Performance - Kids

Wula Drum and Dance Ensemble offers four different exciting programs for kids!

West African Drum and Dance Assembly Program: an interactive and experimental performance showing the drums and dance of West Africa.

Drums of the World: a performance demonstrating the diversity of percussion instruments from around the world, and the people who play them.

Drum Jam!: Each student gets a drum to play! We can come into the classrooms and energize and educate everyone about the power of the drums.

Build a Drum!: Discover the joy of crafting your own Djembe drum with Wula's experienced drum-makers!

WEST AFRICAN DRUM AND DANCE ASSEMBLY PROGRAM

Our assembly program consists of group repertory performance, audience participation, and general history of the rhythms, dances and culture. To begin our program, we greet the audience with a call and response exercise. Then we introduce the instruments, dances, and the people. In West Africa, there are 3 main reasons why people drum and dance. To call the community, celebrate, to help people work. We show examples of this and have a great time learning about the culture and feeling the power of the drums and movement it inspires!

Length: Normally 45 - 60 Minutes, but flexible to school’s needs.

Program Outline

  • Introduction
  • Call and Response Exercise
  • Repertory Performance
  • Instrument Description
  • Audience Participation
  • Repertory Performance

DRUMS OF THE WORLD

In all cultures, all around the world, the drum brings people together. It is a call to community. The Drums Of The World program demonstrates the diversity of percussion instruments and the people who play them. Master Drummers from places such as, West Africa, Brazil, Korea, Puerto Rico, Cuba, East Africa, and The USA, join hand in hand to present a stunning display of global culture through the harmony of music.

This program can be adjusted to fit the needs of the schools’ budget, time, and scheduling allotment.

Program Outline

  • Public Schools
  • Universities
  • Summer Camps
  • At Risk Youth
  • Community Functions
  • Diversity Training


BUILD A DRUM

Discover the joy of crafting your own Djembe drum with Wula's experienced drum-makers!

Our workshops provide an interactive fun-filled learning experience for children, parents, camp counselors, and teachers!

We start in Guinea, West Africa where our skilled craftsmen specially carve Melina wood djembes for your group. Our Wula drum-makers arrive at your location with the drums and materials prepped and ready for easy assembly.

Workshop participants are given the opportunity to pick their very own drum shell. The shell is the foundation of the drum-building experience - as participants will transform this into a playable instrument - as well as a work of art! We encourage each drum to be artistically decorated by students, parents and teachers alike.

Our "Kid's Drum Building Workshop" is conducted in three sessions:

  1. The first session of the workshop includes a history lesson of the origin of the djembe drum in West Africa. Students will also decorate their drum shell.
  2. Over the course of the second session, participants will learn to rope the drum, apply a skin as the playing surface, and finally tune the drum.
  3. Once the djembe drums skins are dry, they will tune the drum. This session will focus on djembe fundamentals and how to play a rhythm from Guinea, West Africa. In addition, a story will be told of the rhythm's significance in West African culture.

At the end of the workshop participants will take the finished djembes home - where the learning continues! Sessions can also be arranged to continue with a Wula Drum instructor.

DRUM JAM!

Drumming is great for hand co-ordination, concentration, memory, focus, team work and self expression! We are happy to bring in drum for each student to play and show the group how to have fun and witness the power of rhythms played in unison! We are flexible to teach any size group, but best suited for groups of 30 or less. Students will play rhythms from West African and learn about the history, purpose, and cultural context of the music and the people.