Teaching drums: lively and interactive African drumming workshops for schools and colleges.

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African Drumming Workshops

The workshops are simple and do not require prior knowledge of drumming or musical skills. Everyone is given their own djembe drum and within minutes children are able to progress from simple notes to more complex beats.

A full day workshop can provide sessions for each class in your school (approximately 8 classes). A morning or afternoon workshop can normally cover up to 4 classes. The workshops also include African songs and chants and a demonstration of the African xylophone. Our workshops are very informative about African culture and children are encouraged to ask questions.

Highlanders Academy, Greenock

African drumming workshop at Highlanders' Academy, Greenock

Price List

Half day morning workshop - £285

Half day afternoon workshop - £250

Primary School Full Day - £385

(small schools are able to share a full day)

Secondary School Full Day - £550

Hire of resource box for one week - £95 plus postage

Youth Club workshop - £250

African Resource Box for hire

Some of the contents from the African Resource Box

Benefits of African Drumming Workshops

African drumming is fun, energising and inspirational to young people of different backgrounds and abilities.

Playing the djembe drums improves co-ordination and motor skills. It also requires concentration and focus to learn the different drum beats.

African drumming encourages creativity and self expression. Drumming circles help to reassure young people of their own abilities and talents.

Drumming together and creating music as a group encourages bonding within the class and makes pupils much more appreciative of each other.

Significantly enhances pupil understanding of the global village and improves their understanding of cultural diversity both locally and globally.

Millfields Community School, London

Fun Africa day at Millfields Community School, London

Teaching Methods:

Primary School

P1-2 Children concentrate on basic co-ordination skills and learn Start and Stop, Loud and Soft and a steady beat. Elements of story telling and call and response singing are also introduced.

P3-4 Pupils move on to working around a steady beat and working together as independent teams with different roles.

P5-7 Pupils progress to weaving up to 6 separate rhythms together. Teachers are particularly appreciative of the way children with difficulties at school are drawn into the drum workshop and show high levels of concentration and focus.

Secondary School & Colleges

High School Students respond excellently to working as a whole class with drums. This can be part of a music class or an element of a Personal and Group development course. A drum circle is a superb tool for uniting groups of people and can be used to counter bullying or issues of racism.

College & Youth Groups are encouraged to work as a group and not as individuals, teambuilding and collective responsibility is the emphasis at this key stage. Self-confidence and respect and patience for other members of the group are some of the achievements at the youth level.

African instruments

Front (left to right): calabash drum, hand drums, shaker, xylophone.

Back (left to right): talking drum, Sam playing djembe drum, Suleman playing kpanlogo, djembe.

African Musical Instruments

We supply all the African musical instruments for the drumming workshop. Everyone will have an African djembe drum to play during the workshop and will also get the chance to play other instruments like shakers, hand drums, talking drum, calabash drum, kpanlogo drum and xylophone. All these African instruments are illustrated in the photograph.

You can organise a visit to your school as part of a fun day, a multicultural day or just a simple opportunity for your school to experience the joy of an African drumming circle.

Teaching Drums, 80 Stirling Road, Kilsyth, Glasgow, G65 0PT

For further information or to book a workshop please phone or email:

Tel: 01236 823869 Mob: 07876 772022

Email: info@teachingdrums.com