Students will learn rhythms of tribal culture and routine of African life through its various tribal dances and drumming. Drums and dancing are essential to tribal culture and living. There are three basic rhythms for the novice drummer to learn: base slap and tone, however it is difficult for a beginner to recreate these sounds. I teach drumming by using counting or singing to help demonstrate the rhythm. Often it is helpful for the student to learn various African dances as well to illustrate and provide a clearer understanding of the rhythm of movement. Students will learn basic African melody and rhythm through the various drumming techniques but also through chants and singing. A beginner drummer will learn a variety of breaks. As students improve their technique, more complicated rhythms and sequences will be taught. In Africa the drum was used in daily life to express fear, hope, despair, anger, happiness and joy. It is amazing that the strike of a drum could be that powerful to convey a series of emotions or a celebration, but it brought a sense of community to the tribes and richness to our ancestral history.
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This is a 90-minute class that allows adults to focus on either
dancing, drumming or both. The goal is to create a community
of people to branch out into weekly drum circles. The class is
structured to take place twice a month on Saturday nights.
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