Corporate drumming events in Cheltenham - Boomwhacker ice breaker at the Cheltenham Race Course
Corporate drumming events in Cheltenham - Boomwhacker ice breaker at the Cheltenham Race Course
We are proud to announce that our biggest corporate drumming event this year took place at the Cheltenham Race Course for the Mid Counties Cooperative.
Six hundred delegates participated in a mass percussion session using the fabulous Boomwhacker Tubes. What an amazing event it was! Thanks to some the highly skilled production crew, the opening sequence was particularly memorable. Here is an account of how the event ‘kicked off’: Explosive drumming performance!
As all the delegates entered the room after lunch, the lights dimmed and the sound of a solo African drum could be heard. The spot light shone down on a drum soloist who played a stunning introductory riff on his drum. Suddenly the spot light went out and he was gone. Immediately the spot light shone down on another drum soloist who started playing from the opposite side of the room. The spot light went out and immediately shone back on the first soloist – they both sounded as though they were talking to each other. As the attention switched back and forth between each soloist, it became clear that they were both getting closer to the stage! Finally as both drummers approached the main aisle, the lights came on and suddenly a full African drumming band created a big sound using bass drums to accompany the soloists – the beat was electrifying!
Conference Ice Breakers in the Midlands.
The introductory performance created the perfect mood for what was to come next. African drumming is about involving everybody and the delegates certainly gave their full participation as they clapped to the beats of the drums. But this was just the beginning! What the delegates may not have been expecting was that they were going to be the main act! Underneath each of their tables were packs of Boomwhacker percussion tubes. Delegates at each table passed the Boomwhackers around so that within minutes the entire room was filled with the sound of the tubes playing harmonious beats with the drums!
Steve Rivers quotes:
It always amazes me how seemlessly a huge number of people can play in time with each other. It is as though the power of everyone playing creates cohesion and support to everyone who participates. Within seconds the entire group of 600 delegates at the conference had managed to find a common pulse with the Boomwhackers – this happened instinctively with very little input from myself!
The final sound of the big ‘600 strong drum orchestra’ sounded truly amazing. There were all together six different rhythm parts being played by delegates seated at 76 tables in the room – all were coordinated and each table contributed to a piece of music which had become rich, syncapated, complex and beautiful!
Read feedback from Tarra Simmons from Mid Counties Cooperative.
Large conference ice breakers such as these are about creating the wow factor, so that everyone remembers the conference for years to come. Such an event provides that all important ‘lift’ in an organisation – allowing the entire team to be able to see what is possible when everyone fully participates.
Unbeatable Energy Ltd would like to thank Tarra Simmons from Mid Counties Cooperative for inviting our input to the conference and for maintaining such excellent dialogue prior to the event.
We would also like to thank Dave Hughes and Heartbeat Promotions for providing the superb sound and lighting – their input ensured that the event ran smoothly, and maintained a high level of professionalism.
A culture of drum and dance has been formed at Mount Junior and Infant School!
A culture of drum and dance has been formed at Mount Junior and Infant School!
We have been running African drumming workshops for the Year 4’s at Mount Junior and Infants School since 2006 and we look forward to the event every year. This year was our fifth time at the school and every year it gets better and better. The first time we worked with the Year 4’s in 2006, we had a performance at the end of the day for all the children’s parents and the rest of the school. A very brave pupil from the class jumped into the drum circle space and did an amazing dance as the rest of the class drummed a pounding rhythm. The next minute two other children came into the space; then another and another. A couple of seconds later and it was ‘pitch invasion’!
Since that momentus day, a tradition in the school of dancing to the drumming has become firmly entrenched. There is a code that everyone follows – dances are performed by one or two children at a time, the drummers mustkeep drumming and the children learn to switch over and never hog the dance space.
Each class looks forward to being in the Year 4 when it will be their time to have a go. The Year 6 and Year 5 children who previously had a go still get involved in the performance by jumping into the dance space.
Like any business, running a drumming education company is not easy. During the really hard times, every business owner must sometimes ask themselves – is it all worth it? When we go to Mount Junior and Infants School we always get the answer – YES! This is what bringing a taste of African culture into schools is all about! Seeing the fantastic legacy year after year. It is incredibly rewarding and uplifting seeing children who never forget the experience and who are no longer afraid to dance and move! Every year we get to see how drumming, dance, music, culture – it all makes a huge difference to their lives!