drum activities this weekend - South Florida - July 26-27

Sedu ba [Hope I spell it correctly] is hosting a drum circle at Naomi’s Garden - starts at 7 Pm.
650 NW 71st St. Miami, FL 33150. 786-486-0671
They’re also doing a community event at the african heritage center at Liberty town. If you know Kuku, djole you’re welcome to join the drum activities. There’s also a dance class Saturday 26 at 3 Pm
6161 NW 22nd Ave Miami, FL 33142 (305) 638-6771

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Sunday afternoon, at 2 on FIU Campus Ben Isaac is teaching at Delou african class instead of Matthew hill. Matthew is going to Africa for a 9 month journey, you can check out the interview with him at this page I wish him all the best in this and all his journeys.

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After that there’s a community drum circle at Oak Park. Starts at 4 PM

Celebrate 4th of July. Drum events.

Marvina writes:
4 of JULY DRUM-CIRCLE 8:30pm till… 600-88 St. Miami Beach FL, 33154 - LET’S CEREBRATE OUR INDEPENDENT JOY TO BE ALIVE! @ MARIVANA’S HOUSE (italian singer & composer - www.marivana.com)FOOD, DRINKS & GOOD FRIENDS

Directions:
Reach 88st and Collins Ave (Miami Beach) turn WEST, go up 3 streets till Carlyle Ave make a LEFT
it’s the only house on de right side of the dead end on the bay bring your drum or hand instrument
flamenco and belly dancers WELCOME !!!

All Are Welcome Please Just Bring Something to Share

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Hollywood Drum Circle / BBQ - Date: Friday July 4th, 2008 - Time: 3:00 pm - ? Location: Holland Park in Hollywood - Street: 801 Johnson Street - City State Zip: Hollywood, FL 33019 - Phone: 954-889-8615 - Notes: Good people, good vibes, good food, AWESOME beats!! @ Holland Park, Main Level of Waterfront Tower 801 Johnson Street Hollywood, FL 33019

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The Garden of Eatin’ @ 136 NW 62 St in Miami, a vegetarian restaurant, is holding a Music Festival this Saturday (7/5). 4-6PM - various artists (Sean Dibble maybe, and who knows who else - there are some great performers in this neighborhood) at 6PM, Melting Pot, followed by Mantra, followed by Dragon - at 8:30 Open Drum Circle - BRING YOUR DRUM! Come early and grab a bite before the drum circle. This community is one of Miami’s treasures. for info: Mrs Brown 305-754-8050

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And also this weekend, Sunday at 2 Pm Delou African ensemble host a special drum workshop at FIU North Campus. Workshop is $12.

Full moon drum circles Miami and Ft Lauderdale

It’s that time of the month where the moon is high and bright:
Full Moon Drum Circle on Pompano Beach Wednesday June 18, 2008 - 8:00 pm - 1:00 am - Pompano Beach 222 N. Pompano Beach Blvd. Pompano Beach, Fl - Two blocks north of Atlantic Blvd North side of Pompano Beach Pier - Walk the path to the beach on the north side of the Pier. Drums and other Instruments are allowed - No Alcohol - No Drugs - No Fire
Debe - debe24@aol.com 954-292-1581 - 954-292-1581

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Today Tuesday 17th the Downtown Broward drum circle:
Fort Lauderdale Down Town Broward Drum Circle - Rain or Shine The frist will be June 17, 2008 - 8 PM - 10 PM Every Tuesday 327 SW 2nd Street (SW 2nd Street - between 3- 4th Avenue Down Town Fort Lauderdale) Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33312 Adam - 754-234-0902 MEZSPAZ@AOL.COM

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Mark Richards reminds us, gently souls of Dade county:

Some drummers may be getting together for Full Moon Eve and/or Full Moon Night on the beach at 75th street & Collins. This is not an organized event, so there are no guarantees. All I can say is that if I could get off work tonight, the beach at 75th & Collins is where I would be with my drum.

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and last but not least, June 21st:
Every Last Saturday of the month Starting June 21st from 7PM till 1AM at Tobacco Road 626 south miami ave.Downtown Miami Join this band of gypsies and bring out your tambourines, djembes,
doumbeks, didgeridoos and whatever else you got for this Multicultural fusion of art, music and dance.

The Gypsy Village is a group of mystical vendors and artists who Together create a world tribe ambience which makes for a dynamic night of culture, spirituality and oneness.
This event is free before 9pm and has a $5.00 cover charge afterwards.

This weekend drum schedule - June 14 & 15

Miami People have the Oak Grove Park drum circle on Sunday at 4 Pm. That’s 690 NE 159 Street Miami, Fl. Bring your drum, bring your chair. Mark Richards defines it as “… a young circle with a distinctly Haitian flavor. Come ready to pick up some sweet island grooves.”

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Then you have the Broward drum circle - 4:PM Saturday 14th at the Fern Forest Nature Park (in the picnic area) 201 Lyons Road South, Coconut Creek, Florida Contact info at 954 984 4183. This event is waterproof, so you can go if it’s raining ! 201 Lyons Road Coconut Creek (West side of Lyons Road just south of Atlantic Blvd.)

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Also, the new Fort Lauderdale drum circle will start next Tuesday:
Ft Lauderdale Drum Circle at The Big Pink, Tuesday June 17, 2008 from 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm. Repeats every week. The address is 327 SW 2 Street in Ft Lauderdale - nextdoor to Imax Theater on Avenue of the Arts, Fort Lauderdale, FL. For more information contact Adam @ 754-234-0902 or zspaz@aol.com

I’m also planning to go to Matthew Hill FIU class on Sunday afternoon - search the blog for more info - If you happen to go, I’ll see you there!

Sunday 8th of june = Oak Park drum circle

Bring your drumming and percussion grooves to the Oak Park next Sunday the 8th for a drumcirle. Any type of hand drums welcome .
690 NE 159th St Miami, FL 33162. Circle starts around 3:30 on Sunday afternoon.

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If you are in Broward, check out the Broward drum circle - Saturday from 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
This event repeats every week. Fern Forest Nature Park (in the picnic area) 201 Lyons Road South Coconut Creek, Florida

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And also the new Hollywood drum circle @ Holland Park, Main Level of Waterfront Tower Every Sunday 4:30pm - Park Closes 801 Johnson Street Hollywood, FL 33019

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Drum circles - memorial weekend 2008

Hope you’re tunning your Djembe, conga, drum for this weekend drum circle.
Next Monday 26 - Memorial day -  We’re having a drum circle at Legion’s park, Biscayne Blvd and 64th Street, Miami, Fl. Bring chairs and drums…

Then I’m proud to post a new drum circle in Hollywood, Fl.

Drum circle/Picnic at Holland Park, Main Level of Waterfront Tower Every Sunday 4:30pm - Park Closes 801 Johnson Street Hollywood, FL 33019
Kirste wrote: "We will be jamming in a beautiful breezy setting right by the water in an absolutely gorgeous park! We may most likely be intriguing the boaters passing by :)"

Please Bring:
- Any hand instrument.
- Any snacks, munchables or drinks to share (not an obligation). There will be a table.
- Your Kids, as they are totally welcome.
- Your Positive Energy and Smiles!

For more info, contact Kirsten: 954-889-8615

Drum events south Florida

Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 7:00 PM Drum Circle at Naomi’s Garden Naomi’s Garden 650 NW 71st. Miami , FL 33150 305-301-5889

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Broward Drum Circle at Fern Forest Nature Center in Coconut Creek - Broward County has some of the best drummers in South Florida, and this is the best place to find them on a Saturday afternoon. The site is sheltered, so the circle rocks even in a downpour. I come up from Miami, and it’s always worth the trip.

Drum and dance activities this weekend…

From Mark:
Saturday 4 - 6pm - free
Broward Drum Circle at Fern Forest Nature Center in Coconut Creek - Broward County has some of the best drummers in South Florida, and this is the best place to find them on a Saturday afternoon. The site is sheltered, so the circle rocks even in a downpour. I come up from Miami, and it’s always worth the trip. I plan to be there early to warm up.

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Sunday 2-ish till 6-ish - free
Oak Grove Park Drum Circle at 159 St & NE 6 Ave in Miami, across the lake from the parking lot & playground. This is a young circle with a distinctly Haitian flavor. There are more good (really good) drummers than there are drums, so bring extras if you have them. There is some seating; but you may want to bring your own. If you want to bring kids, the playground is great (LOTS of kids - all playing very seriously); but it is across the lake from the drum circle, so if you feel that you have to be right next to your kids when they play you may not be comfortable.Also notice th “ish” on the times. I have arrived a couple of time and not heard any drumming; but as soon as I start warming up, a group materializes (as if they were just waiting for me - made me feel quite special).

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Saturday 3/29 Harambee West African dance class 3:00 - 4:30PM - suggested donation $5
17030 S Dixie Hwy Perrine, FL Drummers who know Kuku, Sorsonet, Lamba, Manjani are invited

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Sunday 3/30 Delou Africa Community Dance Class - 3 PM at FIU Biscayne Campus Academic 2 Bldg, North Miami, FL in the second floor studio Please arrive at 3 PM, ready to start warm up. A suggested donation of $5 will be collected at the beginning of class.No matter what you do, have fun playing in this wonderful weather down here in South Florida!

Create a Djembe Strap.

Playing your djembe standing up, as you should instead of sitting down, is by all means a much enjoyable experience, and also, an exhausting one.
Looking to purchase a strap for my djembe I looked first on the musical stores online. Remo has a djembe strap for about $28, Sageman Drums has another option for $30, theirs “is available in 3 types of trim: Brown & Yellow, Blue, and Rasta” [Mmmm Rasta straaaap, yes, finally a rasta strap] Ebay had two options, but both didn’t look like anything very special, some nylon strap with green, black, and…yes, rasta themes. There were some more artistic versions such this one but by this point, I was determined to make it myself.
So I went back to Google, and found this two invaluable sources of strapping knowledge:

Rhytm Traders - They also sell Djembe straps
Djembe Straps’s FAQ - All you ever wanted to know about straps and were afraid to ask

After reading trhough all the posts, I went ahead, and order some nylon webbing from Onrope1.com. I wanted to get the tubular webbing, my idea was to get a wide one and then fill it up with some sort of foam to make it easier on my arms [Imagine holding a big djembe’s weight, plus hitting on it hard while playing! :S]
I finally got the 2 in wide seatbelt nylon webbing, tubular was much expensive, and I imagine that filling it out with foam was not the best solution, it’s better a wider material than narrow one. FAQ refers to the karate belts as one of the best options, problem is, karate belts are not as long as you would hope for this job…

Editor’s side note:I try to get nylon webbing locally. I could only find a store that had something like this down here in Miami. I went to West Marine, both stores on Biscayne Blvd. They weren’t even aware that they did have nylon webbing. They had also tubular webbing, but on an absurd price, so I ended up buying it online.

When I got the strap, I realized that the Rhytm Traders tutorial is as confusing as the ascii drawing on Djembe Straps’s FAQ. Not sure why the pictures are so focused on the character doing the tutorial instead of the djembe/strap itself. So I asked Mark to show me how to create it, an it’s a very simple thing if you know what are you doing

I’ll promise to post some picture of how it works…