Come out to play with the Wendell Warriors drumming ensemble and their leader Jafar Manselle! Jafar and his performance group will first perform a short set of West African drum rhythms used for village celebrations. He will talk about the history of the rhythms played, what they mean, and where they come from. He will then demonstrate the basic hand placements used to create the tones that make up the music.

Then the drums will be handed over to the class participants and everyone will get to practice first making the basic sounds. As a group, the ensemble and the participants will all play together and celebrate the day.

All drums and percussion instruments will be provided, however if anyone has their own drum they can feel free to bring it. No registration needed.

About the group: The Wendell Warriors is a performance drum class that was formed 7 years ago. Teacher/group leader Jafar Manselle has, over the last 35 years, performed throughout New England, with many Boston based dance troupes such as "Art of Black Dance and Music" and "Under the Sun Dance and Drum". He has also taught drumming in the Boston and Cambridge Public Schools for many levels from kindergarten to adult classes. He has worked with the Five Colleges as accompanist for African Dance Classes. Jafar also plays in a Boston-based Jazz band, “The Unexpected,” and a reggae band here in Western MA called "Root Fiyah".

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Northampton Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.