West African Drumbeats Available now
Price: £150 including the CD-rom resource and Rhythm Maker
Optional visit from Zozo or Sam: £110 per half day session.
Developed with Zozo Shuaibu, and performed by Zozo and acclaimed Sierra Leone musician, Sam Maitland .....
In this year’s programme children learn to
- play djembe and other percussion within a drumming group;
- sing a range of West African and Caribbean songs;
- memorise and perform musical patterns through African and Caribbean drum languages;
- compose and perform accompaniments for African dances and songs;
- use software to develop and notate their own compositions;
- create and perform music as an integral part of African storytelling.
And what did the teachers say?
(comments from the pilot schools)
Teachers suddenly found that music was not beyond their capabilites. The ICT level made them feel comfortable and relaxed in a way that traditional music opportunities do not.
The project has left us wanting more – more drumming, more music and more of the wonderful ideas provided by this sort of project!
The pace was excellent, as teachers could develop the lesson, making sections shorter or longer as was necessary.
Everything ‘slotted’ together so easily.
The lesson plans are straightforward and deliverable and the video clips and resources on the smart board are excellent.
The drumming project was a great success and we got so much out of it. I will certainly be drumming with my new class!
Ability and age range
Suitable for all my KS2 children, easy to adapt to different ages and abilities. Every single child in the class looked forward to and benefited from the drumming sessions. It suited all different needs and abilities. The boys were engaged at all times.
Catered extremely well for auditory, kinaesthetic and visual learners. Children who did not participate in music previously have been fully involved
Special needs children were not handicapped in any way and reflected complete enjoyment.
The approach was genuinely inclusive!
Curriculum and other links
This was certainly a ‘wider opportunity’!
The learning opportunities provided have widened our scope for delivery and allowed us to develop a whole range of new learning possibilities. We have linked it into the music, geography and literacy to very good effects.
The sessions provided us with the opportunity to look at different parts of the world, discuss the language in the songs and talk about different cultures.
Stories, songs and rhythms opened up rich cross curricular possibilities
There is a real enthusiasm for sustaining drumming, to include involvement with musical providers in the community.
The collaboration we had with other schools was enough to inspire us to make permanent links.
E-learning in music and dance
Cumbria Music Service works with exceptional performing artists to promote exciting opportunities in music and dance. We believe there is no substitute
for contact with inspirational performers.
Our unique programmes connect workshop visits to schools with carefully planned e-learning, ensuring real progression and continuity.
Why e-learning?
Performances and workshops from creative practitioners can really inspire, leaving children and their teachers wanting more.
We wanted to develop a way that teachers could build effectively on these rich experiences.
The African Drumming package is the first in a series of performance and resource packages.
Each programme follows a similar format. Workshop sessions with performing musicians in your school connect with our extensive CD-rom based materials,
introduced by the artists themselves.
Carefully developed video and audio examples present ongoing musical challenges, while consolidating and building on existing learning. These are reinforced with practice materials and relevant ICT applications.
Through these innovative resources, artists accompany children throughout their musical journey.
Programmes provide work for between a term and a full year’s work based on the theme and concludes with a live performance by the children. The programme can be delivered in a single school or with a number of schools working together and staging a joint final performance..