drumming and percussion Workshops For Schools

Ensuring the safety of your pupils and staff during these challenging times is of paramount importance to us. We have therefore put in place a special Covid-19 Mitigation Policy for delivering drumming and percussion workshops in schools which you can view here.

Drumming and percussion are fantastic avenues for self-expression, building confidence and developing communication skills, at the same time as introducing children to cultures they are unlikely to have experienced. Bringing Unbeatable Energy into your school is about team building, excitement and a great sense of achievement.

We have unrivalled experience of working with schools as part of the national curriculum for children of all ages, and the impact on children, teachers and parents alike is incredible. We also provide exhilarating Boomwhacker workshops and staff training.

african drumming workshops

These workshops are an exciting hands-on opportunity for children of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to experience the thrill and excitement of African hand drumming.

Everyone in a class will be given an authentic African drum to participate in an unforgettable group experience – an experience which provides an insight into the sounds, beats and energy of an African village and tribal life.

during the workshop we will

• teach simple multi-part rhythms

• show the children how to make different sounds on African djembe drums

• give them easy ways to feel and access the beat

• teach them how to listen and follow groups and teams

• create opportunities for them to express themselves through ‘drum rumbles’ and making their own improvised rhythms

• bring a whole range of additional hand percussion providing timbre and pitch to the sound of the drums

• incorporate songs and rhythm games that provide valuable lessons in communication and team work

as a result children will

• gain a creative lift which gives them a great boost of confidence

• feel engaged and included in a collective mood of group celebration

• gain an awareness of other musical cultures and traditions

• further develop key musical skills in line with National curriculum guidelines

curriculum friendly

Our team building workshops can be linked to support others areas in the school curriculum such as Science and Physical Education, and are often used as part of:

• arts weeks

• enrichment days

• Africa topics

• black history month

• cultural awareness days

Our team have a refreshing, vibrant and open style with plenty of experience working with children. Having visited West Africa on a number of occasions to study Gambian, Guinean and Senegalese rhythm and dance, we draw on these influences to make a session with Unbeatable Energy an unforgettable musical experience for everyone involved.

See what a class can achieve in one the African Music Experience workshop. Watch our video here:

customising workshops for your school

Workshops are designed to suit all age groups and we tailor the duration of each session to suit the needs of your pupils and your school timetable. We are able to work with large groups of children subject to venue size. Your school can choose to work with smaller groups allowing opportunities for end of day performances. Assembly performances at the end of the day are a great opportunity to invite parents to view their child’s achievements and stimulate interest from other classes and teachers.

Please get in touch to talk about your school and requirements.

Junk Drumming Workshops for Schools

Think again before throwing away that crisp packet; plastic water bottle or baked bean tin.  It may seem worthless but what you actually have in your hand is a versatile percussion instrument with many musical possibilities!

Our 'Rubbish Rhythms' workshop will inspire and motivate your school children, staff and teams, as they discover how to make music from water cooler bottles, yoghurt cartons, fruit punnets, plastic food wrappers, tin cans and so much more!

Perfect for music days, this workshop shows how creative and resourceful music-making can be. It also provides an exciting percussive twist to environmental and sustainability topics.

If you would like to book our Samba workshop and include "Rubbish Rhythms" or receive further information and price options for this activity, please get in touch. We would love to hear from you. 

Bring a samba carnival to your school!  With real Brazilian samba drums, students will play and work together to make exhilarating music. They'll discover new ways to listen, communicate and express themselves. And they'll learn about the culture and traditions of Brazil. 

A custom, curriculum-friendly carnival

Our samba drumming workshops can provide many different learning outcomes - as well as being really engaging and fun! With over a decade of experience delivering school drumming workshops, we can customise your session to meet the needs of your class and curriculum. 

create a Boomwhacker sensation

Boomwhackers are tuned acoustic tubes that create different harmonic tones. They are played by tapping the end against your hand or clashing two together, like cymbals. As well as enabling children to create complex music, Boomwhackers can be used in many different activities to help engage children who might normally struggle to participate in group activities.

An Unbeatable Energy Boomwhacker Experience workshop provides teachers and pupils with a whole variety of special rhythm games, music facilitation techniques and compositions tailored to the children’s age and individual needs.

Who'd have thought so much could be achieved with a plastic tube!

As our workshops demonstrate, Boomwhackers are ideal for exploring different sounds, pitch, polyrhythm, chords and chord progressions. They are great for:

• celebrations, art weeks and enrichment days
• musical team warm up exercises
• creative compositions
• powerful ‘brain gym’ exercises
• involving many children at a low cost

In Unbeatable Energy workshops we like to get children energised! We teach and encourage them to incorporate dance movements with the Boomwhacker music, helping them to develop a strong sense of rhythm and improve their motor and coordination skills.

Get in touch to find out how to create a Boomwhacker sensation at your school.

Education Conferences

Our motivational workshops for education conferences and events are designed to unlock individual and group potential in a creative way, and help teachers develop fresh insights into the benefits of using rhythm in education.

Unbeatable Energy have a proven track record, providing energising sessions at head teachers’ conferences and other educational and teambuilding events.

Every event is different, so please get in touch if you are looking for something different to spark creativity and inspiration.

Staff Training Sessions

Our musical staff training workshops are designed to build teachers’ confidence in their ability to pass on musical skills within the school. Your team will go away feeling energised, and full of new found confidence and ideas.

Boomwhacker Training Workshops

Discover an exciting new way of making music fresh and energetic in the classroom:

• learn simple Boomwhacker rhythms
• learn easy ways to incorporate Boomwhacker rhythm making with dance movement – ideal for boosting children’s motor skills in physical education
• share effective ideas with colleagues in facilitating music playing with challenging classes
• explore musical scales, pitch, and create chord progressions

Workshops can be designed for a half day inset session or an after school session on the same day as class workshops.

Boomwhacker sets will be available for purchase on the day along with additional support material. This will equip teachers to continue boomwhacking with their classes after our visit.

African Drumming And Percussion Training Workshops

An exhilarating experience that teachers find inspiring and morale boosting - these workshops explore a range of exciting African rhythms; drumming and percussion techniques, rhythm games and group facilitation techniques.

The workshops are designed to explore musical possibilities that teachers can develop in a variety of learning situations in their curriculum. We also provide supporting material for future reference.

As well as exploring new musical ideas for the class, Unbeatable Energy teacher training workshops provide a positive, memorable experience for your team - a great way to bring staff together.