Staff Writer
“Yeah, I found a better use for those Army bags,” said Shamou as a Limestone Community School student packed one of his drums into an old military sea bag, after an Oct. 31 performance at the school.
Aroostook Republican Photo/Andrew Dyer
Shamou performed at Limestone Community School, teaching diversity and cultural tolerance through music. During the performance a number of LCS students were called up on stage to help their guest make music. Performing from left were: Stacy Bernier, Savanna Gray, Rebecca King, James Sprague, Shamou, Tristan Kirk and Caitlyn Good.
Shamou, an Iranian born multi-instrumentalist uses his music to celebrate diversity and to promote global understanding.
Shamou has learned, performed, composed and taught music around the world, and performed at the Maine Civil Rights Project in Augusta last spring. The Limestone Community School’s Civil Rights Team was present at that convention and asked that he pay a visit to their school.
During the performance at the LCS Auditorium Shamou incorporated life lessons, global history and geography along with his music, creating a fun, learning environment for students.
The students seemed to really respond to Shamou’s lessons and music and excitedly got involved in the performance. Almost every hand in the auditorium would shoot up, whenever Shamou would ask for a volunteer, often before he explained what the volunteer would be doing. Students came up onto the stage to help their guest to perform music, to hold microphones and also to point out locations on the map.
With students’ help Shamou performed music from around the world using a number of instruments such as an African thumb piano, a cajon, and a South American instrument which resembled a bow and arrow with a gourd attached to it. Shamou performed a number of percussion pieces which had the audience clapping along.
Between each instrumental piece Shamou spoke with students about his travels and life lessons he has learned along the way, about diversity and humanity.
“I’ve been half way around the world and do you know what I’ve noticed? Everywhere people have eyes and ears, people talk and people listen and most importantly we all have hearts,” said Shamou.
Shamou went on to explain that each person has a beating heart, making everyone a percussionist.
“We all make music together,” said Shamou.
“When we make music together, everything else goes away. There are no borders in music. It’s an international language,” added Shamou.
At the end of the performance Shamou invited a number of students up on stage to aid him in performing a salsa piece, and eventually brought several other students on stage to get in on the action. During this final number Shamou also encouraged students to get up and dance, which led to a very high energy finale for the show with a large number of students getting involved.
After the performance Shamou was swarmed by students wanting to speak with him and get his autograph.
Shamou has an extensive performance background, having studied and performed with the Iranian National Ballet as a dancer and beginning his formal musical training in Tehran with teachers from the Royal College of Music in London. He continued his musical education at Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Shamou became a well known figure in the Boston music scene in the 1990s and became the lead singer and percussionist for several award- winning world music ensembles.
He has also worked with a number of world renowned dancers producing original music scores for choreographers such as Stephan Koplowitz, Robert Moses and Judy Smith of AXIS Dance Company. Some of the dance groups Shamou has worked with have included: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Co., Mark Morris Dance Company, ODC/San Francisco and San Francisco Ballet.
Shamou has also taught percussion, hand drumming and music for dance at Harvard University, Wellesley College, Boston area schools and Maine K-12 schools.
Today Shamou continues to compose music and teach percussion and also holding performances such as his show at Limestone Community School with his band Loopin’.
With his extensive musical history Shamou has not lost his ability to be amazed by music, or its ability to unite people.
“I think that music is the unifying language around the world. It never ceases to amaze me from young to old how everyone gets involved,” said Shamou.
For more information about Shamou or his band, or to find performance dates visit his Web site at www.shamou.com.
Aroostook Republican Photo/Andrew Dyer
Shamou is shown demonstrating a cajon with the help of Limestone Community School student Kayla Provost.
Aroostook Republican Photo/Andrew Dyer
Limestone Community School student, Tristan Kirk, center is shown learning how to play his part in a percussion piece he will assist Shamou, left, in playing. Caitlyn Good looks on awaiting her turn.
Aroostook Republican Photo/Andrew Dyer
Savanna Gray a Limestone Community School student dressed for Halloween helps Shamou by holding a microphone as he displays a South American instrument. The instrument which is similar looking to a bow and arrow has a gourd attached through which the sound resonates. By pressing the gourd against his body Shamou demonstrates how he can modify the sound.
