Engaging African Drumming Workshops for Schools

1. African Drumming for Schools. David Imevbore, Afriquetone Limited. E-mail – david@afriquetone.co.uk Website – www.afriquetone.co.uk.

2. Afriquetone Provides and runs African drumming workshops and performances for schools, corporate events, inductions, open days festivals, etc.

3. Objectives • Introduce African drumming workshops as in ideal activity for schools. • Highlight the benefits of African drumming workshops • Identify how School Drumming workshops help to achieve objectives of the School Curriculum

4. African Drumming • The African drum. – tonal variation "African languages operate on two levels: rhythmic speech and tonal inflexion. Combined, these may be interpreted by differently- pitched drums or single log drums capable of producing more than one pitch, any ambiguities becoming clear by intelligent appreciation of the context." (Dearling, 1996)

5. African Drumming (2) • History. • Different types. • Cultural Significance and Uses. Djembe • Drumming Circles. – A healthy forum

6. A drum Workshop.

7. Benefits of African Drumming

8. African drumming and the school curriculum • Aims of Music education in Schools. • Performing • to develop music awareness and understanding; • to acquire and apply skills appropriate to the chosen instruments; and • to respond to the disciplines of the group activity. • Inventing • to develop musical initiative and inventiveness through experimenting with sound; • to develop musical discrimination, expression and sensitivity to sound; and • to develop the ability to organise and produce musical inventions using appropriate skills and techniques

9. African drumming and the school curriculum (2) • Listening • to develop critical and discriminatory abilities; • to gain insights into the means by which composers communicate through music; and • to develop knowledge and understanding of music of different styles and cultures. ( Extracted from a report made by HM Inspector of schools, 2000)

10. Curriculum for Excellence Features of learning environments that encourage creativity • Successful learners • Engage in challenging tasks • Encourage ambition. • Learning motivates, engages and is enjoyable • Confident Individuals • Taking risks and learning from mistakes • Developing interpersonal skills by learning with others.

11. Curriculum for Excellence • Responsible Citizens • Experience of making an impact • Recognise and celebrate diversity • Effective contributors. • Collaborative • Interactive • Variation in skills application. - Drum games,

12. Bigger picture • Cultural awareness • Ability to fit into a globalized world • Racism

13. Children’s thought’s • Dear David, I thought the drumming was great fun because I like drumming and I thought it might be my hobbie again. Joshua, primary 4, ferryhill primary school • Dear David, thank you for the African drumming. I like it all but my favourite was the slap. I liked it because it made a loud bang Ronan, Room 15, ferryhill primary school. • I liked the part at the end when we got to all bang on the drum because we just made a big noise with the drum. I really liked it, all the tunes we’re doing, but it hurt a bit. I would like to do it again. Milan, primary 4N, ferryhill primary school.

14. Types of School Workshops One off workshops – full day or half day workshops Weekly workshops Week-long workshops – School events, gala, summer programs etc

15. Feel the beat, enjoy the rhythm Questions!!!!