Hello everyone,

I had the opportunity through this course (EDTC 300) to learn something I never experienced which is closely related to my identity: the Drumming. During this learning process, I learned alone and practiced with the members of my community in preparation for our local cultural event that was held last November.

Instead of writing a long report, I will provide you with the link of what I posted week by week followed by what I learned and a video of me drumming at the cultural event.

Week 1: My journey for the Djembe: Drumming and singing

Here, I presented my project and developed a plan

Week 2:  Hands coordination in Djembe produces different rhythms

I learned simple, double, and triple paradiddle to produce different rhythms.

Week 3:  Drumming and singing: Remembering September 30 in Saskatchewan

I tried to practice a lot of the single, double and triple paradiddle that I learned from videos and produce a song for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Week 4:  Rhythming Kyrie Eleison with Djembe

I learned different Djembe rhythms and practiced the Kuku, which is one of the most popular rhythms played in Guinea (West Africa) during traditional events.

Week 5:  Where does the sound of Brazilian drums come from?

Here, I learned two famous Brazilian song that used Djembe: Tambor de Crioula and Capoeira. I learned about the origin and the purpose of these songs.

Week 6:  Drum circle as a mean to gather together: What you need to know

Here, I got to learn different ways by which people drum such as  open drum circle, and Community drum circle.

Week 7:  Coupling Brazilian Samba rhythm with Djembe

I learned that origin of Brazilian Samba Djembe is influenced by many cultures including indigenous, Portuguese (trough colonization) and African (trough slavery). I tried to drum by following the rhythms showed on YouTube videos.

Week 8:  Koughang, a mystical traditional dance in Cameroon

Here, I learned more about a mystical dance of the West region of Cameroon that use Djembe. This was motivated by the fact we were planning to drum something similar for our local cultural event.

Week 9:  Your chance to see me drumming at the cultural event

Here, I presented some of the videos of me drumming at our local event.

1. Initials steps

The steps I took were to first familiarize myself with the materials used while drumming and singing. Below are some of them.  Then, I started searching for resources online.

Exposition of some of the materials we used for drumming and singing.

2. Resources used

I used mainly used easy-djembe.com and afrodrumming.com which are online websites that have lessons on drumming where the teacher put into practice what he is teaching. I found them to be very interesting for beginners like me and I tried to repeat it with my djembe. I also used YouTube videos to complement my learning or to explore different practices.  Interestingly, I used the Chrome extension Screencastify (learned in this class) to record me drumming for my weekly post.

3. My overall experience 

Learning alone was not easy for me but I took the necessary time to practice. I realized that knowledge comes with patience and dedication. As a self-directed learner, I decided on what to learn and most importantly, I was trying to direct my learning to the rhythms that were like what will be presented during our local cultural event in November. Interestingly, I noticed that I was very improving when I started practicing with my community in preparation for the event. I realized that I had some talents that I was not aware of. As you will see in the video below, I was even the one having the main rhythm with the microphone pointed to my Djembe.

Image of me having the microphone pointed to my Djembe. You can also see our team with uniform.

I invite you to also watch the next parts of the video.

Cultural event (Drumming and Singing) part 2/3

Cultural event (Drumming and Singing) part 3/3

4. Future direction

Coming to the end of this learning project, I do not intend to stop here. I am planning to continue drumming with my friends in the community to help accelerate our physical healing and boost our immune system. This is mainly because it is demonstrated that drumming has a positive effect on anxiety, fatigue, depression, and reduces stress.

The knowledge gained from this learning project will help me as a future teacher, to develop a transdisciplinary and playful project to confront the students with humanist values of sharing and fraternity. Also, I will participate as a drummer in our local community.

Hi everyone,

As you already know, since the beginning of this semester, I have been learning how to drum. Although I came from Africa (Cameroon) where drumming and singing is more common, I never had the opportunity to learn that. Taking the course EDTC300 gave me that opportunity and I am sharing with you today my learning process and how we did at our cultural local event here in Saskatoon, SK.

First, it is important to note that drumming is not something that is easy to learn online. It is more appropriate when it is face-to-face learning. However, there are some YouTube videos and websites that teach how to drum. I followed the steps given in the videos or found on the website and tried on my own to reproduce the desired son. Learning alone was not easy for me but I took the necessary time to practice. I realized that knowledge comes with patience and dedication.

As a self-directed learner, I decided on what to learn and most importantly, I was trying to direct my learning to the rhythms that were like what will be presented during our local cultural event this November. Interestingly, I noticed that I was very improving when I started practicing with my community in preparation for the event. I realized that I had some talents that I was not aware of. As you will see in the videos, I was even the one having the main rhythm with the microphone pointed to my Djembe.

Photo of Jean-Paul (microphone pointed to the drum) at the local cultural event

It was a pleasure for me to see how white people were enjoying our drumming and singing (See the video below).

Here is another short video of our presentation.

This picture shows the team with whom I practiced in preparation for this event. I hope that you can identify me (down on the right side).

Team of Drummers at the cultural event (Jean-Paul is down-right)

Overall, this event was a success, and I would like to thank all of you who followed me during this learning journey. I will certainly continue to practice with my community for future events.

I have been very busy this week not only with university stuff, but also with the preparation of our local cultural event. I am here for one more post about a typical traditional danse of the Cameroon West region called Koughang.

The Koughang is a typical dance of the West region of Cameroon, that is characterized by particular dance steps. Unlike other traditional dances, the Koughang is only danced at funerals in Cameroon. Apart from the fact that it is a dance, it is also an initiatory and symbolic ceremony whose particularity is purely mystical and magical. Therefore, people who dance it belong to a secret society.

1. Dressing and accessories

This outfit is composed of a long black dress, the mask on the head covering the whole face and the nape of the neck.

Image by Akim Pascal Noukimi

The mask is extended by ropes woven from human hair fibers or strands that extend over the whole body. On the cranial mask there are horns. The number of horns expresses the degree of power.

Generally, the musical instruments consist of two drums, one large and one small.

2. Interdictions du Koughang

I was told that during the dance, no one is allowed to look into the eyes of those who are drumming and singing Koughang for fear of going blind. Similarly, those who are dancing must not remove their mask, because no more should know who is in the Koughang.

3. The mystical aspect of the dance

During the koughang dance, the initiated drummers plant a banana tree in front of everyone. They make the banana tree grow and become mature (yellow color), then, they eat it. All this occurs within a few minutes.

In preparation for our cultural event, here  is a short video from our training where I was drumming the Koughang.

Thank you and see you next time with one more post.

Hello everyone,

I am back with one more video from my learning project. This week, apart of training with my community for our coming local cultural event, I had the opportunity to learn about Samba Djembe. As you know, I spent 10 years of my life in Brazil (2010-2020), and I enjoyed Brazilian music. However, I did not know that the Samba rhythm can be coupled with Djembe. Therefore, it is called Samba Djembe. But, what is Samba Djembe?.

1. What is Samba Djembe and what does it look like?

Samba is a living music tradition heavily influenced by the drum rhythms of Africa. It is one of the most famous musical traditions in Brazil. Here are some Youtube videos of Samba Djembe.

2. Small history of Brazilian Samba

As you may know, like Canada, Brazil is a multicultural country and his music is influenced by many cultures including indigenous, Portuguese (trough colonization) and African (trough slavery). Of particular interest, it is known that more than four million of West African people (especially Yoruba and Bantu-Ewe) mostly from Angola were brought to Brazil as slave to work in sugar plantations.

3. Drumming and singing

The time is approaching for our cultural event, and we are continuing to gather and learn together. Here is a video of me and my community in preparation of the event.

I hope that you will be able to follow me till the event that will be held this November. I will be excited to share with you some pictures and videos of that.

Thank you for following me and do not hesitate to ask questions if you have.

The drum circle is one of the oldest forms of the creation of the community.  In practically all of the ancient civilizations we have news about, people gathered regularly to fulfill their various types of rituals, such as weddings, births, deaths, planting and harvesting. In short, drum circle is a group of people playing drums together. It is also practiced in Canada to celebrate nations, and more specifically by indigenous peoples.

A drum circle in Meridian Hall Park, Washington D.C. Photo by Elvert Barnes

There are three distinct types of drum circles:

• Open drum circle

This is an open and free drum circle, without rules. There is no protocol. The rhythms evolve totally at random. At certain moments the drum stops in order to reorganize and/or start a new rhythm. In this type of drum circle, one participant in the middle point another participant to stand out. Once the participants come to a rhythmic agreement, a “rhythmic alchemy is created” where the group, through this momentary musical collaboration, creates a single harmonic voice.

• Specific Cultural drum circle

This type of drum circle follows a specific ethnic-cultural model that is generally characterized by the use of instruments typical of a certain culture or social grouping, the formation of choirs, pre-structured rhythms, folkloric and ritualistic aspects, typical dances, costumes, among others. Examples: Senegalese drum groups, Afro-Cuban, etc.

In preparation for our local cultural event, here is a video of what our training. Please note that we will be wearing typical clothes while I will be drumming and singing during the event in November.

• Community drum circle

In this one, anyone is welcome to participate; there is no commitment to prior musical knowledge or practice of drumming. An open space where people can come to gather and share the pleasure of playing, dancing and singing together. Within this category are drum circle for specific populations, such as children, schools (all levels), colleges and universities, etc.

Photo by Al Paton, from https://afrodrumming.com

Of note, drum circles are also used in education as you can see in the video below. This can be very amazing for students.

I hope to post more videos of our practice in preparation for our local cultural event in November. Looking forward to receiving your comments.

Hello everyone!

Today, I would like to share with you two dances mainly of black people to the sound of drums that are called Tambor de Crioula and Capoeira.

1. Tambor de Crioula

Tambor de Crioula is a dance of African origin practiced by descendants of African slaves in the Brazilian state of Maranhão, in praise of São Benedito, one of the most popular saints among black people.

The reasons that lead groups to dance the tambor de crioula are varied and include the payment of a promise to Saint Benedict, birthday party, arrival or farewell of a relative or friend, celebration for the victory of a soccer team, birth of a child, slaughter of a bumba-meu-boi, party of an old black man, or simple gathering of friends.

The Tambor de Crioula of Maranhão is a form of Afro-Brazilian expression that occurs in most municipalities of Maranhão, involving a circular female dance, singing, and drum percussion. For my final project, we will be doing something similar in our cultural local event that will occur in November.

Women dancing Tambor de Crioula. Photo from Luiz Fernando via the culture trip.

The dance of the Creole drum, usually performed only by women, presents a very free and varied choreography. One dancer at a time evolves in front of the tambozeiros, while the others, completing the circle between players and singers, make small movements to the left and right, waiting their turn to receive the punga and replace the one in the middle. The punga is usually given on the abdomen, the thorax, or passed with the hands, in a kind of greeting. When the person who is dancing wants to be replaced, she goes toward a companion and gives her the punga. The one who receives it, goes to the center and dances for each one of the players, bouncing in front of the big drum, the middle drum, and the small drum, and repeats everything again until she looks for a substitute.

2. Capoiera

Capoeira is a dancelike martial art of Brazil originated in 16th-century.

If you are interested in learning more about this dance, visit the link https://www.britannica.com/sports/capoeira and the secret history of Capoeira.

I was impressed to see these women drumming and singing capoeira, with no martial art associated to it.

I found it to be like what we will be presenting to our local community in our cultural event. Here is a video of me training a rhythm that I will be playing at the event. It is not easy, but it comes with practice. I have at time the impression that I will lose to rhythm.

See you next week for a new post.

Thank you for your time.

Hello everyone!

I am back with one more video of my practice of learning how to drum.

I had the opportunity this week to visit the website www.afrodrumming.com where I learned different Djembe rhythms. Most importantly, I read and tried to practice the Kuku, which is one of the most popular rhythms played in Guinea (West Africa) during traditional events. I learned that the song is played by two djembes and consists of:

1. An introduction (‘the call’),
2. The basic rhythm
3. An ending (or ‘call out’).

For more information about each of them please visit the Djembe Rhythm – Kuku.

I also listening to the YouTube video below entitled Kyrie eleison (“Lord, have mercy”), and tried to rhythm it with the Djembe. Listen from 0-2.48 min.

Here is me rhythming Kyrie Eleison with the Djembe. Let me know what you think.

Thank you

Hello everyone!

I am back to show you how I was able to improve with my learning project during the week. Most importantly, I am very happy to have integrated a Screencasting tool into it. I tried to practice a lot of the single, double and triple paradiddle that I learned from the videos of my previous post. You can see me here in action.

I sing the first song in recognition of the coming National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30). In the next video, I tried to reproduce a song commonly called “Kougang” in Cameroon.  People dance it with masks and the materials I shared in my previous post. Please, note that I am only playing one part of the “Kougang” song. In the last video, I was trying to drum and sing at the same time. The third song is generally played at funerals in Cameroon.

Overall, these videos used a paradiddle which is a drumming rudiment that combines single stroke with precisely placed double strokes. I found it to be very amazing and I am happy with that.

SCREENCASTIFY OVERVIEW AND REVIEW

Screencastify is an extension for Google Chrome used to record the screen of your desktop, browser tab and webcam.

Printscreen of the tool.

It is free to use, and you can record video freely for a maximum of 5 min. However, the unlimited versions are payable from $7 (Starter) to $10 (Pro) per month and per person, both for unlimited video creation and video length.

I realize that the teacher and the students can use this tool in the classroom to explain an activity. Of particular interest, it can help make student voices heard and thinking visible by means of activities such as comprehension exercises and interactive slide presentations.

When considering the SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition) model, it appears that the Screencastify tool falls under Augmentation and Modification. This is because this tool can substitute face-to-face contact which is the traditional method of  learning (Augmentation), and can be used to create your own unique graphic organizer for the class or change your actual lesson’s design and its learning outcome.

I am back with more details regarding my learning project. Last week, I had the opportunity to visit my community for the preparation of our local cultural event. I took some pictures of the materials that will be used during the event while playing djembe. Here are some of them:

I also learned different rhythms from the youtube video below. The video is in French, but you can find a similar one here in English.

Basically, I learned simple, double, and triple paradiddle. It consists of coordinating the movements of your hands to produce the desired song. I found that it really needs more practice and concentration, especially when you increase the speed. Nevertheless, I am getting it slowly and will be showing it to you in my next post.

The Djembe, which consists of a wooden goblet drum covered in animal hide, tuned with ropes running down its sides, is a popular instrument used in Africa since ancient times for many purposes.

It is used for long-distance communication, and to transmit to generations important religious, cultural, and historical messages. I grew up seeing people using Djembe to play songs during traditional weddings, and even when there is a newborn in a family or a funeral. I have always been fascinated by the synchronisation of the singing and drumming, but I never had the opportunity to learn how to play a drum.

Hopefully, in my community here in Canada, there are some Djembe that I can use for my learning project with the help of my friends and some Youtube videos such as this one.

My interest in learning how to play a drum has two objectives: (1) it will help me to develop a transdisciplinary and playful project as a teacher to confront the students with humanist values of sharing and fraternity, (2) participate as a drummer in our local community.

As you might know, apart from the Djembe, there are many other materials that are used. Below are some of them:

Some materials needed when drumming and singing with Djembe

To reach this goal of learning how to play songs with Djembe, my plan for the project is as follow:

Learning Plan and work schedule

1. Project design.
2. Identification of the instruments that are used with Djembe to produce desired songs
3. Learning and reproducing different songs from different sources using Djembe alone.
4. Practices with friends of my community (they have agreed to have me on board)
5. Drumming and singing during our local cultural event.Work Schedule