DJEMBE-L FAQ CANADA DRUM TEACHERS

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CALGARY	ONTARIO	QUEBEC
The One World African & Latin Drum Co. Located at 1316 Centre St N Calgary, Alberta (403) 217-6790 Keri Rodger Program Director oneworld@netway.ab.ca Instructors: Roger Duncan (West African, djembe & ashiko - Beginner/Intermediate, Didgerido) Luis Bran (West African djembe - Advanced, Traditional Afro Cuban -all levels, Bata) Jean Christophe Leroy (Popular Afro Cuban, West African, Kit) Elizabeth Stepkowski (Voice) Lessons also taught with djundjun, sangba, kenekeni, shakere, clave, cata, and bell. From the beginner to the professional drummer we have the teacher that can serve your best interests and desires. Give us 1 1/2 hours and you will be drumming! Most of all we come together to drum and build community, create life long dreams and goals, lose our selves in the rhythm, relax and have FUN! Classes run from 6 - 7:30 & 8 - 9:30 during the week with private & group lessons on the weekend.	KINGSTON/OTTAWA areas in Ontario, Canada Lorne millavish@travel-net.com "I teach african style hand drumming to small groups of people, (between 3 and 6), using both written and oral techniques. My goal is to have a complete novice playing a mult part piece after the first class. The classes are focused around the pleasure that is to be found in hand drumming, and are not intended for the "serious student" of African Music. We play Djembes, Congas and a variety of hand instruments. I use a notation system similar to the one found in Doug Sole's book, "The Soul of Hand Drumming". ONTARIO <cowans@encode.com> OTTAWA Kebba K. Jobateh (info updated 5/00) (pager: (613) 368-1351) Email kebba@ncf.ca http://www.ncf.ca/~el965 Drum lessons (private and group); Drum and dance workshops; School performances and workshops available across Canada, the United States and Europe; Drum tuning (especially Djembes); Private parties (e.g. weddings), multicultural, special and spiritual events (no clubs please); Fund raising events; Soundtracks for PSA's, documentaries and movies. Kebba is a fast-paced drummer, singer, songwriter and a several-musical instrumentalist. Since the past few years the CKCU Ottawa Folk Festival has been revived, Kebba has been the World Beat Stage host, a soloist, and a host of drumming circles. He leads spiritual groups at retreats / meditations through the empowerment of the sacred drums. He has also instructed at Carleton University, the University of Ottawa Music and Visual Arts department(s), participated and represented St. Lawrence University (Canton, New York, U.S.A.) in a globalization and cross boarders seminar at the University of Toronto, and has taught at the St. Lawrence University faculty of music in 1999. Kebba has hosted, organized or co-organized and participated in many community workshops, other festival workshops (i.e. Mariposa Folk Foundation Festival - Toronto), some Folk establishment workshops (i.e. Ottawa Folklore Centre) and performed workshops at many schools across Canada. He has been an actor / singer in the making of the United Nations 50^th anniversary video, an anthology of various artists. He has played in local and international ensembles in Ottawa, Toronto, Kingston, Montréal, Victoria and other parts of British Columbia plus Trinidad and Tobago. He has three ensembles of his own, which consist of a traditional (Folk) ensemble, a Pop band ensemble and a Jazz (Fusion) ensemble and also goes solo depending on what people can afford to pay for his services. In July of 1996, Kebba performed at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival, an anthology of Jazz musicians and a poet ensemble. Kebba and his Traditional (Folk) percussion ensemble performed August of the same year at the National Gallery of Canada's "Heartbeat" percussion ensemble series. He has also been a regular performer at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Kebba has independently produced two audiotapes - one African pop music and the other Traditional African folk music. Another - Jazz-Fusion - is on the way.	Oumar N'Diaye Martinos 70 Claude Sioui, Wendake, Québec, CANADA G0A 4V0 Fax : 418.847.8713 e mail : africarythmes@globetrotter.net Three drum classes every Sunday, three repertoires ( from 11:00 am to 18:30 pm ) KIDS CLASSES: Every Saturday, starting January 2001 maximum of 16 students per class We provide djembés 14 $ per class ( one hour and a half class) Traditional drumming only with djembes and dundun Born in Conakry (Guinea), Oumar N’Diaye, also known as Martinos, began dancing at the age of seven years old for the Ballet Préfectoral of Conakry. After succeeding brilliantly in various selections, he joined the Ballet National de Guinée in 1979. For nine years, he learned the dances originating especially from Guinea, but also from Mali, Senegal, South Africa…in addition to choreography, acrobatics, drama and percussion. He took part in significant Pan-African festivals, held important roles in several ballets, and performed in more than fifteen African countries. Settled in France in 1989, he undertakes a solo career. In 1992, at the request of the Takadja Percussion Group, he settles in Montreal. Under the artistic and musical direction of Oumar N’Diaye, the group knows its best years and will win, in 1996, the Canadian Juno Awards for the best album in the Global Music category. Since, he has worked with several Canadian artists, the best known being Richard Séguin, Marie Denise Pelletier, Karen Young, Susan Aglukark and Michel Donato. In 1996, he leaves Takadja and in the cooperation with the Migrations Ethnic Dance Company, he creates the Baafila Bén Band. Since, Oumar N’Diaye keeps promoting the arts of African dance and percussion and, in the City of Québec alone, accounts for more than 150 happy students. In 1999, Oumar N’Diaye launched the CD *Kharandiya* *Le Djembé* , a fun and greatly appreciated method to learn 10 traditional rhythms and produced by Rhythms and Traditions in Québec city. To know more about this versatile artist or about is method, You can send a message at africarythmes@globetrotter.net or write to Rhythms and Traditions reg.,70 Claude Sioui,Wendake, QC G0A-4V0
	Terry Cowan 245 Pinegrove St. cowans@encode.com 705-687-8336 Gravenhurst, Ontario Canada P1P 1L7 Classes are in workshop format on an ongoing weekly basis from 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. in: Huntsville Ontario - Monday night Bracebridge Ontario - Tuesday night Newmarket (just north of Toronto) Ontario - Wednesday night Barrie Ontario - Thursday night Workshop fee per session is $10.00 Workshops include beginner to advanced players, all are very courtious and friendly. Forms include an indepth study of Arabic & Persian, Brazilian, Cuban & Latin, and West African. Main instruments used are Clave', Bell, Conga, Bongo, Djembe', Ashiko, Kpanalogo, Djun Djun, and Doumbek. We also hold dance workshops as well in all the above forms. School programs that implement current curriculum in world music and dance, and performances are also available throughout the Southern Ontario region. I have been a student of percussion for 31 years, and I am still learning. I am a teacher, performer, event co-coordinator, and theatre tech. My instruments that I am proficient on include voice, guitar, piano and related instruments, brass and percussion. I also manufacture a variety of percussion instruments from 14 different drums to bells, slit drums and marimba. My country of origin is Canada.
NOVA SCOTIA	TORONTO	VANCOUVER, BC
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada click to zoom photo by Dan Callis Matthieu Keijser 902 422-2183 teacher...afro-cuban and brazilian percussion instruments, and latin ensemble. He is also the force behind "Samba Nova", a samba percussion band with about 30 members...and always looking for new members. Larry Graves 364 Woodfield Dr. Nepean/Ontario/K2G 3W9/Canada PHONE (613)224-9234, (902)4238477. EMAIL contact gravedrummer@hotmail.com STYLE OF DRUM: West African styles including Dagomba and Ga(from Ghana), Seourouba(Mandinka from Senegal/Gambia), and drumset/traps. Description of Drum Classes: private and group lessons, from beginner to intermediate. LOCATION: classes are currently available in Ottawa and Halifax (various times during the year) but I am willing to travel elsewhere if required. Class Schedule & Fees: varies HALIFAX Glenn Fraser 902-429-4651 email Website	Anna Melnikoff 243 Gerrard St. E. Toronto, Ontario M5A 2G1 tel: 416-944-3589 email: anna@tao.ca Offering classes in traditional Malinke rhythms for beginner and intermediate levels. Call 416-944-3589 for class schedule. Beginner/intermediate classes: 90 minutes, $18 Advance purchase of 4 classes: $60 Three-hour intensive workshops may be booked in advance, $35 per person. Private classes, $20/hour. Bring your own djembe (dununs provided) Djembes available for rental or sale Djembes re-mounted and tuned Downtown class location: 243 Gerrard St. E. Toronto, Ontario Anna Melnikoff is a student primarily of Malinke percussion from Guinea, West Africa, played by a traditional ensemble consisting of 1 to 4 djembes, and 3 dununs (kenkeni, sangban and dununba) with accompanying bells. She studied intensively in Guinea (2000, 2001) and in Senegal (1998), as well as pursuing studies with traditional teachers in North America. Her teachers include: North America: Yamoussa Camara, Lilian Friedberg, M'Bemba Bangoura, Mohammed Camara Senegal: Lamine Diallo (master drummer/arranger for National Ballet of Senegal), Idrissa N'Diaye (sabar), Yammar Thiam (tama). Guinea: Famoudou Konate (master drummer who led Les Ballets Africaines for 27 years), his sons Ibro Konate, "Billy" Nankouma Konate and Fode Konate; Nansady Keita and Mamady Kourouma. Aside from formal studies, she frequently played accompaniment at traditional Malinke fetes. Last year in Toronto she started an all-female traditional drum ensemble, Bolokelen, and played at various festivals. She has performed with Prrrrr, Group Soume, Agoya, the Subtonic Monks and Bootleg. She also co-organized a drum and dance workshop series by Yamoussa Camara, and plans to continue bringing traditional drum and dance teachers to Toronto. In addition, she is a practitioner of vibrational psychology and healing and as such is able to address the therapeutic impact of drumming with students. Not only does the discipline of drumming enrich the neuronal connection between left and right brain (thus promoting repair of neuronal deficit caused by ADD), it also opens channels of energy within the body where there may have been blockages. It is not uncommon for students to achieve significant emotional clearings and increased harmony of mind, body and spirit as a result of the process of learning to play drums. Classes for beginners focus on development of correct technique with both djembe and dunun, and development of a solid sense of timing. By learning complete rhythms - all the dunun/bell parts as well as djembe accompaniments - the students gain a more comprehensive understanding of this complex and melodic traditional music. Intermediate students work on more challenging rhythms, dunun variations and solo technique on the djembe. (Intermediate students must demonstrate clear tone/slap technique plus the ability to play a 6/8 rhythm on an offbeat).	Sekou Sylla master djembe teacher Doundounba Music & Dance P.O. Box 29152, 1950 W. Broadway Vancouver, BC V6J 5C2 Tel: (604) 734-8744 Fax: (604) 734-7439 Contact Jennifer Yeates, Manager Email: info@doundounba.ca Url: http://www.doundounba.ca Sekou Sylla began a life of drumming in his country of Guinea as a child, making straps for a butter can and playing it like a drum. He joined his school band in grade three. Leaving school at an early age to concentrate on his music, Sekou began drumming in the street. It wasn’t long before he was noticed by Conakry’s best performing groups, and at 15 Sekou began playing the djembe professionally in Ballet Federal Conakry 1. During his extensive career, he has been soloist for such ensembles as Ballet Konkoure, Ballet Merveilles, Etoiles de Kaloum, and most recently, Ballet Saamato. In addition to performing, he has taught many of the next generation of drummers in Conakry. He came to Canada in 1999, and is one of North America’s best links to traditional African drumming. Guinean drumming classes and workshops. Sekou is also the main percussionist and djembe soloist for Aboubacar Camara's West African performance group, Doundounba. Sekou's bio is available at: http://www.doundounba.ca/bio-se.php Vancouver and Lower Mainland BC, Canada Fana Soro Masabo Music & Dance Studio 40 Sixth Street, New Westminster BC V3l 3G7 Phone: 604 521 4225 Fax: 604 525 4225 Email: masabocc@shaw.ca URL: http://www.masabo.com Class Schedule and Artist Biography about Fana Soro, a former nine year member of the Ballet National de Cote d'Ivoire, and the other members of Canada's most exciting traditional West African performance group, Masabo.

CANADA Drum Teachers