I just wanna bang on the drums all day

WEEK 2

So this blog is intended for us all to introduce ourselves, right? Good. Hi, my name is Jessie and some days I feel like I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. Some days writing is just another chore, and something that some days I abhor doing. And sometimes I just love using non-traditional words, such as abhor. Admission is the first step to recovery, right? Also good. In an attempt to better grasp the totality of this class, I took part in the Jenbe ensemble’s meeting on Friday night
As I began to explore the service learning option for this class, I saw that I was the only student from Mary Ann’s class to show up so soon. Perhaps I misunderstood and showed up way too early. I’ll just leave and come back next week, I said. But I was eager to see what this Jenbe thing was all about, and the parents, instructors and children opened up their world to me as though I were the Pope. As I sat down in the circle to begin the evening’s classes and drum/dance practice, I realized that there is much more to the world of Jenbe. It’s not just Jenbe drums and dancing, though those were pretty impressive too.
Since I walked in a little late and stumbled onto a lesson, a speech, given by one of the leaders of the ensemble, I jumped right in without stopping to think about what I was in for. The speech was about respect: what the word means and how each of us can live the word every day. I think the term respect can be applied to us as writers and strangers who are imposing on the Jenbe world as well. Though there were some aspects of the classes I did not understand (more on that later if time permits), I sat quietly and listened to the voices of the teachers and students as they discussed non-violence. Every student got a chance to define the word, and though I was surprised at how many of them claimed to have had no idea what the term meant, I was impressed that a discussion of such a concept was introduced to and discussed with these middle-schoolers. Regardless of whether they knew the definition of the term or not, it was still discussed openly, and students began to get the gist of what non-violence means. If anyone is on the fence about joining the ensemble, I can vouch for its overall coolness. I have even thought about bringing some friends along, and I can’t wait to show up again – sweatpants and gym shoes this time, though.
Now, on to new business. I was especially taken with the readings for this week, and more specifically what Peter Elbow had to say. Even though I find the last name of Elbow to be quite odd, I do recall reading some of his work last year. Because of the name most likely, because I can’t remember a word of what I read – what I do remember is that I really agreed with his ideals, and appreciated how he worded them. Though I have always used terms that would equate cooking with writing, I just loved the heck out of how he put the idea. Ideas are constantly simmering somewhere on the stove of our minds – a lot of the time, our personal writings are left on the back burner. Some ideas would never seem to work together (like putting salt into a cookie recipe. As a child, I refused to add salt when I baked them, and wondered why they never turned out like Mom’s), but oddly enough they come together if you just bake them together properly. It’s all a matter of daring, and of chemistry.