Here are four reasons African dance workshops can help you to be successful in your class:
1. African Drumming and Dance brings the world’s most important cultural issues to life!
2. African Drumming and Dance boosts children’s confidence!
3. African Drumming and Dance gets children active , and improves their brain!
4. African Drumming and Dance improves listening skills , not only in music!
1. African Drumming and Dance brings the world’s most important cultural issues to life!
A African Drumming and Dance workshop can be a wonderful activity for Black History Month, an Africa theme or in the celebration of a Cultural Diversity Day.
It’s an exciting experience for both teachers and pupils alike as they create the first rumble using the African Djembe hand drums. Each student who plays their drums made by hand they will discover a complete world of tradition, history and culture. This is not only through watching or reading but actively engaging. It is a way to get to experience the culture and the culture from West Africa.
2. African Drumming and Dance boosts children’s confidence!
It is a common occurrence in workshops. A child who is struggling with literacy and maths, or is shy and disengaged in school, totally changes when they are in a drumming class. It’s like they’ve found something that “pulls” them emotionally and provides them with an emotional freedom.
African Dance is also a great way for kids to strengthen their self-confidence. Dancers typically perform in front of the crowd, whether on their own or with two or more dancers. In our classes, kids are encouraged to dance with their friends within in the drummer circle. The part that they dance in is completely up to the students however, we offer gentle encouragement, saying that the experience will make feel fantastic afterward. After a few more confident students tried it and we begin to observe an array of children who are all eager to give it the chance to try it. In this manner, the timid and quiet children delight everyone by joining in circles and exuding their excitement with the rhythm! The look of joy on the faces of children following this session speak to their pride in their accomplishment!
3. African Drumming and Dance gets children moving, which strengthens the brain!
African Drumming and Dance is the perfect way get children active and release their energy. African Djembe drumming improves endurance and strength for the upper body. Likewise, dance enhances cardiovascular fitness. It is a total fitness routine for the entire body. This is obviously great to improve children’s fitness and well-being, but research has shown that it sharpens the brain, which results in happier kids and enhances performances in various other areas like reading and maths.
4. African Drumming and Dance improves listening abilities – not only in music!
It’s a common thing that you will hear a teacher tell students in their music lessons”listen!”. It’s a great reason, too. Because listening skills are crucial. Like any other genre of music, studying African drumming is great for developing various listening abilities. Like the ability to focus your attention to an individual rhythm in a poly-rhythmic piece music (multiple rhythms are performed simultaneously) or to develop the listening skills needed to feel an underlying rhythm while listening to the regular rhythm.
Whatever kind of listening you need to do it is the same individual characteristic that is vital for any musician in training that is the capacity to allow oneself the chance to think and digest what was heard. Proficient African drummers who’re learning new techniques allow themselves to reflect before beginning playing because they are well aware that their brains can form incorrect assumptions about what they’ve heard in light of the information they have already accumulated. However, children can are unable to resist to start playing immediately!
The good thing is that children not only increase their understanding to music by learning African Drumming, but can apply this skill to social situations, such as in conversations. If you take the time to listen to what people are talking about, you can prevent your internal conversation from making assumptions. Rather, listen to what’s talking about and then develop more of a sense of trust which is known as active listening’ which is a valuable life skill that children need to master at an early age!
If you’re a school who would appreciate a day of African dancing and drumming workshops for your students or are planning the possibility of having an Africa Topic or Black History occasion coming up and you believe we can help We’d love hearing from you.
