3 C’s for Growing Student Xylophone Skills: For Confidence, Competence, and Commitment

Get your elementary students playing with confidence, competence, and commitment to growth. We will go over warm ups, techniques, repertoire, and teaching strategies to get your ensemble playing at a high level.

Agbadza: Ewe Drumming (Ghana)

Participants will each learn by ear the five instrumental parts to agbadza. Participants will receive some recordings prior to the workshop, so that they may use those to play along during class and practice after class. In addition to learning the instrumental parts of the piece, participants will also learn one or two agbadza song.

Boboobo: Drumming and Songs from the Ewe (Ghana)

Participants will each learn this Ewe drumming piece that can be player and performed by anyone for any occassion. Boboobo songs will be included as well.

Brazilian Music for the Classroom

Brazil is a country where music is part of everyday life. The Africans that were brought to the country as slaves in the past were allowed by the Portuguese to keep playing their music. We will have an overview of how this musical heritage developed into musical celebrations as the Carnaval and others. During this workshop, we will approach one of these celebrations and learn its percussion ensemble that can be done with body percussion, daily elements, or instruments. Be ready to dance, sing, and play!

Gahu: An Introduction to Ewe Music from Ghana

Participants will receive an introduction to the drum language of the Ewe people and use it to create the beginning of ‘Gahu’, a classic piece of West African Music. We will study the structure of the music, some of the associated movements, the lead drum parts, and some of the cultural context of the piece. You will be able to use this in your classroom.

Getting Started in World Music Drumming

Have you been wanted to attend a Level 1 WMD workshop? Have you been dabbling with the curriculum book? Have you been seeing great WMD performances and want to try it, but don’t know how to start? Have you been given a new teaching assignment and don’t know what to do with all these drums? If so, this is the session for you. In this session you will learn the basic techniques and teaching strategies you need to get started with confidence (to hold you over until you can get to a Level 1!)

Kids, Choir & Drums: A Teaser

Searching for new ideas to keep your students engaged and excited about singing? Come try "kid tested" activities. Learn multiple strategies for choral rehearsal settings in an experiential session that is based on the National Music Standards and uses Will Schmid's World Music Drumming Curriculum as a foundation. Explore music spanning a variety of cultures. Energetic participation is a pre-requisite. Be ready to sing, move and drum!

Kpatsa: Drumming for Young People (Ghana)

Participants will each learn by ear the five instrumental parts to kpatsa. Participants will receive recordings of the individual parts prior to the workshop, so that they may use those to play along and practice. In addition to learning the instrumental parts of the piece, participants will also learn a kpatsa song

Making Instruments for the Classroom

Join Will Ulrich as he shares several ideas on how to make drums, flutes, mbira, and other percussion instruments. Get access to dozens of instrument ideas through Will's slideshow presentation - filled with photos, blueprints, & plans.

Rumba from Cuba: Unlocking Afro-Cuban Music for You and Your Classroom

In this session, participants will learn parts to a rumba guaguanco, a signature percussion genre from Cuba. In it, drums speak to each other based on their position in the clave cycle. The result is an exciting dialogue between drums that teachers and students can employ. Prior experience recommended. For example, a level 1 workshop, one of the above sessions with Josh Ryan, or other drumming workshops.

Safe, Effective Hand Drum Technique:
Exercises & Warm-Ups for You & Your Students: Part 1 and Part 2

Participants will build technical and tonal facility on conga drums/tubanos while learning to avoid injury and fatigue.  In addition, specific warm up exercises will evolve into traditional parts and call/response examples that can be used with students of all ages. Participants may take only Part 1 or register for both Part 1 and Part 2

Sikyi: Drumming for Young People

Participants will each learn by ear the seven instrumental parts to sikyi. Participants will receive some recordings prior to the workshop, so that they may use those to play along during class and practice after class. In addition to learning the instrumental parts of the piece, participants will also learn one or two sikyi songs.

World Music Strumming: (Ukulele) Beginner Level

This workshop is designed to explore resources within the World Music Drumming curriculum through the lens of ukulele. We will explore song literature from within the curriculum to build intentional and well-sequenced ukulele instruction starting with repertoire for complete beginners and progressing toward intermediate playing.