John Faini, son of the late renowned West Virginia University percussion professor Phil Faini, visited John Marshall High School on Thursday, October 15, 2026, to make a special contribution to one of the school’s music programs.
John Faini gave his father's personal collection of authentic African drums to the JMHS Band. His donation included two Bakisimba drums, two Empunyi drums, one Engalabi drum, one Nankasa drum, three Ensaasi (maraca-like) instruments and spare Amadinda (xylophone) bars. The drums were made by Yekoyakazi Ssonko of the Baganda Tribe in Uganda. His father traveled to East Africa in 1968 and 1971 to study their music.
“Dad would have pleased to donate his drums to John Marshall because his percussion ensemble traveled throughout the state of West Virginia, giving concerts to numerous high schools,’ John Faini explained. I am grateful to leave these instruments in the capable hands of Tracey Filben, and I thank Tracey for her stewardship and enthusiasm to share the knowledge with music students for years to come.”
Following the instrument donation, John Faini conducted a hands-on workshop, teaching JMHS Band percussion members traditional East African musical pieces his father taught to him. The tunes demonstrated the interlocking rhythms of the Baganda Tribe’s Nankasa Orchestra. This unique session provided local student-musicians with a rare opportunity to study world percussion techniques through instruments heavily utilized by a true West Virginia musical pioneer.
"We are incredibly honored to receive this piece of West Virginia musical history," said Tracey Filben, JMHS Director of Bands. "Professor Faini's legacy has shaped decades of percussionists across our state. For our students to not only inherit these incredible world instruments but to also learn their rhythms from his son is an unforgettable privilege."
Phil Faini was a cornerstone of the West Virginia University College of Creative Arts, where he dedicated more than 40 years of service as a professor, percussion instructor, and eventual Dean. Renowned globally for his extensive research and expertise in African music structure, Professor Phil Faini traveled extensively across Africa to study indigenous drumming traditions, bringing that vital knowledge back to enrich generations of Appalachian students. He passed away on June 7, 2023, at the age of 91.
