About Drumming Is Fun - an ethical company
Malcolm Smith - drum teacher
I am
based near
Leighton Buzzard in Buckinghamshire, England, and can travel to West Herts,
Beds and Bucks (or further afield for whole day projects).
I teach djembe+dundun
classes for adults and
children as well as workshops for
business and
education, also
private tuition.
And percussion is not just all about drumming - check out our unique new
Cosmic Percussion sessions.
I have been studying percussion since my college days, and specifically djembe since 1992. After forming the Canopus Percussion Ensemble in 1995 following intensive studies with master drummers in London, I began teaching African drumming in 1999. In 2005 I extended my learning to embrace dun duns, the bass drum heartbeat of African rhythms. I've since embarked on field trips to Africa to study with master musicians in their native villages, to experience directly the vibrant culture of West Africa, which I am committed to bringing to a wider audience, sharing the joy and unity it creates. It is to this aim that I set up Drumming Is Fun back in 2008.
To broaden my skills, I attend (and deliver) various CPD training courses including extra-musical skills such as working with people with Autism and Challenging Behaviour.
I currently perform with my St. Albans Djembe Group, as well as Vitae Drummers and other groups in Milton Keynes and St. Albans. In the past I led Secret Bass, and was formerly a founder member of Africa Junction and The Naked Truth. I also ran Beat Camp, a friendly drumming event near Bedford, and was Music Director of the Indian Summer Festival held at Walkern Hall near Stevenage. I love polyrhythms and thrive on syncopation.
As well as drumming, singing is an increasing passion. I now teach songs from Africa and around the world, performed as bass soloist with Raise The Rafters choir in Aylesbury and sang and played percussion with African master harpist Sidiki Dembele. I also play piano, percussion and analogue synthesisers with Jon Samsworth. When not out working with other people, I'm busy in my studio completing my first album ready for a 2020 release (hopefully!), and remastering many older archived recordings.
Co-facilitators I have worked with
NOTE: In the past I've often worked alongside these co-facilitators, but sadly recent budget cuts have made this non-viable, so nowadays I teach alone to simplify bookings and reduce costs.
If you can afford the extra cost, having a co-facilitator will greatly enhance your experience and we'll achieve better results more quickly; (s)he can lead one part while I lead other rhythms, as the call-&-response nature of African drumming depends on having many rhythms going on at once. Plus, we can be twice as loud and play more diverse music, not to mention the dynamic interplay between us. Naturally we have all been CRB/DBS-checked (Enhanced Disclosure) for working with children and vulnerable adults, and Chrissie and I are both First Aid Trained.
Chrissie Martin - co-facilitator
Chrissie is based in Aylesbury and has been drumming avidly for a few
years after being wowed by seeing
Justine's Vitae Drummers group performing, which she
later joined.
Following her wise feminine intuition, inspired by a transformational firewalk
she did, Chrissie left her day job and started her own company called
Wild Peace, offering
sound healing, holistic therapies and workshops. She also worked as my main
co-facilitator with Drumming Is Fun until 2018,
teaching in schools
and community, singing and playing dun duns, djembe and
singing bowls and gongs.
Justine Hart - African drumming+dance+song teacher
Justine is based near High Wycombe,
and we've been working and performing together for many years since she
invited me to attend the brilliant
Winterdrum
events she organised there. Back
in 2006
we went on a
drumming trip
to West Africa, and she returns each year whenever possible to further her
vast repertoire of traditional African drumming and
dancing.
She also
forges links with the many African master drummers residing here in UK and
stages exciting events to showcase their talents. She is a veritable
authority on all things West African
and teaches with pure passion and joy. As a result her drumming and
dance teaching is in high demand.
She also composes and sings beautiful songs, performing solo and leading
Africa Junction, of which I also
was
a founder member.
You can read more about Justine's classes in High Wycombe and Wendover on her website.
Barry Neilsen - bass drum leader and drummer for dancers
Barry is based in High Wycombe. We also met in
Justine's Vitae classes, and soon found a shared love
of music. He attended my
Secret Bass
group for many years and has developed his techniques and vast repertoire with
continuous playing day in day out. After study in Senegal, he now plays
dun duns with some of the leading groups in the UK, and as lead bass drummer
supporting Justine's classes and workshops.
We often work together as a
'Dream Team' trio
with Justine teaching
dance aided by Barry on drums
while I teach drumming and song.
Other co-facilitators
We also love to work with an expanding number of other workshop leaders to offer exciting carousels of rotating activities such as various dance forms and song as part of varied Multicultural Enrichment Days.