Margaret Beaufort Middle School
In July 2008 I taught an African drumming workshop at Margaret Beaufort Middle School in the Bedfordshire village of Riseley, to a group of fourteen children aged between 9 and 13 as a summer holiday activity.
Since I'd just acquired some lovely new kenkeni drums, I decided to teach the traditional Guinean rhythm and song of Moribayassa. I was really pleased that they managed to pick up this exuberant music, aided by memorable rhymes and call-and-response games.
We were blessed with hot African weather, so decided to set up outdoors on the school field, playing all afternoon under the shade of a large sycamore tree taking the place of a mango tree in Senegal. This added great atmosphere to the occasion and made it a really memorable day for the kids.
