Djembe classes at St. Albans Dive Club
[currently
suspended due to
COVID-19]
High energy African drumming and song on Thursday nights
Since 2013 I've been teaching weekly drumclasses in Hertfordshire, where you can learn traditional rhythms from West Africa and sing the joyous songs they accompany. As well as djembe we play dun duns, percussion and sometimes Ghanaian drums. You can drop in any week, but you'll get the most out of it with regular attendance.
Where?
We have a great venue: St. Albans Sub Aqua Club, located in the clubhouse of an old Victorian swimming baths! (Yes, that actual one! :-) It's easy to find, opposite St. Peter's School on Cottonmill Lane, AL1 1HJ within walking distance down the hill from the town centre and both railway stations.
There's plenty of on-street parking available (free after 6pm), but the small Dive Club car park only has a few spaces, so please leave them for disabled people and anyone bringing lots of big drums. (In summer it also gets busy with canoeists unloading.) We can't use the outdoor pool, but instead we play in The Lecture Room.
When?
We meet on Thursday evenings, with the classes for various levels starting at 8pm and ending at 10pm. We welcome new members any week, so come along when you can, at 8pm if it's your first time. We'll pause for a short break from 9:00-9:15pm to chat, so bring a drink if you like.
There will be no sessions from Thursday 12th March 2020 until further notice, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Any other weeks where the class is not happening will be announced here and also on our (low-traffic) mailing list which is sent to regular attendees who want to be kept informed of dates and other local drumming-related events/news. Here's a printable flyer if you have a noticeboard to publicise the sessions.
Join us
Due to new GDPR laws, I've streamlined the mailing list to keep it easier to administer so it stays quick (and thus free of charge) to run it. We get so many "gym members" who sound very keen but never actually turn up. So now to save all my wasted time, I'm only adding folk to the mailing list once they've come along more than once and look like they will continue. Until then, just turn up at 8pm; anyone can always check subscription dates and see any cancelled sessions. And remember to let me know in advance if you'd like to borrow a drum.
Levels
The sessions are structured so that everyone gets some focus on their level of playing ability. Please note that we've now changed the order of the sessions, so I can program up the Intermediate players with the bassline parts ready to support the Beginners and Improvers when they arrive. If you're not sure which category would benefit you most, just come at 8pm.
Level | Arrive at | Leave at | Focus time |
---|---|---|---|
3 | 7:00pm | 10:00pm | 7:00-8:00pm |
0+1 | 8:00pm | 9:15pm | 8:00-8:45pm |
2 | 8:00pm | 10:00pm | 8:45-10:00pm |
Level 3 = Intermediates (this first session is by invitation only)
Before coming to this session, Intermediate/Experienced players should first be assessed as to your level, because there are lots of relative scales of player (your "advanced" might only correspond with our "improver" level) and many people think they're either worse or better than than they might actually be. This way we can keep a tight ship of similarly-focused players keen to extend their technique. Intermediate players may stay for the whole session (better value, since the cost is the same regardless), but should arrive at 7pm to avoid missing out on learning new rhythms. After 8pm they play basslines to support the Beginners and Improvers when they arrive.
Level 0+1 = New Starters + Beginners
The half-hour from 8-8:30pm will cater for New Starters and Beginners, going slowly through simple parts for rhythms we'll play faster later on when other players arrive. Complete New Starters who've never played a drum before need to arrive at 8pm for briefing on the basic techniques, and can stay for the break from 9-9:15pm, or leave sooner if they feel like they're getting out of their depth or their head is full! They are welcome to join us any week, although private tuition beforehand is always beneficial, either one-to-one or in small groups. Beginners should also arrive at 8pm and likewise can stay for the break to chat, after which we pace up.
Level 2 = Improvers
Improvers also arrive at 8pm and spend the first half hour learning dun dun parts, then at 8:30pm join the Beginners on djembe, and stay on until 10pm.
Children
[I no longer run the parent & child classes from 5:45-6:45pm. See this page for details about children's classes.]
As long as they are keen players (not just being brought along due to lack of childcare at home) and can behave maturely, older children aged 12 and above are welcome (but not younger, as it changes the energy), accompanied by a parent. I also sometimes teach separate groups for younger children aged 7-11.
Cost
- £10 for newcomers (first week only, including djembe hire) SPECIAL OFFER
- £13 weekly drop-in rate for everyone (or see below for reduced-price subscriptions)
This cost includes use of dun duns, but djembe hire is £1 extra (after your first week), so please let me know a day in advance so I know to pack a spare drum for you, or just turn up at 8pm any week if you have your own.
Subscribers
To encourage regular attendance which leads to faster progress, I also offer reduced prices to frequent attendees for 4-week blocks paid for in advance, at a cost of £36, saving £16 each month (please add on £1/week djembe hire as well). Sometimes when there are five weeks in a month, we go with a 5-week block, and then you can choose to pay £40 for all five weeks for even greater savings, or £36 for three/four if you can't make it every time. Or if ever we just do three weeks, subs are £30 (but this is not just for when you can only do three weeks in a month).
Month | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
---|---|---|---|---|
February | 6th | 13th | 20th | 27th |
March | 5th | [cancelled] | [cancelled] | [cancelled] |
This saves you money over the single weekly drop-in payment: basically the idea is that even if you can only make it to three weeks out of four, then it's still cheaper to subscribe. Please note that payments are not carried forward to next month if you happen to miss a week (unless I have to cancel a session you paid for), but are just for the dates above.
If you join us at the start of a month, then advance payment can be decided upon at the end of your first session; if you love it, go for it! Or if you're not sure that you can commit, or if you join in mid-month, just keep paying weekly until subscriptions are due next month.
Your support is gratefully recognised and makes for a more cohesive group. By becoming a subscriber you are showing your support and you know that the group will be running even in your absence, as we can't run on thin air.
"I just wanted to say I've found playing in the group so helpful not just to up my Djembe skills, but also to practise focusing on my rhythm while lots of other rhythms are going on. This is also helpful for when I'm learning to play drumkit, as it trains my brain to keep the different parts of the beat separate. I also love your highly energetic and fun teaching style and how you are able to build up a new rhythm in a very systematic way which makes it easy to learn - not to mention the hilarious words to the rhythms! And finally I love this fun-loving, friendly and welcoming bunch of people you've brought together and how you've created a 'family culture' where everyone feels accepted and valued and it's safe to risk making mistakes. Well done!" - Sigrid