Friends School of Minnesota After School Music Program Percussion Classes

Instructor: In 1991, Dhaivyd Hilgendorf moved to Northern California to study tabla (East Indian drums) at Ali Akbar College of Music. After six months, he discovered that Egyptian doumbek master Vince Delgado lived just down the street and was taking on private students. Dhaivyd studied with Vince until he was gigging so often with local folk band Straw Coyotes that he didn’t have time for lessons. He has been drumming ever since – playing primarily the hand percussion of the West African djembe and Egyptian doumbek. He has played in several Middle Eastern dance troupes. The classes: The beginning, intermediate, and advanced drumming classes will focus on proper hand position and strokes as well as keeping a steady rhythm, listening to others, and learning some basic Middle Eastern and West African rhythms. We will also do exercises to stretch the students’ rhythmic abilities, including odd metered music for the more advanced students and multi-part rhythms for all sections. Students enrolled in the Fall term will play rhythms with their classmates at the After School Music Program Recital on Friday, January 22. The Spring program will be held on Friday, June 4. If the student is not expected to be available for the concert, please inform the instructor as far in advance as possible, as many of the pieces are dependent on the presence of the individual parts.

Therapeutic Drumming: Drumming has many benefits to one’s health, intellect, and psychological well-being. Studies have shown that regular drumming decreases the incidence of stress and depression, while increasing immune system strength and self-esteem. Other benefits include improved neuro-muscular function, ambidexterity, better attention and memory, and an increased sense of belonging in community. Group drumming can help alleviate self-centeredness, isolation and alienation.

The Instruments: Friends School is purchasing small Egyptian doumbeks for the program. Six of these drums will be available for purchase for $40 each. They are high-quality Alexandria doumbeks, made of heavy-duty cast aluminum. They come with an extra plastic head and vinyl case. I highly recommend that students purchase these drums so that they may practice at home. If we sell all of the available drums, we can purchase more, but there may be a lag period, so if you think you may want a drum, contact Dhaivyd or Brad right away. Students in the advanced drumming class who are serious about wanting to continue drumming may choose to special-order full-size drums, at $125 each. We have two small djembes at the school, but more will be needed for further experimentation in West African and Trinidadian drumming styles. If you have access to djembes or doumbeks that could be borrowed, please contact Dhaivyd.

Practicing: If you choose to require the student to practice at home, 15 minutes is an adequate practice time per day. While practicing is not a requirement for students, the benefits mentioned above will be nominal if they play only once a week, and they may become frustrated if they are unable to keep up with the other students. Practicing should be fun. Please make a place in your home where the student can go to be noisy. For some

children, the therapeutic effects are directly proportional to the physical force used to play the drums. With time, the rhythms themselves will provide these attributes. If parents have the opportunity to do so, listen in and make positive comments about the student’s playing, enjoyment, or disposition, having played. Contact Information: Dhaivyd is most easily reached by e-mail at dhaivydh@fsmn.org or by phone at 651-621-8955. However, between Sept. 8 and 18, he is away on Sabbatical during the day, so e-mail will be the best way to contact him during this period. He will be at Friends School for the first class session on Sept. 16. Brad can be reached at bradb@fsmn.org.