Ayanna dreamed of opening a store called Mama’s Music since childhood. Pursuing an education career in music, her dream was actualized and led her to enjoy learning, teaching and performing throughout the world.
For 16 years, Ayanna Gallant taught music in public schools before leaving the classroom in 2021 to pursue voice acting and music full-time.
With her background in B.A. music education, M. Ed. in Curriculum and instruction, mindfulness and sound therapy studies, and performance background, she would have the expertise to continue holding space for anyone ready to learn cultural arts.
Frederick really has a rich sound healing community.
– Ayanna Gallant, Owner
In college, Ayanna studied low brass and jazz voice and went on to perform as a freelance trombonist and with the Portsmouth Symphony (Portsmouth, NH).
Following her graduate work in Curriculum and instruction focusing on integrated arts, she was an artistic director for a summer program called With Open Minds. She also volunteered with a program called Arts in Reach as a poetry writing and storytelling coach.
After leaving New Hampshire in 2012 to teach in Washington, DC, Ayanna started the study of West African music. She began performing with the Bele Bele Rhythm Collective, an intergenerational sisterhood of the drum, and a sister program, The Young Women’s Drumming Empowerment Project, and also performing with Marsha and the Positrons, a kindie (kids indie) band performing fun and socially conscious music about science and how the world works.
Ayanna began sound healing education through the Biofield Tuning modality in 2020. Because at that time, she discovered a great community of holistic health practitioners and sound healing practitioners in the Frederick area.
When Ayanna was invited to do an African Drumming performance for International Heritage Night by the Urbana public school district, she received an overwhelming, incredible response from parents and the community.
Some parents encouraged her passion and said a cultural arts space that celebrates the community’s diversity through music is greatly needed. This sparked Ayanna’s inspiration to open Aya Arts Culture Studio to make a space which will serve as that space where all ages can do a deep dive into music technique and performance, hone talent and skill, and continue to raise musical aptitude and culture knowledge for children.
Ayanna came across the Ghanaian Adinkra symbol for the fern called Aya, which means endurance and resourcefulness. Not only did Aya resemble her name Ayanna but also her journey towards her dreams. And thus, her studio, Aya Cultural Arts Studio, and website AyaArts.com was named.
The best advice Ayanna ever received was to seek and accept help, and this same advice she as a studio owner passed onto other minority business owners. Ayanna believes every individual is good at what they do, they just need to trust themselves and the process.
The Aya Cultural Arts Studio will have a grand opening on June 10th from 10 PM – 4 PM with performances by Black Root of Beatbox Dads, the Bele Bele Rhythm Collective, and more. The store will sell international instruments and craftworks as well as local craftworks and the top floor studio will host African Drumming Classes, open mics and jams, rehearsals/small event spaces, music classes, sound healing, monthly drum circles, and more. She is looking forward to everyone learning from each other and sharing the art and love of music in her space.
