“Music is part of life. There is music for every occasion. We don’t need to teach music in our schools when it can be taught in the family setting…” Bernard Woma, Medie, GHANA

“My family has been making marimbas here for over 100 years. I was born in this building.” Carlos Nandayapa, Chiapas, MEXICO

“Water is an amazing thing. It even makes music. There may be part of people’s souls in these instruments.” Terje Isungset, Geilo NORWAY

Extraordinary Live Concert and Interview Footage from Mexico,
Ghana, Brazil, Norway and USA

The desire to create and communicate is within all of us. To what lengths do we go in search of our own personal expression? How can our individual commitment to creativity and our own inner voice enrich our lives, our childrens’ lives, and the lives of those around us? Percussionist Arthur Lipner’s story is individual, but his journey is universal. It’s a human journey. A timeless inner journey and a fascinating outer journey. TALKING STICKS. We begin…

Lipner’s travels as a performer and educator bring him all over the world. His main instruments are the keyboard percussion instruments marimba and vibraphone (vibes). The marimba was one of the first pitched instruments created on the planet. Yet, with the all the music we are surrounded with, people rarely know what his instruments are. That drives him crazy. At least it used to.

It started with an inner journey, a journey shared by not only other percussionists but anyone with a creative essence - or, even, greater, anyone looking for a sense of meaning. Then came the seeds for the outer journey to understand how can instruments so old and integral in so many cultures be missing from most western countries (including his own). Where can he go to get connected to the roots of his instruments?

Then came the film TALKING STICKS....travels to Africa, Central/South America and Europe in a search to explore the role of percussion and music in different cultures. Then came the surprises. These journeys turned into beautiful and inspiring experiences which grace TALKINGS STICKS with extraordinary global images, unusual concert footage, profound interviews and thought-provoking messages about the Arts, creativity and culture. Along the way the viewer shares in Arthur’s journey: we all have a gift…what can we do to nurture and share it with the world around us?

Footage includes a marimba factory in Southern Mexico, the National Dance Company of Ghana in a small village, Carnival in the streets of Rio de Janeiro, the Brazil National Symphony Orchestra, performance on an ice xylophone in Norway, and more…

TALKING STICKS illustrates the connectivity of our global village through music and self-expression. Join Arthur in this extraordinary documentary laden with many riches. His sticks are talking to you!

Please stay tuned to this website for screenings, performances, and the 2012 release of this extraordinary documentary.…everyone will be TALKING STICKS!