· African Art Music: A Report on the Current State of Research, Annual Conference, National Council for Black Studies (NCBS), Inc. San Francisco, June 1995.

i. Universities

• The Talking Drum Looks Ahead: The Missing Link in Thelonious Monk Research, University of Colorado at Boulder, College of Music, Musicology Colloquium Series, February 2, 2004.

• Give Me Silence, Space, and a Dance: The Pianistic Style of Thelonious Monk, University of Colorado at Boulder, College of Music, Musicology Colloquium Series, November 6, 2000.

• Give Me Silence, Space, and a Dance: The Pianistic Style of Thelonious Monk, Conference at New York University, Crossing Boundaries: The African Diaspora in the New Millennium, Co-Sponsors: History Department, NYU and the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture, September 20-23, 2000.

• Give Me Silence, Space, and a Dance: The Pianistic Style of Thelonious Monk, University of Michigan-Flint, Colloquium Series, March 28, 2000.

• Give Me Silence, Space, and a Dance: The Pianistic Style of Thelonious Monk, University of Pittsburgh, Symposium and Festival – Towards African Pianism: Keyboard Music of Africa and Its Diaspora, Organized by Prof. Akin Euba, Dept. of Music, and A Bridge Across: Intercultural Composition, Performance, and Musicology, October 7-9, 1999.

j. Chair of Paper Sessions at Professional Conferences

• Focusing on Music: Repertoire Study, Modes of Transmission, and Performances, 47^th Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM), Estes Park Center/YMCA of the Rockies, Colorado, October 23-27, 2002.

• African Artistic Response to New Media, 45^th Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association (ASA), Washington DC, December 5-8, 2002.

• Performance Practice in Africa and Southeast Asia, The 46^th Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Southfield, Michigan, October 2001.

• African Oral and Written Modes of Communication, The 16^th Annual Pan-African Studies Conference, Department of African and African American Studies, Indiana State University, April 1999.

i. Member of Panel

• Pre-Conference Symposium, Academic Ethnomusicology Ensemble: Philosophies and Ethics; Ethnomusicology Ensemble Performance Pedagogies, The 47^th Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM), October 23-27, 2002, Estes Park Center/YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park, Colorado.

• Africans and African Americans: A Tale of One Memory, analysis of shared systemic upshots between Africans and African Americans from multidisciplinary perspectives, in particular ethnomusicological, socio-economic and historical moments. Other Members of Panel: Dr. Franscois Muyumba and Dr. Dele Omosegbon, The 16^th Annual Pan-African Studies Conference, Department of African and African American Studies, Indiana State University, April 1999.

j. Upcoming Presentations at Universities & Conferences

• College of Creative Arts, West Virginia University. Invitation to present a research paper on October 3-5, 2006.
• 51^st Annual Meeting and Conference of the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM) in Hawaii. I have been invited by Chair of the panel, Improvisation in Africa and Afro-Cuba, from November 16-19, 2006.

k. Creative Productions

As Director of the CU West African Highlife Ensemble:

• 6^th Annual Highlife Concert, Macky Auditorium, University of Colorado-Boulder, with guests, Mac Tontoh of London-Based Osibisa Fame, Kwame Seth Asiedu, CU Jazz Professors, Brad Goode and John Gunther, and the Umoja Gospel Singers, April 22, 2006.
• 5^th Annual Highlife Concert, Macky Auditorium, University of Colorado-Boulder, with guests: Okyerema Asante and Kwame Seth Asiedu, April 15, 2005.
• Highlife Ensemble performs at the closing banquet of the 31^st Annual Meeting and Conference of the African Literature Association (ALA), April 9^th, 2005.
• Highlife Ensemble performs at the University of Colorado Annual President¹s Dinner, The Wildlife Experience, Parker, CO, October 29, 2004.
• 4^th Annual Highlife Concert, Macky Auditorium, University of Colorado-Boulder, April 2, 2004.
• 3^rd Annual Highlife Concert, Grusin Hall, University of Colorado-Boulder, April 6, 2003.
• Highlife Concert for Colorado Music Educators Conference, The Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado-Springs, January 23, 2003.
• Highlife Ensemble performs at the Official Welcome Reception, 47^th Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM), The YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park, Colorado, October 24, 2002.
• 2^nd Annual Highlife Concert with guest artist, Kakraba Lobi, Xylophone virtuoso from the Lobi Ethnic group in Ghana, Grusin Hall, College of Music, April 7, 2002.
• 1^st Annual Highlife Concert, Grusin Hall, College of Music, University of Colorado at Boulder, with guest artist, Agya Koo Nimo, Palwine guitarist from Ghana. April 8, 2001.
• College of Music World Music Showcase, November 11, 2001.

TEACHING

Areas of Teaching Competence

• African Musics and Cultures, Introduction to Ethnomusicology, Field and Lab Methods, Ethnography in Ethnomusicology, World Musics/Music Cultures of the World, Special Topics in Ethnomusicology, History of Jazz, Survey of African American Music, Advance Studies in African American Music, World Musics: Americas and Africa.

Teaching Experience

• College of Music, University of Colorado-Boulder, Fall 2000-present.

Courses Taught:

African Musics and Cultures, Introduction to Ethnomusicology, Advance Studies in African American Music, Ethnography in Ethnomusicology, Doctoral Seminar in the Musics and Cultures of Africa, History of Jazz, World Musics: Americas and Africa, West African Highlife Ensemble, West African Music and Culture in Ghana (Summer Program in Ghana).

· University of Michigan-Flint, Departments of Music/Art, and Africana Studies

(Chavez, Parks, King Visiting Professor of Music), August 1999 to August 2000.

Courses Taught:

African Musics and Cultures, Survey of African American Music,

History of Blues, Jazz and Rap, African Theories of Knowledge

• Indiana State University, Department of African and African American Studies, Instructor, Fall 1998 to July 1999.

Courses Taught:

Survey of African American Music, History of Blues, Jazz and Rock, Introduction to African American Studies, African American Culture and Aesthetics.

• University of Pittsburgh, Music Department,

Teaching Fellow, Fall 1994 to Spring 1998.

Courses Taught:

Recitation in Introduction to World Music, Basic Musicianship in Class Piano

• University of Ghana-Legon, The School of Performing Arts, Music Department,

Teaching Assistant, 1990 to 1992.

Courses Taught:

Rudiments of Western Music, Piano accompaniment for Choral rehearsals and performance, Fall 1990 to Spring 1992.

Curricular Development

· West African Music and Culture in Ghana, CU Summer Program in Ghana (West Africa). Summer 2002-Present.

· Seminar in Musicology: Ethnography in Ethnomusicology, Spring 2006.

· Advance Studies in African American Musics, Fall 2006.

Graduate Committee

As Member of Dissertation/Thesis Committee

Mary-Lynn Sindoni

Ross Hagen

 Janice Osburn

Candace E. Ellman

Tracey Schmidt

Catherine Burge

Obadia Ariss

Deborah Lissner

As Member of Master¹s/Doctoral Qualifying Examination Committee

Chad Hamill

 Kevin Ownby

Greg Harris

Janice Osburn

Debra Ector

Stephen Slater

Jennifer Dodson

Kevin Ownby

Josh Aerie

John Hilton

Debby Lissner

Obediah Ariss

Teera Price

Tracy Schmidt

Ross Hagen

Hermes Camacho

Dan Kaplan

Serha Kwak

Yenlik Bodaubay

Shane Lieberman (German M.A. Comps)

Hermes Camacho

John Hilton

Independent Study-Masters in Music Education

Bonnie G. Van Roekel

Debra Ector

Jan Osburn

Mary-Lynn Sindoni (Supervised her project in Ghana-West Africa)

Undergraduate Research Opportunities (UROP) Advisor and Field Research Supervisor:

Supervised research of students as part of the CU Summer Program in Ghana

Kevin Richey (Summer 2002)

Anna Francis (Summer 2002)

Katie Larson (Summer 2003)

Sarah Geller (Summer 2005)

Sarah Hodges (Summer 2006)

UROP Faculty Sponsor & Advisor

· Josh Favors¹ project Tribute to the Underdog: A Night of Charles Mingus for Charles Mingus, Josh brought together CU students and local jazz musicians to perform a concert at the Glen Miller Ballroom, UMC, in honor of jazz bassist Charles Mingus, April 22, 2001.

UROP Freshman/Sophomore Assistantship (2002)

For Ginnie Logan to assist me with my research and creative work in order for Ginnie to learn some of the techniques, procedures, or research methods common to the academic discipline.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Faculty Teaching Excellence Program (FTEP), Summer Institute

Participated in the 2005 Institute for New Media Pedagogy, Scholarship, and Learning Technologies, May 2005.

Faculty Teaching Excellence Program (FTEP), CU-Boulder

Participated in various seminars designed to improve teaching skills, Fall 2000-Fall 2001.

Area Scholars Program, CU-Boulder

Participated in seminars with tenured faculty to assist junior faculty with publications, Fall 2000-Spring 2002.

RELATED EXPERIENCE

Research Assistant:

Research Assistant for Professor Akin Euba, Andrew Mellon Professor of African Music, University of Pittsburgh, Fall 1994 to Spring 1996.

Graduate Assistant:

Music Department, West Virginia University

Supervise Piano and Computer Laboratory, Fall 1992 to Spring1994.

Choir Director

• Director of Mass Choir, Mount Hermon Missionary Baptist Church, Flint, Michigan, Played the synthesizer for church services, taught Black gospel and performed concerts with choir in Augusta-Georgia, and Detroit-Michigan, and two concerts in Flint-Michigan, 1999-2000.
• Director, Calvary A.M.E. Youth Choir, Braddock, PA, played the synthesizer for church services, taught Youth Choir Black gospel and directed choir every third Sunday of the month, 1997-1998.
• Pianist for the First Baptist Church, Carnegie, PA. played for church service and accompany Mass Choir 1997-1998.
• Assistant Director and Pianist for the Gospel Choir, Center for Black Culture and Research, West Virginia University, 1992-1994.

Professional Affiliations

· African Studies Association (ASA)

· Society For Ethnomusicology (SEM)

· National Council for Black Studies, Inc. (NCBS)

SERVICE

1. To College of Music and University of Colorado-Boulder

• Chair, College of Music Library Committee, Fall 2005-Spring 2006.
• Representative of College of Music on the Boulder Faculty Assembly Library Committee (BFALC), Fall 2005-present
• Member, Undergraduate Committee, fall 2000 to spring 2005
• Member, College of Music Cultural Ambassadors Committee
• Member, Diversity Committee, College of music
• Member, Student Affairs and Discipline Committee
• Member, Search Committee for the Jazz program, we hired Mike Pagan
• Member, Search Committee for Musicology Dept. we hired Rebecca Maloy
• Member, Search Committee for Jazz program, we hired John Gunther
• Mentor, CU Cultural Unity Center¹s Mentor Advisory Program to ensure the retention and graduation success rates of students of color, 2001-2002.
• Presentation for the CU Pre-Collegiate Development Programs¹ Career Fair, Sept. 25^th 2004.
• Presentation for the CU-Boulder GEAR UP: Inspiration to Education program, June 2004.
• Guest Lecturer for SHIP (Sewell Hall International Program), organized by the Office of International Programs, from fall 2001 to 2005.
• Pre-Concert Lecture for the Artist Series, lecture for Le Percussions de Guinée, Macky Auditorium, February 1, 2003
• Pre-Concert Lecture for the Artist Series, lecture for SoVoSo World A Cappella Concert, Macky Auditorium, November 8, 2001
• CU 125^th Anniversary Program, Burlch Field House, April 20, 2001

2. Scholars and Artists Brought to CU-Boulder

• Mac Tontoh, a founding member of the legendary Osibisa Group, performed as guest in the 6^th Annual Highlife Concert. Tontoh gave a presentation at the Music Convocation, Master Class on Improvisation in the Jazz Studio, and presented lecture-demos in several classes in the College of Music, April 15-24, 2006.
• Kyra Gaunt, Associate Professor of Music, NYU, gave a lecture in the Fall 2006 Musicology/Theory Colloquia Series, March 20^th, 2006.
• Okyerema Asante, World renowned percussionist from Ghana, performed as guest in the 5^th Annual Highlife Concert in Macky Auditorium, Asante gave a Master class for the percussion studio, and a presentation at the Music Convocation, and my World Music class. April 2005.
• Kofi Agawu, Professor of Music, Princeton University, gave a lecture in my Introduction to Ethnomusicology class (MUSC 5112/4112), Prof. Bruns¹ Tonal Analysis class (MUSC 4061), and the Fall 2003 Musicology/Theory Colloquia Series.
• Christopher A. Waterman, Dean, World Arts and Cultures and Architecture, UCLA, Prof. Waterman gave a lecture in the African Music class (MUSC/EMUS 4012), and the Fall 2002 Musicology/Theory Colloquia Series.
• Kakraba Lobi, Xylophone virtuoso from the Lobi Ethnic group in Ghana to perform as guest in the 2^nd Annual CU African Ensemble Concert, Kakraba gave a lecture-demo for the percussion studio and my Doctoral Seminar in the Musical Cultures of Africa, April 2002.
• Agya Koo Nimo, Pre-eminent Palm Wine guitarist from Ghana, performed as guest in the 1^st Annual CU African Ensemble Concert in Grusin Hall, Agya Koo gave two Master classes for the guitar studio and a lecture-demo in my World Musics class, April 8 2001.

3. To Profession

a. Blind Review of Articles for Refereed Journals

• Journal of New Music Research, January 2006.
• Africa Today, May 2005
• Black Music Research Journal (BMR), Sept. 2004.
• Black Music Research Journal (BMR), June 2004.

• International Journal of Africana Studies (IJAS), 2001.

b. Blind Review of Book Manuscripts

· For Oxford University Press, 2002 & 2003.

c. Member of Committee

• Society for Ethnomusicology¹s Crossroads Project for Diversity and Difference, Spring 2006-present
• Local Arrangements Committee (LAC) for the 31^st Annual Meeting and Conference of the African Literature Association (ALA) for April 6-10, 2005, since January 2004.
• Local Arrangements Committee (LAC) for the 47^th Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Estes Park, Colorado, October 23-27, 2002.
• Member of the Editorial Review Board: International Journal of Africana Studies, Fall 2000-Fall 2002.

d. Consultant

• Global Diasporas Project, Center for The Study of Global Diasporas in Southern California, California State University, Dominguez Hills, 2001-2004.
• The First Presbyterian Church Mission Project in Ghana, 2004-Present.
• Tucker International, Intercultural Training for corporate employees and their families embarking on international assignments, 2002.

4. Service To Community

Directed the CU West African Highlife Ensemble in the surrounding communities, the State of Colorado, and Public School Assemblies:

Community Outreach:

· Concert at the Boulder Public Library, as part of Spring Concert Series, Boulder, Colorado, April 30^th, 2006.

· As part of my community outreach, I taught rhythm exercises from 10 am to 3:30 pm for the music classes at Fall River Elementary School, Rachel Aurand, Music Teacher, April 28^th, 2006.

· Performance at the Fall River Elementary School Assembly in Longmont, April 13, 2006.

· The Center for the Arts, Crested Butte, CO. Upon the request of the Center for the Arts, Crested Butte, March 18^th, 2006.

· Nederland Community Presbyterian Church, as part of Spring Concert Series by the Mountain Community Music and Arts, Nederland, CO. March 12, 2006.

· Concert at the Boulder Public Library, as part of Spring Concert Series, Boulder, Colorado, April 24^th, 2005.

· Concert at the Longmont Seniors Center, for the Longmont Council for the Arts, Longmont, March 11, 2005.

· Lecture-Demo for Salida High School, and Highlife Concert for Salida Community, November 5, 2004.

· Yuma Middle and High Schools, Yuma, Colorado, April 11, 2003.

• Concert with the Colorado Chorale¹s 33^rd Season, Bethany Lutheran Church, Englewood, Colorado, March 15, 2003.
• African Music Sunsplash, Flatirons Theater, Boulder, Colorado, April 25, 2003.
• Lecture-Demonstration for two assemblies on Music and Culture in Africa, and Highlife Ensemble Concert at Casey Middle School, Boulder, April 25, 2002.
• Highlife Ensemble performs at the International Festival, UMC, CU-Boulder, April 13, 2002.
• Highlife Ensemble in concert with the Nevin Platt Middle School¹s Wind Symphony at Nevin Platt Middle School, Boulder, November 14, 2001.
• Highlife Ensemble in Concert at the Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts (RMCMA), Lafayette, April 12, 2001.
• Highlife Ensemble performs in the Modern Music Festival, First Baptist Church of Boulder, Organized by the Colorado Music Festival, April 6 & 7, 2001.
• Benefit Concert for University of Colorado Women Resources Center, at Bantaba Studio for World Dance, Boulder, November 17, 2000.
• Taste the World, For CU-Boulder Department of Housing (RAS) at Williams Village, October 24, 2001.
• Some members of the Highlife Ensemble perform in the College of Music¹s Holiday Festival, Macky Auditorium, December 2001 to present.
• Closing Ceremony of African Atlantic Research Team (AART), Department of Ethnic Studies, University of Colorado-Boulder, November 16, 2001.

Interviews/Appearances in International, Community Newspapers and TV

• The Wall Street Journal, featured information about the 4^th Annual Highlife Concert, March 26, 2004.
• Graphic Showbiz, Ghanaian weekly newspaper on the arts and music business. Title of article, ³Highlife Wins Colorado, ² September 4^th-10^th, 2006.
• Westword, An article about the 6^th Annual Highlife Concert and a huge picture of the previous year¹s annual concert.
• Crested Butte News, (Crested Butte, Colorado), Article about our Outreach Concert at the Center for the Arts on March 18^th, 2006. Story includes a huge picture from the 4th Annual Highlife Concert. Story date: March 17^th, 2006.
• The Mountain-Ear (Nederland, Colorado), half a page article about our Outreach Concert in Nederland, CO on March 18^th, 2006. Article includes my bio and a picture, March 9^th, 2006.
• Interview on Metro TV in Ghana on the program, Thank God Its Friday (TGIF). Interview centered on my book and the CU West African Highlife Ensemble, Host: Kwaku Sintim Misah (KSM), August 9^th, 2005.
• The Daily Guide, (Ghana), a group picture with the legendary Mac Tontoh of Osibisa and a board member of the Ghana National Commission on Culture, and participants of the summer program, July 18^th, 2005.
• The Daily Camera, in the ³Portraits² section, article about my teaching at CU, my outreach in the public schools, and the 2^nd Annual African Concert in Grusin Hall, March 27, 2002
• Lafayette News, ³Entertainment² section reviews the Highlife Ensemble¹s Concert at the Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts, April 17-23, 2002
• Graphic Showbiz (Entertainment news, Ghana), Interview about the current highlife scene in Ghana-West Africa, July 25-August 1, 2001
• Colorado Daily, story about the participation of the CU Highlife Ensemble in the Modern Music Festival in Boulder, Colorado, April 6-8, 2001
• Carillon, University of Colorado-Boulder Publication, May 18^th, 2001, About the CU Highlife Ensemble¹s performance at the 125^th Anniversary of CU.
• Colorado Daily, April 6-8, 2001, About the CU Highlife Ensemble¹s Performance in the Modern Music Festival, Boulder.

GRANTS AND AWARDS

• Council for Humanities and the Arts (CHA)/Graduate Council for the Arts and Humanities (GCAH) Travel Grant for field research trip to Ghana for my project, ³Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture: The Resources and Repertoire of Asante Court Music.² April 14^th, 2006.

• Visiting Artist Grant by CHA Graduate Committee on the Arts and Humanities (GCAH), for the world-renowned percussionist, Okyerema Asante, to perform as guest in the 5^th Annual Highlife Concert, February 14, 2005.

• RoserVisiting Artist Grant, for Miriam Makeba, South African singing legend, to perform as guest in the 6^th Annual Highlife Concert. January 11, 2005. Miriam could not honor our request due to health reasons but we were able to bring in Mac Tontoh.

• Roser Mini Grant for the world-renowned percussionist, Okyerema Asante, to perform as guest in the 5^th Annual Highlife Concert, January 14, 2005

• IMPART grant for my summer field research trip to Ghana. Project title: Themes for African Drums: Kofi Ghanaba¹s Conception of Afro Jazz and the Development of Avant-Garde, Free, Modern and Post-Modern Jazz. November 15, 2004.

• CU-Boulder Outreach Committee grant ($5,000) for my Outreach Program with the Highlife Ensemble in Salida, Colorado. July 19, 2004.

• Roser Mini Grant for Maputo Mensah, percussionist and dance choreographer from Ghana, to rehearse and perform as guest in the 4^th Annual Highlife Concert, January 27, 2004

• Graduate Committee on the Arts and Humanities (GCAH) Travel Grant for field research in Ghana to collect additional data for my research on Thelonious Monk. April 14, 2003.

• IMPART grant to cover the cost of bringing Kofi Agawu, Princeton University music Professor, to CU-Boulder, for his lecture in the Fall 2003, Musicology Colloquium Series in the College of Music, April 15, 2003.

• Outreach grant to extend resources of the CU African Ensemble to K-12 and community audiences in Colorado, from 2002 to present.

• Roser Visiting Artist Grant, to bring Kakraba Lobi, Xylophone virtuoso from the Lobi Ethnic group in Ghana to perform as guest in the 2^nd Annual CU African Ensemble Concert, and Master Class for the Percussion Studio, February 28, 2002.

• The President¹s Fund for Diversity, to pay the honorarium for Adjei Abankwa, a professional dancer with the Ghana Dance Ensemble, to choreograph dances for the CU African Ensemble for three semesters, Spring 2002 to Spring 2003, February 28, 2002.

• Graduate Committee on the Arts and Humanities (GCAH) grant for Visiting Scholars to cover the cost of bringing Kakraba Lobi, Xylophone virtuoso from the Lobi ethnic group in Ghana, to CU-Boulder to perform in the 2^nd Annual CU African Ensemble Concert, and Master Class for the Percussion Studio, February 21, 2002.

• IMPART grant for the African Instruments and Costume Project, by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Equity, University of Colorado at Boulder, to purchase African instruments and costumes from Ghana, November 15, 2000.

• Graduate Committee on the Arts and Humanities (GCAH) Award for Visiting Artists/Scholars to bring Agya Koo Nimo, Pre-eminent Palm Wine guitarist from Ghana. Koo Nimo performed as guest with CU African Ensemble in Grusin Hall on April 8, Gave Master Classes, Lecture-Demonstration in the College of Music Convocation.

• Special Projects Grant by the Graduate Committee on the Arts and Humanities (GCAH) for the African Instruments and Costume Project to purchase African instruments and costumes from Ghana, April 2001.

• Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh, for my Doctoral studies in Ethnomusicology, 1994-1998.
• Graduate Assistantship, West Virginia University, for my Master¹s studies in Western Music Theory, 1992-1994.

AWARDS

· CACMA Certificate of Appreciation for the Ethnomusicology Program at CU-Boulder, February 2003.

· The Community Builder Brick Appreciation Award for making CU-Boulder a better place to live, work, and learn, by Building Community Campaign Committee, CU-Boulder, April 7, 2002.

· Certificate of Appreciation by Richard Kraft (Director), the Chancellor¹s Leadership Program, for my dedication and commitment to the success of students of color at CU-Boulder, November 21, 2001.

· The Marion Anderson/Alvin Ailey Award for Outstanding Achievement in Creative and Performing Arts, by The Center for Black Culture and Research, West Virginia University, May 14, 1994

NOMINATIONS

• Outstanding Teacher of the Year nomination by Sean Miller class of 2002.
• 2003 Equity and Excellence Award, by the Office of Diversity and Equity, nomination by Aileen Hartzell and Kevin Richey, class of 2003.