African Drumming

When coming to Africa, everyone asked what classes I would be taking, etc., and the only thing I knew for sure was that I definitely wanted to take an African drumming class. Last Wednesday, McKenzie, Maggie, and I went to the first session of our African drumming class, and it was quite the experience.

When we looked on the bulletin board to see where our drumming class was, the location said "SHRINE". Kenz and I shrugged our shoulders, looking at eachother wondering where in the world that might be. We asked around, and finally figured out that "SHRINE" simply meant that our class was outdoors "under the big tree behind the School of Performing Arts". "Under the TREE?" I couldn't believe it.

Well, that's exactly where the "SHRINE" was. Fifty or so international students, and a handful of Ghanaians, crowded under a huge tree, as we sat on wooden benches, with African drums between our feet. It felt like we were in a movie--or elementary school, sitting outside with our instruments in a music class--I'm not sure which?

We all looked at eachother, occasionally making our own beats, as we waited anxiously for class to begin. Seth introduced himself and began drumming patterns for us to mimic. At first, the beats were just noise, but as class continued, they slowly progressed toward "music".

We each bought ($1) drumsticks, clearly African and clearly just carved from the nearest tree, and we learned three patterns. We learned about the three types of drums and the distinctions between each (more on that later). We also learned to look at Seth's drumsticks (we will slowly transition from sticks to hands as the semester continues), rather than looking him in the eye.

It was funny to look around, as some students caught on much more quickly than others.

Drumming reminds me so much of 5th grade-8th grade, when I was a "percussionist" (playing the bass drum, snare drum, jimbaye, xylophone, tambourine, crash cymbals, etc.). It brought me back to many band memories, thinking of Mrs. Clowes and being outnumbered in my section, as I was usually the only girl in percussino (the ratio is more even here). I will definitely keep you updated as the beat goes on...