Corporate Team Building: Drumming vs Traditional Methods
Corporate Team Building: Drumming vs Traditional Methods
Looking for a better way to build stronger teams? Drumming workshops might be the answer. Unlike many traditional methods, which can feel awkward or forced, drumming promotes teamwork, communication, and stress relief through rhythm and shared experiences. We’ve been providing workshops for over twenty five years – they really do work. Here’s a quick comparison to help you decide:
Key Points:
- Traditional Methods: Trust exercises, group discussions, and off-site events often lack engagement, can feel insincere, or have high costs with limited long-term impact.
- Drumming Workshops: Inclusive, engaging, and stress-reducing. They improve teamwork, communication, and creativity in a fun, collaborative environment.
Quick Comparison:
| Aspect | Traditional Methods | Drumming Workshops |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement | Often limited or awkward | Active and inclusive participation |
| Accessibility | Can exclude less vocal members | Open to all, regardless of ability |
| Stress Relief | Variable | Proven to reduce stress |
| Real-World Impact | Effects fade quickly | Long-lasting workplace benefits |
Drumming workshops combine rhythm, movement, and teamwork to create lasting improvements in workplace dynamics. Whether it’s African or Samba drumming, these sessions are tailored to fit your team’s needs, making them a fun and effective alternative to traditional methods.
Team Building Activity: Corporate Drumming Events
Why Drumming Stands Out
Drumming brings a distinctive approach to team-building, combining rhythm, movement, and group participation to create an engaging way for teams to connect and grow.
Open to Everyone
Drumming is an activity that welcomes everyone, no matter their background or abilities. Unlike some team-building exercises that might leave certain individuals out, drumming uses flexible instruments, rhythms, and tempos to ensure everyone can join in – whether young, old, experienced, or new to the activity. Steve Rivers from Unbeatable Energy showcases this inclusiveness by tailoring workshops to fit the unique makeup of each team.
Reduces Stress and Sparks Creativity
Drumming blends physical activity with creative expression, making it a great tool for improving workplace wellness and team interaction. The act of drumming releases endorphins, eases stress, and encourages teams to think more clearly and creatively.
Fosters Communication and Teamwork
Drumming naturally encourages teamwork through shared rhythms and non-verbal communication. Unlike typical team-building exercises that can feel awkward, drumming creates an organic environment for collaboration.
By focusing on listening, coordination, and synchronizing rhythms, teams build genuine connections that carry over into their daily work. The result? Stronger communication and smoother collaboration without the usual forced interactions.
Drumming workshops come in various styles, each designed to meet specific team-building goals, making it a versatile option for organisations.
Comparing Drumming Workshop Styles
Drumming workshops provide engaging experiences that bring teams together, offering a fresh approach to team building compared to more rigid, less interactive methods.
Workshops with African Drumming
African drumming workshops focus on layered rhythms, where every participant adds a distinct beat that contributes to a unified sound. This reflects workplace dynamics, encouraging trust, collaboration, and active listening. Using instruments like the Djembe and Dunduns, participants learn to create intricate rhythms, boosting communication and strategic thinking.
Workshops with Samba Drumming
Samba drumming workshops bring high energy and synchronized movement to the table, helping teams develop quick decision-making and coordination – key skills in fast-paced environments. These sessions use a variety of percussion instruments to create an engaging setting, breaking down social barriers and fostering a sense of shared success.
Both approaches improve team communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills, making them effective tools for workplace development. African and Samba drumming workshops each bring something distinct to the table, allowing organisations to choose the style that best fits their objectives.
How to Use Drumming in the Workplace
African and Samba drumming workshops can be a fun and effective way to address workplace needs, but they work best when planned thoughtfully and aligned with company goals.
Scheduling Regular Sessions
Holding drumming sessions on a regular basis can help teams see lasting benefits. Consider scheduling monthly or quarterly workshops during work hours, with each session lasting around 60-90 minutes.
Tailoring Workshops to Business Goals
Customising workshops to meet specific business goals ensures they provide real value to the workplace. Here’s how different goals can shape the focus of a drumming session:
| Business Goal | Workshop Focus | Implementation Method |
|---|---|---|
| Communication | Call-and-response patterns | Practice leading and following rhythms |
| Problem-solving | Layered rhythms | Work together to create complex patterns |
| Leadership development | Rotating conductors | Take turns guiding the group |
| Innovation | Freestyle sessions | Experiment with new rhythm combinations |
Aligning with Company Values
Drumming workshops can also reflect your company’s values. For instance, you could emphasize sustainability by using ethically sourced instruments or celebrate diversity by incorporating rhythms from different cultures. Collaborate with experienced facilitators who understand corporate dynamics to create programs that are both enjoyable and aligned with your professional goals.
Let’s wrap that all up!
Drumming workshops bring a fresh approach to team-building, tackling workplace challenges like disengagement and poor communication. By using rhythm and shared experiences, these sessions help improve workplace dynamics in ways that last far beyond the workshop itself.
Drumming stands out because it creates an engaging, inclusive space where everyone can participate equally, regardless of their background or experience. This shared activity naturally strengthens connections and enhances communication through collaborative music-making.
Here’s how drumming workshops compare to more traditional team-building methods:
| Aspect | Traditional Methods | Drumming Workshops |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement Level | Often limited to surface-level | Encourages deep, active participation |
| Skill Application | Minimal real-world relevance | Directly improves workplace communication |
| Accessibility | May leave some members out | Open to everyone, regardless of ability |
| Stress Relief | Results can vary | Proven to reduce stress through rhythm |
| Long-term Impact | Effects often fade quickly | Creates lasting workplace improvements |
For organisations looking to build stronger teams, drumming workshops offer an engaging way to combine fun with personal and professional growth. By trying out creative approaches like this, companies can strengthen connections and make a real difference in their workplace culture.
Unbeatable Energy's Epic Adventure To Africa
Unbeatable Energy's Epic Adventure To Africa
Sidiki’s band, featuring vocalists, instrumentalists, and drummers, added a unique flavour to our workshops, creating a mesmerizing blend of rhythms and melodies. His dedication to showcasing African culture extended beyond music, with enlightening excursions and festival experiences that gave us a deeper understanding of the community.
The course far exceeded expectations, thanks to Sidiki’s commitment to authenticity and punctuality. I am eager to share the rich music and insights gained with the schools, businesses, and community groups I work with back home. This experience has been truly unforgettable, shaping my perspective on music and culture in profound ways.
Learn Classic 'Sunu' Djembe Drum Pattern
Learn Classic 'Sunu' Djembe Drum Pattern
In this video, I show you a step-by-step guide to playing the Malian 'Sunu' djembe pattern. Like the classic 'Djembe Populaire' rhythm, the Sunu pattern has lots of special hand coordination techniques which provide a great foundation for tackling more challenging phrases in the future. In the process of nailing this pattern, we will have some fun by using the Quincy Jones' 'Soul Bossa Nova' (aka Austin Powers theme tune) as a way of understanding the feel of this pattern around the pulse. Enjoy!
In this video, I show you a step-by-step guide to playing the Malian ‘Sunu’ djembe pattern.
Like the classic ‘Djembe Populaire’ rhythm, the Sunu pattern has lots of special hand coordination techniques which provide a great foundation for tackling more challenging phrases in the future. In the process of nailing this pattern, we will have some fun by using the Quincy Jones’ ‘Soul Bossa Nova’ (aka Austin Powers theme tune) as a way of understanding the feel of this pattern around the pulse.
This practice video supports the learning of the Malian ‘Sunu’ rhythm. See the full breakdown of this rhythm in the video entitled ‘Learn Classic ‘Sunu’ Djembe Drum Pattern’. Play along with me as I take segments of the classic pattern to create solid grounding in the coordination.
Free School Drumming Lessons - Teach Your Students Online!
Free School Drumming Lessons - Teach Your Students Online!
Put a drum in front of a child and they don't need to ask what to do - they can play already. But how do you help young children discover that a drum is not just something with which to create noise, but, with a few steps, can create music. This fun, easy game helps young children learn 'turn-taking' to create rhythm dialogue. It also helps them appreciate the way little 'pockets of silence' transform a group sound from noise to instant drum music.
When I went to Gambia over 20 years ago I was amazed by the way that people were able to create so much sonic power in a single clap.
From ‘ear splitting’ high fives to more subtle ‘popping’ pulse beats to accompany songs, the people in West Africa showed me that even without a drum, I could harness the power of the drum beat just using my own hands.
This video shows teachers and drumming enthusiasts how to create this awesome ‘popping’ clap beat – which I call the ‘Starfish’ clap. After learning the clap sound, stay on the video to learn an easy ‘off beat’ rhythm which has worked with children as young as 6 years old.
Team Building Activities For Corporate Events In 2024
Team Building Activities For Corporate Events In 2024
As we enter 2024, the pandemic fever dream is becoming a part of our past, but its lasting impact on office work in corporate environments is evident.
It’s no longer ‘business as usual’. Employees have adopted new standards and expectations when it comes to working from the office. This has noticeably impacted younger people. A report by PLACEmaking revealed 21% of 18-24-year-olds refused job offers due to ‘outdated office design, amenities’ and culture.
Now more than ever, it’s vital that businesses from every sector rekindle the spirit of teamwork and companionship among colleagues.
10 Team Building Activity Ideas
Team building activities offer a fun and exciting way to nurture trust, communication and effective collaboration within teams while creating a positive work environment.
In this article, we’ll delve into ten innovative team-building ideas perfect for corporate events, each crafted to inspire unity, problem-solving, and a whole load of fun among colleagues.
Whether it’s cracking codes in an escape room, whipping up a gourmet dish together, or high-energy drumming classes, these activities bring teams closer and tap into their collective potential in enjoyable and unforgettable ways.
1 – Escape Room Challenge
Step into the Escape Room Challenge, where your team faces a series of puzzles and clues in a race against the clock.
Work together to decipher codes, find hidden objects, and solve mysteries that lead to your escape. This immersive experience encourages collaboration and communication as you tackle challenges as a cohesive group. It’s a fun (and affordable!) way to improve problem solving skills as a team. Get ready to put your heads together and unlock the secrets of the room!
2 – Outdoor Adventures
Here in the UK, we’re blessed to have a stunning nature landscape with a diverse range of outdoor activities within range of almost any business premises. Organize activities such as ropes courses, zip-lining, or hiking. These outdoor adventures promote trust-building, risk-taking, and collaboration in a natural setting.
3 – Drumming Workshops
Drumming workshops are fun and interactive team-building activities that have grown rapidly in popularity in recent years.
Unlike many other team-building activities for corporate events, drumming workshops are delivered straight to your businesses which alleviates the travel burden on your employees.
Unbeatable Energy has been providing unbeatable experiences for corporations for over twenty years, from Google to Facebook to Pepsico.
Our high-energy interactive corporate drumming and percussion events provide a fun, new way of communicating and bringing people together through team work. From team-building activities and away days to icebreakers for thousand-strong conferences, Unbeatable Energy sessions will energise and invigorate any gathering.
4 – Cooking Classes
Arrange a cooking class where teams work together to prepare a meal. Cooking requires coordination, communication, and creativity, fostering teamwork and camaraderie.
5 – Sports Tournaments
Host a friendly sports tournament like volleyball, basketball, or soccer. Team sports encourage cooperation, strategy, and healthy competition among colleagues.
6 – Scavenger Hunt
Design a scavenger hunt around the office building or city. Teams must collaborate to solve clues and complete challenges, promoting problem-solving skills and teamwork.
7 – Volunteer Work
In the spirit of giving back and making a positive impact, consider organizing a volunteer work activity for your team right here in the UK. One exemplary opportunity could be participating in the “Great British Beach Clean,” an initiative led by the Marine Conservation Society.
Gather your colleagues and head to a nearby beach to join forces with other volunteers in cleaning up litter and debris along the coastline.
As you work side by side, collecting rubbish and helping to preserve the beauty of our shores, your team will bond over a shared sense of environmental stewardship and community responsibility. This hands-on experience not only fosters teamwork but also highlights the importance of environmental conservation, leaving a lasting impression on your team and the local community alike.
(Plus, it’s a chance to enjoy the fresh sea air and scenic views while making a tangible difference right here in our own community).
8 – Art & Creativity Sessions
Organize art-based activities like painting, sculpting, or pottery classes. Engaging in creative tasks together encourages innovation, problem-solving, and team bonding.
9 – Improvisation Games
Host improvisation workshops where employees participate in improv games and exercises. Improv promotes spontaneity, adaptability, and teamwork while fostering a fun and supportive atmosphere.
10 – Team Building Retreat
Plan a retreat in a scenic location where teams can participate in a variety of activities such as team challenges, group discussions, and relaxation sessions. Retreats provide an opportunity for deepening connections and rejuvenating team spirit in a different setting.
African Drumming Classes - New 2024 Season
African Drumming Classes - New 2024 Season
Join us for a new season of African Drumming classes in 2024
Start the New Year with a bang! 💥 Come to our African Drumming Classes in Sheffield. 🪘
Join in with the amazing sounds and rhythms of the African djembe and Dundun drums of West Africa and get energised and inspired for 2024!
Need to burn some calories after Christmas? Scrap your plans for the gym – this class will do the job! Come and discover a new exciting way to exercise!
Suitable for complete beginners and ages from 12+ to adults.
Classes start in January – New Year Freebie on Thursday 11th Jan, followed by ‘Easy Grooves’ classes every Thursday up until 28th March.
Time: 19:30-20:40
Where? Duchess Road Community Centre, Shoreham Street, Sheffield, S1 4SR.
Prices:
£10 per class session
Or
£54 for a Block Booking package – providing 6 class credits to use within 8 weeks.
Advance booking essential as places are limited and book up fast.
To register classes, go straight to our booking site:
Want a try it out first before diving in? Come to our New Year Freebie Class on the 11th January..
Or find out more about the classes on our main Evening Class page:
BUY CHRISTMAS GIFT VOUCHERS FOR CLASSES
We are now selling Gift Vouchers for you to give your friends, family and loved ones this Christmas.
The gift vouchers can be used for single-class registrations or to purchase the Easy Grooves Block Booking pack.
Buy a gift voucher to give someone special in your life a wonderful new experience to feel inspired and energized for the new year ahead!
Want a great djembe ‘Tone’ sound? It’s all about the way you lift your hand
Want a great djembe ‘Tone’ sound? It’s all about the way you lift your hand
If you have just started learning the African djembe, you may be feeling frustrated with the sound you’re creating on the side of the drum. Perhaps you are wondering why it is that whenever you attempt to make the tone, you get a flat dead muted note. If you’re experiencing this frustration, try focusing more on the way you lift your hand, than the way it falls on the drum. Any unnecessary movement in the joints, fingers and wrist as you lift your hand will affect the quality of your tone.
Raising your hand to strike the drum, the tips of your fingers need to be the first thing that lifts up with the rest of the hand, wrist and arm following behind. Imagine you’re a string puppet and there is a cord attached to the very tips of your fingers. As the imaginary cord lifts, your fingers come up first and everything else follows. Doing this sets you up to strike the ‘tone spot’ on the djembe with the right angle so fingers bounce off easily. As your hand and fingers come back down for the strike, your fingers will be slightly raised at a 30 degree angle and land gracefully on the tone spot of the drum. If your fingers are relaxed and not tense (more on finger relaxation soon), they will bounce off the drum creating a beautiful resonance for your tone. But the point is not to think about the way your hand and fingers drop – it is the way you lift which matters.
You can see a djembe lesson video here:
The difference between a ‘good lift’ and a ‘bad lift’ can be very subtle. It is really about which part of the hand/arm lifts first. Here are a couple of examples of what can go wrong as you lift your hand to play:
1. Dropped wrist technique
As you raise your hand to strike a tone, your wrist might lift up first with your hand hanging on behind. Because your hand has been in this hanging position, your fingers will be projected forward as they fall to the drum, striking the ‘tone spot’ at the wrong angle. Instead of the fingers landing in a flat position, the projected angle of the fingers will absorb the bounce and press into the skin giving you a dull closed note without any resonance.
There is alternative outcome to this scenario with the ‘dropped’ wrist. When you raise your ‘hanging hand’ to the optimum height, you may flick the wrist back so that the fingers don’t project forward as they come down. The problem with this is technique is it creates too much movement between the arm and the hand as you play. Any unnecessary movement in the hand will sap your energy, hindering your ability to play with control and maintain stamina when playing for prolonged periods. However, the main issue is that this flick of the wrist at the top will potentially create a ‘slap’ sound instead of a tone – not a good ‘slap’ but a bad slap without any control or subtlety.
2. Dropped finger technique
This technique is far subtler than the wrist one – and hence harder to detect and correct. In this scenario the wrist is fine. It is not interfering as the you lift and in general the hand is lifting first. But there is just the slightest drop in the fingers as the hand lifts up. You may barley notice it, but it can make all the difference. Usually in this scenario the knuckles are lifting first – either the fore knuckles or the front ones. In the same way as the wrist technique (but this time less acute) the fingers project forward and absorb the bounce to give you the same flat sound without tone resonance.
How to improve your lift movement
If you think you might have fallen in to one of these habits and you are getting frustrated with your sound, here is a fun way to apply a nice ‘fingertip lift’ technique. Rest your hands on the side of the drum with your fingertips in contact with the ‘tone’ spot of the drum. If you don’t know where this is, check out our blog on hand positioning). Then lift the fingers up (really make sure your fingers up first) and do a ‘hiya’ with your hand. The hand just lifts up and come sown again. If you are with a group, you can all get really silly and start doing ‘hiya’ gestures with each other. Invariably this hand sign involves the fingers lifting up first so this gesture will trick your hand into applying the lift of the finger tips. With a little practise, this gesture will form a new habit in your hand movement which over time you will unconsciously apply to your tone technique.
I understand there is a counter argument to this technique that the arm and hand should remain as one unit and be straight. With the fingertips lifting first, the hand and the arm will not necessarily be straight and there will be some movement in the wrist. However, I don’t think there is really any problem in there being some wrist movement when djembe playing – what is important is the way it moves. With this ‘fingers first’ technique your wrist will be involved with lifting the hand up but will not interfere in a way that detriments your technique.
The other thing to recognise is the movement in tone and slap becomes far subtler as your technique improves. This means that this application of hand and arm technique may be highly pronounced when you first start to practise but will be less exaggerated over time.
I hope this blog helps you on your journey in mastering the djembe tone sound and I hope the exercise proves useful. At the very least – it’s nice to just say ‘Hiya!’
Receive further djembe tuition videos on our Youtube channel. We have a great series of video called Djembe for absolute Beginners:
Drum Roll for 2023!
Drum Roll for 2023!
Dear friends, happy new year and welcome to 2023.
So how was 2022 for you? Did you manage to have fun? Was it a challenging year? Were you feeling the heat in the summer? Were you shivering in December? 2022 really was something of a roller coaster wasn’t it!
1. Lowering our Carbon Impact
In May this year we acquired our new Electric Van and so now we can travel to deliver your event with zero emissions and a low carbon impact.
2. Large Workshops
We delivered some really big workshops in June – Two Samba workshops each for over 200 people. The sound of a group this size playing was breath-taking!
3. Restrictions were Lifted
Schools, Corporate and Community clients finally opened up for group gatherings following two years of covid restrictions – our diary got super busy in the summer!
4. Festivals were back!
We had a great time at the Underneath the Stars Folk festival this year, delivering a big Boomwhacker Percussion workshop for the punters!
5. Group Drumming Workshops for Children
In November we worked with seven different Rotherham schools as part of a multi booking event for Wickersley Academy Trust. Hundreds of children discovered the joy of group drumming through our African Music Experience workshop!
The Challenges of 2022 and Our Remedy for 2023
It all started well. Lockdown began to ease and pretty soon the simple process of people meeting up to socialise no longer felt like a complete palaver.
Suddenly, we could hear each other when we talked as our voices were no longer muffled under a mask; we didn’t have to queue so much, and no longer did we have to relentlessly complete covid disclaimer forms each time we entered a building or participated in an event.
But as the year went on problems developed in the world that began to affect us all. As the weather got super-hot, 2022 broke the records as the hottest year ever and we were reminded that climate change never went away during covid and remains the biggest threat to humanity and life on earth.
But if that wasn’t worrying enough, someone’s reckless decisions created a crisis in Eastern Europe sending tremors all over the globe.
Yes, I know this is a rather depressing opening to a New Year blog. But given the challenges of 2022, it feels appropriate to recognise the fear and uncertainty 2023 brings.
As someone whose profession is engaged in using music to enhance mental health and wellbeing, it feels important to consider such feelings and how they can be processed to feel positive and strong for the coming year.
While the big problems in the world dominate news headlines, it is vital to recognise the need to switch off the noise; doom, and gloom of the media and think about what we can do with the time given to us to improve our wellbeing and the wellbeing of those closest to us.
I am not a life coach nor a therapist, but I found something that improved my life nearly 30 years ago. It continues to really make a positive difference to my quality of life today – drumming!
I have been drumming since the age of 13. Apart from playing West African and Brazilian drums and percussion, I am forever tapping on randoms surfaces and objects – window sills, cereal boxes, steering wheels, tin cans, cd cases, paper, plastic bags, match boxes.
And if nothing is to hand, I will be tapping on my legs or stamping my feet. Yes, it drives my loved ones mad, but they know I am a better person for it.
But the real magic of drumming is massively amplified by drumming in a group with others. It is such an exhilarating feeling for everyone when they can share the joy of music and rhythm through something as accessible and inclusive as a drum!
Why not make 2023 be the year you connect with other people around you to make your world and community a better happier place.
We have been connecting people through music for over 20 years. It works!
If you want to discover more, click the button below…
An Orchestra in 15 Minutes? Boomwhacker team building in Brighton.
An Orchestra in 15 Minutes? Boomwhacker team building in Brighton
Many companies and organisations are going through a substantial period of change. Our latest client, an international household name in the food and drink industry, was no different. With many well-known products and brands in their expansive portfolio, the client was centralising its operations. This meant that all their brand teams, with very different people, career backgrounds, skill sets, ethnicity and ages would need to work more closely together.
Events company Top Banana organised a whole two-day event with the client to help them with this organisational change and we brought in our team from Unbeatable Energy to kick off the Culture session. Our brief was to demonstrate working together and embracing differences, whilst also providing something high energy in only 15 minutes and repeat this with four different groups of 150 people! We were not fazed by this challenge, as Unbeatable Energy have the perfect tools for this job – tuned acoustic tubes called Boomwhackers. We provided these instruments for all our participants to play, as well as our team providing a high-tempo back up on West African drums.
Steve Rivers led the Unbeatable Energy team, assisted by me and Justine Hart. While I provided accompaniment on the bass drums, Steve and Justine’s effortless djembe playing was a joy. The sound we made blended well in the room’s acoustics. The ceiling was high, but the sound was tempered by the copious seasonal decorations, lights, trees, massive baubles and the natural acoustics of the room. This meant that the sound travelled well to the people further back. Being a promenade venue by the Brighton seafront, the sun from the beach shone in to the room space creating a lovely warm light and ambience.
After a brief introduction, Steve announced that we were all going to have an “Orchestra in fifteen minutes”. Huh? I beg your pardon!? Yes, that’s what he said! Without any further ado, everyone was guided on playing and creating sounds from each of the differently coloured tubes.
A top tip was ‘More technique; less strength helps get the best sound’. Each participant found their own way soon enough and quickly understood Steve’s ‘conducting’ from the stage.
About five minutes in, everyone was making a reasonable noise, but had someone mentioned an orchestra?
So, a couple of colours were introduced to set a basic tempo. Then one by one, other colours were included with their own rhythmic patterns, which all combined to create quite a ‘funky’ groove. Justine and I helped any sections if things went a bit sideways (as they are bound to) but soon each part started to fit in again with the other rhythms. At times the rhythms started to speed up – at one point Steve even had to stop the music, explain that it was racing, and start again. This was okay as learning to recognise what needed changing and then adapting was all part of the learning process.
Steve then modified the original tempo, and the sound patterns were developed and transformed. Despite the complexity, the playing and syncopation then remained remarkably fixed and steady.
The rhythms had started, developed, and finished with a glorious crescendo! No one could resist cheering and applauding what we had all achieved together. It may not have been ‘The Proms’, but it was orchestral, and yes, in less than fifteen minutes! Encore, encore!
What can we learn about the dynamics of effectively working together in a short 15-minute percussion music activity? A 15-minute team building activity is like a microcosm of how a diverse team can work together.
Our sessions were followed by the facilitators presenting the new company ethos and culture guidelines. The experience of everybody playing, listening, getting ‘it’, losing ‘it’ a bit, and then getting ‘it’ back again resonated with the presentations. The cooperative morphing nature of the rhythmic tune demonstrated how disparate groups can still work (and joyfully play) with little effort.
The learning points that Unbeatable Energy and the client’s delegates drew from the sessions were:
How we act is more than what we say
We all play a part, intentionally or not
We can change what we do, but we do need to spot when to adapt
Coming together creates something new.
We would welcome the opportunity to work with both the client and Top Banana again and we are pleased to have played a small part in that ‘something new’.
By Demetri Dourambeis
Planning a company event soon? Talk to us about how we can raise the morale of your team (or your client’s team) with drumming and percussion team building.
Its our African Drumming Class 25 year anniversary!
Its our African Drumming Class 25 year anniversary!
This month marks our 25 year anniversary of running African Drumming Classes in Sheffield. It’s been an amazing journey so far!
On the 6th October 1994 I ran the first class using 1 Djembe hand drum, 4 conga hand drums, an assortment of plastic tubs, sawn off broom sticks and a variety of pots and pans!
25 years later with more drums and percussion (and a far better understanding of the music and of how to teach), I am still running the class and loving every bit of it! Hundreds of people have joined us for unbeatable beats over the years. To date I know of at least four couples who met as result of the class and are now married with children – including myself and Nicky!
So to celebrate this milestone, we have created this video with a few of the many highlights from the last two and a half decades:
Some of the students started attending the classes when they were aged only 9 or 10. It has been so special to see them grow and develop into such talented musicians over the years. Now grown up, they still continue to drum with us – when they are back from University that is!
I would like to thank everyone who has been part of this beautiful weekly event over the years. The class continues to be a total pleasure for me to teach and has become one of my social occasions of the week. You have all been amazing and I look forward to many happy years of rhythm bliss to come!
Why not take the celebration a little further by joining us this season! The group is big, welcoming and the energy is amazing! Find out more about the class here!
