At Djembe Alchemy, we offer African Drumming classes and workshops for adults and teens at Beginner and Experienced levels in the Lake Macquarie, Hunter, and Newcastle areas. Our focus is on teaching traditional West African rhythms passed down by our West African teachers. Each class typically begins with a warm-up session or engaging rhythm game, followed by instruction and practice of a traditional rhythm. Additionally, we delve into the cultural significance behind each rhythm while incorporating short songs to enhance the learning experience. Join us for an enriching musical journey!
Class formats: Workshops/Classes/Mini-Series
Djembe drumming classes and workshops are fun and interactive, you will stimulate your brain, memory, mind-body connection, build coordination and meet new people.
In a workshop we cover one rhythm, often in a slightly reduced way due to the time limitation.
A mini-series covers a single rhythm in a much fuller way incorporating extra parts such as breaks, calls and potentially simple solos.
A full term of classes (9 to 10 weeks) will generally cover 2 to 3 rhythms with calls, breaks and sometimes solos depending on class level and rhythm complexity.
Levels: Beginner
The Beginner classes have a big focus on learning the basics and putting them to use in relatively simple rhythms. We build up as we go, practicing our technique, getting used to the drum and getting used to playing in a group.
Levels: Beginner+
The Beginner+ classes are for everyone. Generally you would have done a workshop or two of term of classes as we will focus less on fundamentals and more on learning rhythms. Beginner+ classes also accomodate more experienced drummers, often including elements of higher complexity. We try to have something for every level of drummer present, so there may be elements that are challenging for some people. Don’t stress, it’s not a competition, you play at the level that’s right for you.
Levels: Experienced
The Experienced level is for those that have a good basic grounding in playing the djembe. You will have done at least a couple of terms of Beginner classes or have some sort of other musical or drumming background. You should be able to confidently execute bass, tone, and slap, and keep up at a moderate pace. The Experienced class could also be considered an Intermediate class, although we don’t want to place limitations on where any particular group can get to.