Christopher Doozie is a master xylophone maker, player and teacher from Ghana. He has been invited by proffesor Gail Della Piana to give a workshop on this aspect of African music, inscribed in her 'African Cultural Arts"class.

The Xylophone (gyil) is a very important melodic instrument in Ghana's cultural scene. Pushing aside our Western notion of music, this instrument is used as a medium of communication, to gather the community, to inform, to give advice in difficult social situations, when the spoken word would have been considered disrespectful, and finally to entertain the public.

This instrument is considered sacred, and played during Rituals, Funerals and other large gatherings. The knowledge of its making, also sacred by extension, has been passed from father to son by way of imitation.

The xylophone is traditionally only played by men, either as a solo instrument or as a pair: two people sit facing each other, a short distance apart. One of them decides which pieces to play, the other following with a more repetitive accompanying tune.
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