Booking your Drumming Is Fun project

[ Drumming is fun! ]A simple seven step process:

  1. Now you know what we offer,
  2. and you've decided what you want (see below),
  3. and run the cost past your boss/Head/finance people,
  4. and have read our refreshingly brief Terms of Service,
  5. then we can discuss dates* and details...
  6. Once the booking is made, we'll email you an invoice
  7. A £50 deposit secures your booked date and we'll see you on the day!

* I teach some evenings so am unavailable then, so try Justine instead, but she's busy Tues+Wednesday evenings.

Weekly workshops are best booked 3-6 months in advance. One-off bookings are best made a month or more in advance (to slot in around the weekly work), but Short-Notice Bookings are sometimes possible, often at lower cost.

Details we need to know for workshop enquiries

To save you time and avoid answerphone tennis, please include the following information in your workshop enquiry email/answerphone message so we can confirm our availability along with a finalised quote of costs:

  1. Which type of workshop (e.g., Option A2) is closest to your needs?
  2. The estimated cost of your workshop, which you've already worked out (unless it's a corporate or performance enquiry) - remember to deduct and inform me of any discounts if applicable
  3. Address and postcode of venue if known, otherwise potential town
  4. Type of event, e.g.:
  5. For regular weekly classes: Any impossible time or day of the week, and your preferred (half-)term.
    OR: For single day events: Your preferred date and time if known, otherwise potential day of the week and whether morning, afternoon, all-day or evening
  6. If for children, please indicate how many of each age range, since <11 year-olds need smaller drums (+ smaller chairs)
  7. Maximum number of people in each session, the duration of each session, and how many. (We'll bring enough drums for everyone to have a go.)
  8. Special requirements? e.g.:
    • demo performance beforehand in assembly (comes as standard)
    • informative talk about West African culture
    • a series of workshops building up to a performance
    • integrated African dance+drumming workshops - playing traditional rhythms to accompany the dance moves
    • short taster drumming sessions (at a fete, for instance)
    • all-day carousels of rotating activities for up to four parallel classes

On the day, we will need:

  1. Parking space(s) close to the room/venue, with access before and afterwards.
  2. Large space where we won't disturb people nearby with loud drumming, as it's hard for folk to talk while we're playing. And although it sounds odd, we also need to be away from other noise (generators, sound systems, traffic, etc.) so we can be heard; if indoors, we need to be the only thing going on in that room, otherwise nobody can really focus.
  3. Workshops need a circle of chairs (<11 year-olds need small Primary School chairs or low benches).
  4. If outdoors, we need a marquee or similar rain cover - drums must not get wet. A tiny 3m x 3m gazebo is no good, as there's not enough room and diagonal rain gets in the sides. A typical workshop for 20 people needs at least 5m x 5m covered space with walls to attach if necessary in windy+rainy weather.
  5. For performances, we ideally need at least a vocal mic so that our singing doesn't get lost; this obviously needs a P.A. system (amplifier and speakers) to plug into. If getting a sound system is a tall order, we can manage without, albeit with less command of the crowd. In terms of stage area, my band need at least 3m x 5m space onstage. To give you an idea, here's how much room we usually take up: (about three car parking spaces)

[ Bedford Djembe Group playing at Keech Hospice charity firewalk, photo by Gnewt Photography ]