Calendar

Sean Gaskell will give a performance and educational demonstration on the kora, an ancient 21-stringed harp from West Africa.  He will feature traditional songs that are the heart and soul of the kora’s musical repertoire in addition to some of his own personal compositions.  All ages are welcome!

The Kora is native to the Mande peoples who live within the countries of Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, and Guinea Bissau. The music is traditionally played by oral and musical historians known as Griots (Gree-ohs). The Kora is a melodic and seemingly peaceful instrument, which is somewhat contrary to its musical repertoire. Many songs tell ancient stories of war and hardship, while others praise people of high political status and those who helped expand the Mande Empire. While the Kora is only 300 years old, some commonly played songs can be traced back 800 years to the Mande empires’ founding. Gaskell has studied extensively under the instruction of Malamini Jobarteh and Moriba Kuyateh of Brikama, The Gambia, and Kane Mathis of Brooklyn, NY. Gaskell has been featured at numerous festivals in the US, Gambia, and Senegal.

For a preview, check out this video of Sean performing.

In collaboration with the Dreyfus Foundation and the National Science Foundation, the Mount Holyoke College Passport to Chemistry program presents: “Put Your Resources to Work”! Join us to experience the “power” of chemistry… Parent/child teams will explore hands-on experiments to learn about different ways that energy can be created by putting their brains, arms, lungs, and a source of light to work. Following the event, Chemistry Kits will be available for patrons to check out to continue the adventure at home!

Stop by to try out Angela’s Structo Loom that’s over 100 years old. A great project for developing hand-eye coordination, and easy enough for toddlers to try!

Stop ‘n’ Craft returns this summer for two special sessions! We’ll get strung out with paint and become some unlikely DJs. All ages are welcome, but extra little crafters may need some help from a grown up.

Lois returns for another artful summer workshop series! She has once again devised a broad spectrum of open-ended art projects, this time around the summer’s theme, Libraries Rock! We may even listen to some music to inspire us while working on our projects. Come to one or come to all of these fun programs. Registration is required. Recommended for ages 5 and up.

Learn to make your own soap, topped off with a rockin’ rubber duckie! Getting ready to wash up has never been this fun. Registration is required, and there will be some hot supplies, so the help of a grown up is recommended. Ages 5 and up.

Use your creativity and problem-solving skills to transform everyday materials into musical instruments. Participants will experiment with a variety of found materials to construct their own sound machines. Registration is required. For ages 4 and up.

Lois returns for another artful summer workshop series! She has once again devised a broad spectrum of open-ended art projects, this time around the summer’s theme, Libraries Rock! We may even listen to some music to inspire us while working on our projects. Come to one or come to all of these fun programs. Registration is required. Recommended for ages 5 and up.