World music workshops

Derbyshire Music Education Hub has a number of delivery partners who provide a variety of workshops for schools to experience music from different cultures around the world.

Visits to a school are usually for a half day or full day, working with different groups of pupils in sessions lasting between 40 minutes and an hour. Pupils will be fully involved in performing on authentic instruments.

African djembe drumming

Discover how music accompanies all aspects of daily life with exciting rhythm patterns played on colourful drums led by a master drummer. Pupils will perform together as an ensemble which develops their listening skills, and provides them with opportunities to develop a teamwork ethos.

Indonesian Gamelan

Learn about the traditional music of Java and Bali instruments. The instruments used are metallophones played using mallets, gongs and hand-played drums.

The sound of the gamelan is almost ethereal and pieces of music consist of layered sounds. Pupils play authentic instruments and learn about the cultural and spiritual aspects of this style of music.

Music of North India

A mix of drums and other traditional instruments from the North Indian musical style. This will include chanting, clapping and hand waves. Pupils will be able to explore the distinctive sounds of melodies and experiment with their own pieces.

Samba music of Brazil

Samba is an exciting and central part of the culture of the people of Brazil - from its roots in Carnival. Again a mix of drums and other percussion instruments are used.

Pupils work with the whole range of Samba instruments, including surdo, repinique, timba, tambourim and all kinds of percussion, and learn to master the characteristic rhythmic syncopations and grooves of Samba.

Phonics and word-rhymes are used so that pieces of several different sections can be learned and performed easily, working at a level to suit the age and experience of the group.

Caribbean Steel Pans

Steel band music originated in Trinidad and Tobago during the 1940s. Steel bands often play calypso tunes but also play folk and classical music.

The instruments (known as pans) were originally made out of oil drums. Pupils will be able to experience pans of different sizes and will work together on a group performance.

Japanese Taiko

Taiko drumming is an energetic form of drumming, which builds confidence and teamwork. It engages even the most reluctant pupils as they work on rhythm games and taiko drills leading up to a group performance in an authentic style.

Interested? Ask us for more details

To speak to someone about world music workshops and how they would work in your school, please follow the link below to our online enquiries form.