John Flood

We are proud to feature the following short film by San Diego videographer Lisa Franek, who captures the musical philosophy and philanthropic work of John Flood, a founding FFF board member who has been working with the San Diego Unified School District to implement a comprehensive World Music program at a time when budget cuts are decimating K-12 music education. His efforts are truly inspiring:



John serves as the Artist in Residence for the Visual and Performing Arts in the San Diego Unified School District, and he has worked in conjunction with the International House of Blues Foundation in order to bring real drums (that is, hand-crafted instruments from local artisans in Cuba and Mali, rather than plastic drums) and world music education and performance programs to more San Diego kids. For these efforts, and for his work with schools in the Madison High School Cluster, he was recently awarded the prestigious Outstanding Multicultural Music Educator Award by the California Music Educators Association Southern Border Section (CMEA-SBS). As is evident in the video above, John truly believes multicultural education in our K-12 schools can help make the world a better place, and we are elated that more people are beginning to come around to this way of thinking.

The musical and educational philosophy of John Flood also extends into the territory of his full-time teaching position at San Diego State University, where he teaches African Drumming and Dance through the Contemporay Cultures Music Program. John's expertise in Ghanaian percussion, drum set, jazz vibraphone, and classical performance has allowed him to train a wide variety of working musicians in the San Diego area and beyond. His reputation at SDSU is, by no stretch of the imagination, that of a resident drum guru--a master whose skill is matched equally by his mentorship.

But education is not the only facet to John's musicianship. A large part of John's talent is also devoted to his love of performance, which he displays through his work with Ho-Asogli, an African drum and dance band that performs the traditional musics of Ghana. Since 1994, John has served as the group's Director, and his leadership has brought the band's multicultural sights and sounds into the hearts of Southern California.

John's work through the Flood Family Foundation echoes the support his mother Charleen gave to him as a boy, when he was first interested in drumming, and he credits his mother's influence in helping him make music a serious career. Charleen was, of course, a member of the Sky Larks (the female counterpart to the US Airforce Singing Sergeants) and a formidable piano player in her own right. Through the FFF, John hopes to honor the memory of his mother, carry on her musical legacy, and help find a cure for Parkinson's--the playfully-dubbed "Mr. P" against whom she fought so bravely.