Drumming 4 Business & Education Workshops

Why Musical Workshops?

The main reason our musical workshops work so well is the self discovery. Everybody has a talent, whether you have found it yet or not it is in there somewhere. Music may not be your talent but it may help you discover something about yourself for just one hour, day, week, or the rest of your life. Imagine you have never experienced any of our activities before and a group of musicians turn up confident that after just an hour’s teaching they can create a band for you to perform with, and in front of the people you spend your time with. You could also take a turn as a dancer and make your own personalised carnival costume for the day. Why not have your own carnival with the people around you? Become a part of the band bringing your own form of expression forwards. This is what we are like. We want you to express yourself and to get your energy flowing. Bringing you, and the people around you, together with a common objective through music and art. To give you a great African/Brazilian/Cuban Experience.

Drumming

For thousands of years it has been proved that playing music is a great and uplifting way to bring people together, energize and inspire them. Our Brazilian percussion (drumming) is a replica of the sound created by the carnival in Brazil.
Everybody gets a drum, this will include the following instruments used to create the sounds of the carnival heard on the streets of Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo;
• Surdos

• Tamborins

• Agogos

• Shakers

• Timbaus

• Repiniques

Every participant will take a turn in small groups working with each instrument to learn the different rhythms that the different drums are used to play. Once all the groups have had a turn on all the instruments we can bring the whole sound together and show how the different rhythms we have taught all come together to create that unbelievable sound.
Together with a performance from our teachers/musicians using a variety of Brazilian hand crafted instruments e.g. Berimbau, Pandeiro, Timbales, Congas, Bongos, Djembes, and more. We can provide you with an unforgettable experience of musical culture and expression.

Dance

We provide various types of dance at our workshops. Our most popular is samba dancing where pupils will learn authentic Brazilian dances, moves, and choreography. Invigorating and energising, dance provides the opportunity for interaction motivated by vibrant rhythms from all over the world. Both fun and relaxing dance is a thoroughly enjoyable experience which brings groups of people together for a shared purpose. We can teach many different types of dance.

Samba
Samba is a lively, rhythmical dance of Brazilian origin in 2/4 time danced under the Samba music. However, there are three steps to every bar, making the Samba feel like a 3/4 timed dance. Samba has been danced in Brazil since its inception in the late 19th century. There is actually a set of dances, rather than a single dance, that define the Samba dancing scene in Brazil; thus, no one dance can be claimed with certainty as the "original" Samba style.

Salsa
Salsa is a dance for Salsa music created by Spanish-speaking people from the Caribbean and their immigrant communities in the US. Salsa dancing mixes African and European dance influences through the music and dance fusions that are the roots of Salsa. Salsa is normally a partner dance, although there are recognized solo forms, where groups of couples exchange partners in a circle. Salsa can be improvised or performed with a set routine.

African
These dances teach social patterns and values. They also and help people work, mature, praise or criticize members of the community while celebrating festivals and funerals, competing, reciting history, proverbs and poetry, and to encounter gods. The most widely used musical instrument in Africa is the human voice. Although nomadic groups do not traditionally use drums, in villages throughout the continent, the sound and the rhythm of the drum express the mood of the people. The drum is the sign of life. Its beat is the heartbeat of the community.

Capoeira
Capoeira was born in the "senzalas", the place where the slaves were kept. It consists of a stylized dance, practiced in a circle called the "roda", with backing music provided by percussion instruments, like the "agogo", the "atabaque", “pandeiro” (the Brazilian equivalent of the tambourine) And the Berinbau as the main instrument that plays the melody and Chants.

Carnival & Costume

We invite you to participate in your very own exciting carnival. We will provide some of the most dynamic teachers and facilitators to help you to put together a carnival atmosphere. The activity will include drumming, dancing, decoration and dressing up. All we need is you. Colours have the biggest impact in creating the carnival atmosphere. Our carnival costume making team together with you will create costumes to match the theme of your carnival.

Banner Making & T-shirt printing
We use colourful designs with traditional Brazilian shapes, patterns and animals to make our T-Shirts vibrant and exciting. Also banners with phrases and designs can add to the carnival atmosphere and inform the crowd of what the event is about.

Jewellery Making
Jewellery made out of cardboard, colourful bits, feathers, stars, and shapes etc. Is very important to the carnival. You can choose a theme e.g. Amazon, Indigenous, Urban, Beach, or African and a colour scheme. Even combine two or three of your favourite colours. Some materials are provided for the activities. We also encourage you to recycle your own. As well as Jewellery we can make back packs and head dresses to add to the carnival atmosphere.

Instrument Making (Recycle)

The idea is to recycle and reuse! Learn how to make your own musical instruments!
Sounds Rubbish - We encourage recycling old materials to build your own instruments. Recycling objects to create musical instruments is a great way to encourage a positive attitude towards recycling and the benefits it can have for us and the environment. Beat the junk.