Adaptability

We’ll learn to value, enjoy, and even initiate the growth that comes with changes and improvisation.
The changing roles of the African Orchestra provide a wonderful platform to explore adaptability:   playing drums at one moment and moving to play bell and shaker at the next, while also adapting to changing tempos and volume to fit the group and the rhythm. When all of the group members embrace adaptation, they enable the continuous joy of playing music together.

Mindfullness

Drumming has shown stress-relieving and burnout preventing effects, and group drumming especially reduces the experience of anxiety, depression and loneliness

Drumming can be an incredible meditative tool, allowing participants to focus on the beats, the drum, or their hands, and truly experience themselves in the “here & now”, while promoting awareness of their feelings, thoughts and behaviour

Communication

Drumming is a language: when we drum together, we communicate and connect through the language of the drum. The leader communicates all of their cues through the drum and the group responds by following the rhythms.

We focus on developing rapport and cooperation, by getting participants to collaborate on musical tasks that illustrate and test their abilities to communicate harmoniously and effectively with one another.

Team Work

Team work and collaboration are inherent to the drumming orchestra.
Teams are given different musical responsibilities, underlining the different roles in organisational structure. Experience the synergy when compositions are brought together. Different departments cooperate to achieve the same objective, ending on a high note that is sure to leave them feeling uplifted and united.

Creativity

  Creativity is an integral part of our sessions. Once the groove is bedded down, individuals can solo and express their flair and creativity. The ensemble nature of the drumming, along with moving from structured rhythms to improvising, encourages new ideas and self expression within the context of a group.

Leadership

Our sessions nurture leadership in a whole new way: we break out the roles of the orchestra and assign participants to lead different parts of the rhythms. When it’s time to step up and lead the group it’s an empowering position that combines both communicating through the drum and adapting to the strengths and weaknesses of the ensemble.

Playfulness

A critical part of the experience, without playfulness there is no joy.
When we’re serious, we shut down our ability to create, connect, and be curious. Playfulness is a tremendous stress reliever and a mindfulness tool.  Whatever the team building objective may be, our ultimate goal is always to be in the moment and have plenty of fun.

Confidence

Our sessions aim to develop confidence through various processes.
The ensemble structure nurtures confidence gained by being a critical part of the team.
The ability to acquire a new skill is a sure way to empower: the transition made from the start of the session, approaching a recently untapped skill, to being able to command the drum and its rhythms within one session only.