Welcome to our series featuring Unique Holidays: November 2nd, 2022. Did you know today is International Drum Month? Sounds like its time to have Charlie study drums in Music Class. To start with I think I will play some of my favorite songs from growing up that you can hear the Drums in. Would you like to join us in our Homeschool Music Class today and share your favorite piece of music featuring drums?
International Drum Month
International Drum Month is celebrated in May, We can feel the rhythm and joy already. What is it about drums that create deep connections with forces greater than us? Drumming is hypnotic, compelling listeners to sway or jump at each turn.
Music has always offered humans a space for connection. Drums achieve this quite spectacularly. Perhaps their beat mimics the energy and sound of the Earth. The drum sounds call us to become who we ought to be, Happy, unfettered, and making meaningful connections. Every year in May, musicians everywhere celebrate this most beloved musical instrument.
HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL DRUM MONTH
Music has been a part of life ever since our Ancestors learned how to interact. As a social species, humans thrive on connections. Words and actions helped the earliest humans achieve the need to communicate. Soon, it extended to recreating gentle sounds from Nature for comfort. We sang lullabies to soothe infants or found objects in Nature to hit. Did you know our ancestors made the first drums with membranes from Animal skins.
Anthropologists believe that drumming was born to mimic the Earth’s rhythm or even our heartbeats. Depending on moods and musicians, drumming was slow and gentle. Sometimes, drumming was aggressive and rapid.
Ancient civilizations used drums during religious rites. As human Society evolved, people felt the need to communicate with Gods and Spirits through music. Music combined with Prayers brought people closer to the divine. Over time, drums would signify joy, Euphoric beats that upped the energy at banquets, festivals, and other occasions.
Not much has changed since then. We still love a great beat. Scientists believe that drums awaken our senses, triggering the need to sway and move our bodies. Have your limbs ever moved as if independent from the body? Let’s say when the bass drops at a concert? Now you know why that happens.
Drums can be the glue that keeps a song or band together. Drums mean so much more than rhythm or keeping time. The best drummers incorporate melody into their playing. Polyphony, call, or response elements add depth and emotion to songs. The numerous valleys and peaks in a piece of music depend on skilled drumming techniques. Drums skillfully weave music in and out of verses, bridges, and choruses.
International Drum Month is homage to this musical instrument. Drummers and budding musicians everywhere celebrate the month the way they know best creating music.
INTERNATIONAL DRUM MONTH ACTIVITIES
- Dust off an old drum kit and drum your heart out. If you don’t have a drum kit? U use your fingertips to create a beat.
- Learn about drumming music traditions in different Countries. Watch videos or tune in to podcasts for the best percussion music.
- Nothing can beat the energy and hypnotic beats of a drum circle. Look up the closet one and attend and ask to participate.
5 FACTS ABOUT THE DJEMBE
- Djembe made from a wood called ‘lenke’ is highly valuable and has Spiritual meanings.
- An expert djembe player is known as a ‘djembefola.’
- ‘Djembe’ has Bambara origins and translates to “everyone gathers in Peace.”
- African tribes used the djembe for long-distance communication or drumming since the sound could carry for miles.
- The djembe contains three Spirits: the tree that made it, the Animal whose skin covers it, and the drum maker.
WHY WE LOVE INTERNATIONAL DRUM MONTH
- Drumming connects us to ourselves, others, and the world around us. Drums are uplifting and it’s proof that something larger exists outside ourselves.
- =Whether you like jazz, rock, or folk music drums up the energy levels anytime. We love the idea of everyone grooving for an entire month.
- Few things bring more joy than discovering new music. International Drum Month reminds us to take time and tune in to the best international beats.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
