My name is Davina Barr. I was born in Ghana, South America. I began playing the piano at the age of three and began formal lessons at age five. In 1979, when I was ten years old, my family moved to the United States. Shortly after moving to the US, I began taking piano lessons with Ms. Clarfield, along with my older brother, Wayne. I studied with her for seven years. During that time, I competed in numerous piano competitions on the state, national, and international levels. I have many fond memories being a part of Ms. Clarfield's piano studio. While in high school, I also started my own studio, teaching piano lessons after school, under Ms. Clarfield's guidance.

After high school graduation in 1987, I entered the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Ms. Clarfield's alma mater, as a piano performance major. I had the privilege of studying with Joseph Schwartz, who was head of the piano department at that time. One of the highlights for me at Oberlin was performing in a master class with pianist, Leon Fleischer.

During my time at Oberlin, I gave my life to the Lord. My mind was now focused on ministry and reaching out to help people in whatever capacity. After graduating from Oberlin in 1991, I was part of a fellowship where we ministered, spreading a positive message through music and drama.

In 1997, I came to Ghana, West Africa, working with Oiada International (www.oiadaintl.org), a nonprofit organization based in Newark, NJ and Cape Coast, Ghana. Since 1997, Oiada has been working in Ghana in various communities in the areas of education, healthcare, and community outreach. In 2009, we opened two cultural centers, one in Newark, NJ, and the other in Cape Coast, Ghana. The cultural centers specialize in distance learning. Using equipment donated to us by Polycom, we connect Ghanaian students with their peers all around the world, from Alaska to Australia, through videoconferencing. Through live, face-to-face interaction, the students have cultural exchanges and learn that they have more similarities than they do differences.

I'm also a music teacher at an informal school called Mate Masie. I teach students from kindergarten to twelfth grade. I teach a variety of instruments including the piano, violin, viola, cello, guitar, and bass guitar. The biggest challenge for me as a music teacher here in Ghana is the availability of instruments. My mission is to equip as many students as I can, with the instruments of their choice. I have a wish list of students and the instruments they would like to play. There's an eight-year-old on my list who wants to play the violin. She checks with me every week to see how our wish list is coming along. It is with her in mind that I make an appeal to anyone reading this page, who may know of individuals, schools, colleges, churches, or organizations that are interested in donating instruments they are no longer using, to music students in Ghana. Please contact us at Oiada International (email: Tonne@oiadaancc.org).

Last, but not least, I am the keyboard player in a band called Rewop, which is "power" spelled backwards. Our music is a fusion of funk, jazz, gospel, and R&B. We perform original music and also music of artists such as James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, Kool && the Gang, and a variety of Ghanaian and international artists. Rewop performs at various venues such as schools, universities, concert halls, outdoor festivals, churches, hotels, etc.

I thank Ms. Clarfield immensely for the example she has been to me, and for being such an influence in molding me into the musician that I am today.