West African Drumming
Respectfully borrowing from the Manding, Susu, and Baga traditions of West Africa, we perform and teach the traditional rhythms of this amazing body of music. Hundreds of rhythms based in the village life of Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Mali have found their way intact to our country through the teaching of master drummers Mamady Keita, Famoudou Konate, Soriba Fofana, and many others. These rhythms are composed of at least 5, and often 7 or more drum parts that create a powerful and complex orchestra of polyrhythmic music.
We find that drumming helps us balance out the rational, intellectual parts of us with the more intuitive, musical, and experiential elements of our humanness. It also is great for coordination, mental agility, relaxation, and group bonding. There also seems to be some ancient human connection to the experience of drumming that just seems so dang fun and enjoyable for people who do it!
Come give it a try! We currently offer a West African Drumming class for adults and teenagers in Gough Park at 4:15 on Wednesdays. We have also previously taught kids classes, done school assemblies, and offered an all-women's class for people in their 60's and 70's. They found that it helped with all kinds of physical health-related issues related to aging, and they had a great time with it! We also teach drumming for counseling in the area, as the therapeutic benefits of this type of drumming are now well-documented.
Come give it a try! We currently offer a West African Drumming class for adults and teenagers in Gough Park at 4:15 on Wednesdays. We have also previously taught kids classes, done school assemblies, and offered an all-women's class for people in their 60's and 70's. They found that it helped with all kinds of physical health-related issues related to aging, and they had a great time with it! We also teach drumming for counseling in the area, as the therapeutic benefits of this type of drumming are now well-documented.