Wrapping Up An Amazing Year and Looking Ahead!

What a year it's been!  Since returning from Brazil in mid-September, we at Drumming For Social Change have been busy!  We've presented workshops all over the country, led professional development sessions, put together performances, created curriculum, and much more.  We are thrilled about the work we've accomplished in the year since we launched our Indiegogo campaign to fund our Brazil trip.  This is just the beginning for us!  We are dreaming big and going hard, so please keep in touch with us as we continue to turn our dream of using world music and culture based programing to create, inspire, and make a difference in our community.

Here's a recap of some of our recent activities:

DSC Capoeira Class at Daroff Charter

On June 4th, we visited Daroff Charter School in Northwest Philadelphia where we led kindergarteners, 1st graders, and 2nd graders through some basics of Capoeira.  Capoeira is a Brazilian dance-infused martial art that teaches fundamentals of co-ordination, communication, rhythm, song, and dance.  We had so much fun working with the young capoeiristas at Daroff and want to throw a huge thanks to DSC funder Kendra Balmer for inviting us to come and present.  As always, here's a video from our workshop and some pics:

Our host, DSC funder Kendra Balmer

 

DSC Workshop at Bronx Writing Academy

On June 6, Gabriel led a workshop on Afro-Brazilian music at Bronx Writing Academy, a public school in the South Bronx.  New York public schools are notoriously lacking in recourses.  The Bronx Writing Academy has no music teacher in residence.  The students receive one block of gym and one block of art PER WEEK.  These students have no access to creative outlets within their schools.  Luckily for them, the teachers at BWA seem extremely dedicated to providing them with high quality education and attention despite the school's lack of recourses.  After learning that a handful of kids didn't speak English, Gabriel ended up leading the workshop in broken Spanish.  The workshop was certainly a challenge, but incredibly rewarding.  Here are a few pics:

Summer Plans

We've been blessed this year with incredible momentum and things are by no means going to slow down.  Here are our plans for the summer:

BRAD will be teaching at Play On, Philly's summer camp during July.  In addition, he will be traveling to Tegucigalpa, Honduras and Beijing, China as a featured guest artist at each country's international percussion festival.  Brad is excited for the opportunity to perform, present workshops, and explore the rich cultures of both places.  When he comes back, hopefully his Spanish and cooking will have improved! ;)

GABRIEL is returning to Salvador for a month to continue exploring the music and culture of Afro-Brazil.  He will be working closely with NEOJIBA and learning first hand about El Sistema in South America.  He hopes to visit more Candomble ceremonies, improve his Portuguese, and maybe, just maybe, catch a world cup game!

We will be posting throughout the summer, so please stay tuned!

Chega de Verão (Summer's Arrival)

After one of the most destructive, cold, and LONG winters we have had to endure up here in the Northeastern US, summer is finally upon us.  What does this mean?  No school (exciting summer plans to be announced soon :), more practice time, summer hangs, workshops etc.  It also means that the season of outside drumming has arrived.  All over NYC, on Sunday 5/26, people were out and about jamming!  Gabriel had the chance to explore some of the outdoor jam sessions happening simultaneously throughout Central Park.  On beautiful Cherry Hill, overlooking a lake, there was a Cuban rumba.  Further south in the park were djembe players jamming to the beat of a dj.  Near by them was a group of Hatian drummers.  It was quite a sound, hearing each of these distinctive groups playing at the same time.   Most of the traditions we study are just like these ones.  They are the result of people congregating together and jamming.  Overtime, specific parts become solidified and style-specific.  Usually these parts come as filtered versions of sacred drumming rhythms.  They take on different dimensions when they reach the street and often receive new names and functions.  What was happening yesterday was a way for people and communities to maintain but also continue to evolve their drumming traditions.  It was a thrilling process to observe and participate in.  It was a reminder that NYC serves as a global meeting point, where people come to find fresh beginnings and new opportunities bringing with them incredible music and culture.

DSC Book of the Month

We here at DSC highly recommend the book Dancing Wisdom by Yvonne Daniel.  This book is a comparative study of the traditions of Bahian Candomble, Hatian Voudon, and Cuban Santeria told through the lens of a dance anthropologists.  There is some fascinating insight and descriptions of specific rituals and great information about the beliefs held by practitioners of these faiths.  If you are interested in learning more about the African Diaspora and how traditions carried to the new world by slaves continued to evolve and grow, then this is the book for you!

New Pics!

Funder Mark rocking the T!  Remember, we have more available!

Drums used to celebrate the lifting of the gay marriage ban!  

DSC visited the Pan-American Charter School in North Philly with Dolce Suono's Mimi Stillman

DSC performed Puerto Rican Bomba with kids

The calm before the storm of DSC's Ewe residency at The Haverford School

DSC's Brad Broomfield makes his debut with one of Philly's best  world music groups, Leana Song!

New #6SECONDLESSON!

The Latest PICS, VIDEOS, and SWAG!

****Attention!!!!! DSC T-Shirts for Sale!****
Always wanted your own Drumming for Social Change T-Shirt but couldn't afford one during our IndieGogo campaign?  Now is your chance to order one!   They are going for $20 which goes directly towards future DSC projects and operating costs.  Please contact us at drumsocialchange@gmail.com for more info and to place an order.

Funders Amelia Brignola and Mary Ryder rockin' their new shirts.  Get yours now!!!!

DSC Workshop at Salvation Army North Philly After School Music Program

On May 6, Gabriel led three different workshops with students grades 5-7 on Afro-Brazilian and Cuban rhythms.  Check out this "greatest hits" video to see some highlights.  

Performance at PECO Summer Series Press Release

On Friday, May 9, DSC collaborated with Project Capoeira to provide Afro-Brazilian grooves while PECO announced it's exciting summer series on the Delaware Riverfront.  Special thanks to Project Capoeira for including us.  Here are some pics from the event:

Nice little write up on CBS' webpage 

The dude on the left made our shirts.  Here is Gabriel begging for another one

The Project Capoeira folks are also talented drummers

The bow and arrow-looking instrument is a berimbau, a must-have for capoeira

This is Doutor, the capoeira master behind Project Capoeira

Everybody was kung-fu fightin'

We got to accompany some incredible dancers