Redefine Education - Joan Lithgow

The Power of the Marimba: Inclusivity and Holistic Marimba Teaching in the Schools of the Future

Joan Lithgow

This paper explores the implementation of inclusive practices in African marimba classrooms of the future and their potential impact on the broader creative sector. The African marimba is a vibrant cultural instrument with a significant role in communal music-making, education, and cultural preservation. However, current marimba education often lacks structured inclusivity, limiting participation across diverse abilities, backgrounds, and learning styles.

By integrating inclusive methodologies—such as adaptive teaching techniques, tailor-made instruments for various abilities, accessible instrumentation, multicultural repertoire, and collaborative learning—future marimba classrooms can become more representative and empowering spaces. Inclusivity fosters social cohesion, cultural exchange, and nurtures a new generation of creative thinkers and performers. The ripple effect on the creative sector could be profound: accessible marimba education will cultivate diverse voices and talents, encouraging innovation, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and cultural preservation through contemporary reinterpretation. Ultimately, inclusive marimba education has the potential to reshape the creative landscape, making it richer, more equitable, and globally relevant.

*Please bring your notebook and stationery along to this session.

Multi-award-winning Joan Lithgow recently retired from Education Africa as their Senior Manager and Marimba Specialist to pursue further research on the "Power of the Marimba" in particular in children with disabilities. At present she is working for The Marimba Workshop as a Marimba Specialist and Music Consultant and part-time marimba teacher at a special needs school. She has written a number of books of marimba arrangements, a preschool marimba programme entitled “The Adventures of Little Grey Squirrel and Friends”, had many articles published in local and international journals and will be publishing her Marimba Methodology Book on holistic marimba teaching later this year. She has trained over 3500 people in her unique methodology in 4 countries and has been recognised by the National Heritage Council of South Africa as a runner-up in the National Living Treasure Award.