Tuesdays for 4 weeks on Zoom
June 9, 16, 23, & 30
5-6pm PST
(When you register, you will automatically receive the Zoom meeting link in your inbox. Please arrive at the start of our Zoom session!)
This series will introduce:
• Afro-Peruvian rhythms and American rock patterns
• How to make up your own drumming part when jamming with others
• Techniques for making your hand drumming more fluid and effective
DESCRIPTION:
Hand drumming is one of the most effective tools I have personally found for expression, empowerment, joy, and connection. I want to support you in adding this tool to your repertoire! In “soul drumming,” we improve our skills and technique while learning to play with feeling, engage the rich cultural origins of drums, rhythms, and songs, and connect meaningfully both with a community of fellows and our own inner resources.
These 4 weeks will be treated as a series with sessions building upon each other, but each session will also stand alone. Feel free to join on a drop-in basis or take the series in its entirety. This is for beginning and intermediate level hand drummers or anyone who just wants to learn and grow with a community and have some therapeutic fun! Below, find out everything you need to know about how these virtual sessions will work.
COST:
$10-15 sliding scale per class or $40-60 sliding scale for entire series
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
- Venmo @Shireen-Amini
- If you have a PayPal account (please “send to a friend” to avoid fees) to shireen.amini@gmail.com
- If you do not have Venmo or PayPal, you can also pay through this link: paypal.me/shireenamini
- If you need to find another way to transfer payment, email me directly and we'll work it out!
THIS CLASS IS WELCOMING OF ALL, including people who identify as queer, trans, black, indigenous, POC, and latinx.
3 SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE for the entire series for anyone who identifies as QBIPOC (Queer, Black, Indigenous, Person of Color) or belongs to any other marginalized community. I am offering these scholarships to counteract the long-standing systemic oppression in our country and beyond.
It is an act of empowerment to receive this scholarship, so please reach out to me! You can email me directly, shireen.amini@gmail.com.
CLASS FORMAT:
CONNECTION ~ JOINING IN COMMUNITY AND INTENTION
LESSON ~ WARMUPS, HAND DRUMMING TECHNIQUE AND EXERCISES FOR IMPROVEMENT
RHYTHM ~ LEARN A WORLD RHYTHM WITH MULTIPLE PARTS THAT BUILD A COMPLETE SONG BY THE END OF OUR SERIES
JAM ~ GUIDED RHYTHM JAMS WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO GET CREATIVE USING RHYTHMS WE LEARN AS OUR TAKEOFF POINT
SONG ~ LEARN FUN, SHORT SONGS WITH SIMPLE HAND DRUM CHOREOGRAPHY TO PLAY AND SING TOGETHER
WHAT YOU NEED:
• A hand drum with a large head surface, ideally upward-facing, that can be played with both hands, like a djembe, ashiko, conga, or cajón OR just a surface (like a box or a tabletop) that makes some sound
• A computer, phone, or tablet with the Zoom app
• Zoom meeting link (provided weekly)
• Optional: A notebook to take down notes and write down rhythms
WHAT TO EXPECT OVER ZOOM:
• You will be muted during teaching and drumming segments, but will have the opportunity unmute to comment and ask questions (encouraged!)
• Subtle volume and speed fluctuations when I’m playing the drum due to the limitations of streaming. I have optimized my setup as best as I can for sound but it's not perfect, so to mitigate this, keep your volume up or attach your device to a speaker and watch my hands
• Timing latency, which should not affect you (only me), just focus on playing along with me and timing should match
BENEFITS:
• A remote drumming community, the recharge of connection with others outside your home
• Learning and growth in your mastery of hand drumming
• A fun challenge that keeps you focused, engaged, something to practice that also helps you also ground and release tension
• Joy, uplift, expression!