Year Four thoroughly enjoyed their first session of Djembe Drumming with Derek on Friday. Originating from West Africa, the djembe drum body is made from hardwood and the head is traditionally made from goatskin.
We learnt how to hold the drum to let the sound vibrate and practised two of the main sounds of bass and tone. The bass sound is produced by striking the drum with the palm and flat fingers near the centre of the skin. The tone is produced by striking the drum closer to the edge of the skin. We practised both hits by reciting the phrase “Batman, Batgirl” in time with each other.
To end the session, we played a game of “Don’t hit this rhythm back”, where the children had to copy any beats that Derek made UNLESS it made the tune of “Don’t hit this rhythm back”, where if you did hit it back, you were eliminated! It got quite competitive!
We can’t wait till next week!

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