CATCA 2020

Performed by Namibian choirs and marimba bands regularly,  "Tate Wetu" is a well-known and catchy Namibian traditional spiritual song. Arranged by Garth Prince as part of his African Christmas songs series, the vocal call-and-response and marimba parts are an exciting challenge for Div 2 students. English lyrics translated: "Our Father, you created us to praise you". Complete with movement, drumming, Orff instruments, and sheet music, the workshop enables teachers to learn a traditional Namibian folk song to teach confidently in the music classroom. This is an exciting opportunity to learn from a native Namibian and with Alberta elementary music curriculum experience. Often, the biggest difficulty with arranging non-western music for classrooms is the challenge in maintaining the authentic sound and "spirit" of the songs. Having taught Namibian songs across Alberta for the last six years, Garth has developed a method that involves audio and video resources which teachers can access after the workshop. These resources help with pronunciation, movement, rhythm and much more and are included for free.