my story
Thanks for finding your way to this page! I'm Kate and I started Drum Effect in 2006. Some of you might be interested in how it all began..
It probably all started at that first piano lesson (age 8) Mum took me to. Learning an instrument is easier in your childhood - when your parents set the agenda ..not so sure that happens as much anymore! So thank you, Mum, for my introduction to the world of music (and for setting the agenda)!
It wasn't until my early twenties that I first played a djembe. What a contrast to classical piano: I didn't need to read the music; I needed to connect with other people to 'make' the music; and I could carry the instrument around on my back! It was musically liberating and I was hooked.
Many an afternoon I spent practising by Lake Burley Griffin (about the only place in Canberra where you won't get a noise complaint). While I am always quick to tell people how 'accessible' djembe is (and I do believe it is one of the only instruments on which an adult can play something satisfying after one lesson), there is certainly an element of grit to learning the technique and the scope for improvement is infinite. It is, indeed, a journey. Going to West Africa to study in 2008 was a significant part of my journey - seeing traditional West African music in its context is something you can't do studying here in Australia. And it's mind-blowing. I give thanks to the many teachers I've had along the way; most importantly, Mohamed Bangoura (AKA Bangourake), a true master.
Over the last ten years, I've shifted the focus from my performance on the instrument to teaching others. Those who know me will tell you that I am in my element in front of a group of people who want to learn djembe. I specialise in people who say they haven't got a musical bone in their body! At the risk of sounding gushy, it really is the most satisfying thing for me to see self-described non-musical people coming along to participate in learning and making music each week, connecting with other people and enjoying themselves.
Djembe has a lot to offer. For some, it is the physicality of the activity (it's very primal, almost like beating your chest!); for others, it's the intricacies of the traditional rhythms and the pleasure of hearing them fit together. Some come for the social side of it all - a group of drummers is a group of friends! Others are drawn to the instant stress-relief that comes with being in the moment. I have been told by many a student that they come to my classes because it's cheaper than therapy! I won't start citing the literature on the benefits of group drumming - it's abundant and readily available! I see and feel the benefits for myself every week and it's wonderful.
So while the piano gets a little dusty and the teaching resources I made as a first-year classroom teacher sit in storage boxes, it seems that going to piano lessons week after week and studying to be a teacher, combined with being introduced to djembe one afternoon at a BBQ, has all led me to find my element!
I urge you to get some music into your life, or into your kids' lives, if you haven't already. In this world we live in, we need to make music together. When we make music together, we create a sense of community that transcends differences and gives us the wonderful feeling of belonging.
Kate Gascoyne - Founder of Drum Effect
It probably all started at that first piano lesson (age 8) Mum took me to. Learning an instrument is easier in your childhood - when your parents set the agenda ..not so sure that happens as much anymore! So thank you, Mum, for my introduction to the world of music (and for setting the agenda)!
It wasn't until my early twenties that I first played a djembe. What a contrast to classical piano: I didn't need to read the music; I needed to connect with other people to 'make' the music; and I could carry the instrument around on my back! It was musically liberating and I was hooked.
Many an afternoon I spent practising by Lake Burley Griffin (about the only place in Canberra where you won't get a noise complaint). While I am always quick to tell people how 'accessible' djembe is (and I do believe it is one of the only instruments on which an adult can play something satisfying after one lesson), there is certainly an element of grit to learning the technique and the scope for improvement is infinite. It is, indeed, a journey. Going to West Africa to study in 2008 was a significant part of my journey - seeing traditional West African music in its context is something you can't do studying here in Australia. And it's mind-blowing. I give thanks to the many teachers I've had along the way; most importantly, Mohamed Bangoura (AKA Bangourake), a true master.
Over the last ten years, I've shifted the focus from my performance on the instrument to teaching others. Those who know me will tell you that I am in my element in front of a group of people who want to learn djembe. I specialise in people who say they haven't got a musical bone in their body! At the risk of sounding gushy, it really is the most satisfying thing for me to see self-described non-musical people coming along to participate in learning and making music each week, connecting with other people and enjoying themselves.
Djembe has a lot to offer. For some, it is the physicality of the activity (it's very primal, almost like beating your chest!); for others, it's the intricacies of the traditional rhythms and the pleasure of hearing them fit together. Some come for the social side of it all - a group of drummers is a group of friends! Others are drawn to the instant stress-relief that comes with being in the moment. I have been told by many a student that they come to my classes because it's cheaper than therapy! I won't start citing the literature on the benefits of group drumming - it's abundant and readily available! I see and feel the benefits for myself every week and it's wonderful.
So while the piano gets a little dusty and the teaching resources I made as a first-year classroom teacher sit in storage boxes, it seems that going to piano lessons week after week and studying to be a teacher, combined with being introduced to djembe one afternoon at a BBQ, has all led me to find my element!
I urge you to get some music into your life, or into your kids' lives, if you haven't already. In this world we live in, we need to make music together. When we make music together, we create a sense of community that transcends differences and gives us the wonderful feeling of belonging.
Kate Gascoyne - Founder of Drum Effect
Ph 0414 236 323 I Email [email protected]
Copyright © 2017
Copyright © 2017