David Akombo - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by David Akombo

Voices, Apr 20, 2001

There are approximately 500,000 refugees living in Kenya today, with approximately 20,000 childre... more There are approximately 500,000 refugees living in Kenya today, with approximately 20,000 children attending formal education in about twenty refugee schools. These children often show severe emotional distress that is observable through consistent evaluation. The children&amp;amp;#39;s hopes need to be restored and their mental health rejuvenated. Several Kenyan music teachers and paramedics including myself came together in August 1998, and thought about new ways and means of helping these children. One way we thought was worth trying was music therapy. This we thought could be achieved by incorporating a music therapy component into their co-curricular (after school) activities. We thought singing and dancing after school could be a good stepping stone for the provision of therapy to the kids in the refugee camps.

Decolonising Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in an Age of Technocolonialism, 2020

Korean Music Education Society, 2021

Journal of Education and Practice, 2021

Education, Creativity, and Economic Empowerment in Africa

The Journal of Modern African Studies, 2015

Journal of cultural diversity, 2013

Colleges and universities which are less diverse in their communities are often characterized by ... more Colleges and universities which are less diverse in their communities are often characterized by values, behavior patterns, and linguistic traits impinging on the institutions' milieu. These traits differ in significant ways from those within the dominant society for which the institution is established. The diverse students, and faculty alike, find these policies to be quasi-exclusive and limited to the geographical and demo- graphical environments in which the institutions are located. This paper examines some of these traits that affect the experience in higher education for both students and faculty from minority groups.

Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 2009

The significance of music as a healing agent permeates across the cultural spectrum. Hitherto, we... more The significance of music as a healing agent permeates across the cultural spectrum. Hitherto, we find people of many cultures incorporating music to transform those unhealthy individuals into healthy ones. This paper extrapolates from the events that led to Kenya's post-election violence of 2007 and enumerates how a Kenyan community musician embraced the therapeutic qualities inherent in the cultural music of the Kenyan people to help the violence victims who developed post-traumatic stress disorder following the disputed elections. The story adds nuance to our understanding of how community musicians are still an invaluable therapeutic resource albeit their lack of professional training.

Norsk Tidsskrift for Musikkterapi, 2000

... Akombo is currently the Choir Director at the El Cajon Church of the Nazarene in San Diego, C... more ... Akombo is currently the Choir Director at the El Cajon Church of the Nazarene in San Diego, California. He can be contacted at; 3900 Lomaland Drive, Flex 44B-2, San Diego, CA 92106, USA. Tel: (+619) 849-7232. Fax: (619) 849 2668. E-mail: dakombo@hotmail.com again. ...

... project. To this list I include Dr. Victor Fung, Jason Wells-Jensen, Karen Wallack, Made Sugi... more ... project. To this list I include Dr. Victor Fung, Jason Wells-Jensen, Karen Wallack, Made Sugiharta, Dr. Wayan Rai, Rucina Ballinger, Dr. Miriam Zach, and Jens Finke whose unselﬁsh contributions are highly appreciated. iv Page 6. ...

Teenagers experience much anxiety physically and emotionally and these experiences can affect the... more Teenagers experience much anxiety physically and emotionally and these experiences can affect their academic performance. Many children especially in the United States face trouble which can present itself through such acts as school violence and dismal academic performance. While problems facing our teenagers have no single solution, this study aimed at investigating the beneficial effects of improviser- mediated musicality on academic performance and generalized anxiety in teenagers. This study examined whether improviser-mediated musicality leads to academic achievement in adolescents and also whether it improves the health and well-being of teenagers. Methods: A within-subjects method was used. 75 adolescents attending an urban public middle school in central Mississippi participated in this study. Anxiety scores were measured using Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAI-C) pre-test and post-test. The mathematics performance scores were measured pre-test ...

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2022

The purpose of this study was to test the effects of community music projects (CMPs), such as aft... more The purpose of this study was to test the effects of community music projects (CMPs), such as afterschool African drumming circles, on academic performance and generalised anxiety in adolescents. Adolescents from a Junior High (7 th , 8 th , and 9 th graders, age range from 12-14) in the State of Utah (USA) participated in the study. A one-sample t-test found a significant difference in reading scores (df(4) p=.004). A paired samples ttest found a significant relationship between the maths trait anxiety score pre-intervention and the total state anxiety score pre-test (df(4) p=.033). A paired samples t-test found a significant relationship between the reading trait anxiety score post-intervention and the total state anxiety score post-test (df(4) p=.030). This research demonstrates the effectiveness of community music such as drumming for reducing anxiety and also for improving academic performance in adolescents. CMPs are recommended as a non-invasive intervention modality for adol...