*THE LAST TWO DATES OF THIS CLASS SERIES ARE POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19. NEW DATES TBA.
A 4-week hand drumming class series for anyone who identifies as a woman or outside the binary
Wednesdays, March 4, 11, 25 & April 1
(No class on March 18)
5:30-7pm
CLASS 3 OF 4
The Sanctuary
(339 SW Century Dr. #203, Bend, Oregon 97702)
FULL CLASS SERIES, $100-80 sliding scale, pre-register by emailing shireen.amini@gmail.com
DROP-IN, $30 per class on day of
This class is welcoming of all WOMXN - Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, POC, Latinx, cis, white, straight.
Scholarships available for those who come from QBIPOC (Queer, Black, Indigenous, People of Color) or other marginalized communities. Please reach out to me in advance, shireen.amini@gmail.com
Open to ages 13 and over
All levels of experience welcome!
Plenty of drums will be provided for those who do not have one. If you do have your own hand drum, please bring it. Make sure it is a drum with a large head surface, ideally upward-facing, that can be played with both hands, like a djembe, ashiko, conga, or cajón.
ABOUT SOUL DRUMMING…
Amidst the rising intensity of our times, it is crucial that we stay connected to our voices and our power. Drumming can help us with both. This sacred technology is effective for...
• emotional release / clearing
• grounding
• receiving vision / guidance
• empowerment
• strengthening community
If in any way you feel powerless in your life or in our world, I invite you to drum. It is a change-maker inside and out. And it is my intention to equip you with the skills and understanding to do so with confidence!
Soul Drumming will offer you essential elements of hand drumming and a template for a personal practice you can take home. This template will include general principles for approaching the drum as a sacred wellness tool and a sequence that will support you in taking a powerful and satisfying journey whenever you sit down to drum, the benefits of which are immediate physiologically and clarifying mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. This class will also increase your capacity to express musically through rhythm and deepen your connection to community.
In this 4-week series, which can be taken in its entirety or on a drop-in basis, the following elements of hand drumming will be covered:
TECHNIQUE, we will teach our bodies a language to express through our heart and hands. In particular, I will teach you to produce a variety of tones with optimum sound, to play in a way that can be maximally expressive while being ergonomically sustainable for your body.
RHYTHM EXERCISES, we will train our nervous systems to develop new motor pathways which then open up new mental pathways through bilateral stimulation. These exercises will also assist in establishing patterns of movement with the hands and internalizing rhythmic grids which are foundational for expressing a wide-range of rhythms, over time, with less and less thinking.
CULTURALLY-SPECIFIC RHYTHMS, we will give ourselves the opportunity to expand our rhythmic palette through exposure to a number of sensibilities from a variety of cultural traditions. Connecting with long-established rhythms broadens our vocabulary and may also give us clues as to which rhythmic feels call to us most.
BROAD APPROACH TO RHYTHM-MAKING, we will equip ourselves with an understanding of rhythm from a fundamental level so that your own unique sensibility, creativity, and energetic expression can come through your playing.
I will offer weekly (optional) assignments so you have the opportunity to take what you learn home, practice, and come back with questions and insights to share with the group. We will also take time to move from a more inward journey with the drum to a more outward focus in community with the spirit of joy and play. This will manifest in the form of facilitated drum circles, assigned rhythms to multiple sections, and making up our own drum song! Vocalizing will be encouraged, but not required, because of it’s combined capacity with drumming to enhance inner movement and soulful expression.
All drums used in this class will be acknowledged for their cultural origins so we may receive them in reverence, gratitude, and humble intention as to not perpetuate the harm done, albeit unintentional at times, by cultural appropriation.
If you are feeling the call, please join me! It is my honor to assist you in becoming a more empowered drummer and, therefore, a more empowered human. Our world needs it.
~Shireen Amini