Michael will be back on Sunday, March 28th for a second afternoon of workshops at The Studio @ Billings Forge, 563 Broad Street, Hartford, CT 06106. Please join us for one or all three classes…

1:00 to 3:00 — Open djembe class, all levels
3:30 to 5:00 — Open class, all levels, Dundunba Workshop
5:30 to 7:00 — Intro to West African dance for beginners and drummers

Prepaying for the classes saves you $5.00 on each class. Please email me to reserve a spot. Check out the attached flyer for more details.

We all had a great time during Michael’s last visit. He taught a multi-level class and everyone learned something…

The You’ve Got Rhythm School of Percussion was proud to host both of these expert drummers for an African drumming workshop on Saturday, February 6th at The Wilson Congregational Church.

I am so appreciative to all of you that came out in the cold for the event. Many of us broke a sweat playing the drums, I know I did!!! Those guys can play!!! Reuven and Stefan made it back to the Bushnell to play for the Lion King. They had a great time and were happy that so many drummers came out to take the class. I know that many of the rhythms were complex. I often describe this ancient African art form as simple yet complex; either way you look at it djembe music takes all of your concentration and it clears your mind. I am so fortunate that this art form is such a big part of my life and plan to continue to share it with our community one day at a time.

Reuven said it so clearly that you never reach perfection, you never know it all. Studying this music is about the journey. It’s about the people you meet, the classes you take, the performances that you play in, etc. I think there is even growth and strengthing when you really don’t know what is going on (I have been there). It’s a very difficult place to be, but I think that is the first level of learning how to make music with the drum. I encourage everyone to ask themselves if they want to get better at drumming. If the answer is yes, please come by on a Monday night to visit our drum school. We will be happy to see you! We take our time and welcome beginners.

The Wilson Congregational Church at 691 Windsor Avenue is right off the highway on the main street in Windsor. Parking is wide open, and the auditorium we play in is much larger than our old space. I encourage anyone interested in drumming to visit us on Monday nights in our new space.

I also have an announcement on the cost for the class. After getting an email from a drum teacher in Boston who charges $24.00 for a weekly 2 hour class I started to think about the donation I have been charging for my 2 1/2 hour weekly class. The new fee for the drum class will be a flat fee of $10.00 for the weekly class, and we may charge more for guest teachers and special workshops. Guest teachers will always be advertised before their class.

More videos will be added soon.