What is a Drumchik?

My daughter Jenee brought home the November newsletter from Piñon Hills Elementary School and it said the school was having another assembly featuring the "Drumchiks."

What is a Drumchik? I just had to go to the school and check this out. Liz Broscoe introduced the five drum players in the Java Djembe band, including Shannon Montana from the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. The type of rhythms they played were from west and central Africa. Their drums were handmade and sent here from more than 8,000 miles away. Liz told the story of how the African people would pick out a nice sturdy hardwood tree. They would do a ceremony to give thanks to the tree before they cut it down in the hopes the trees spirit would stay in the drum. The idea of playing rhythms was to bring people together. They wanted to have harmony and celebrate life so people would be nice to each other.

They played "coo coo" rhythm which the women would play after fishing. Twenty children from Piñon Hills Elementary School were selected to come up and learn to play the drums during the assembly (I raised my hand, but it really was for the children). Kellen Hamilton, Lauren Lemburg, McKenzie Goss, Matthew Pollard, Emma Gray, Jake Evans, Hannah Carne, Lauren Weisley, Tyler Schnitzer, Daniella Munoz, Emily Tuggle, Loren Bales, Britany Schell, Calum Richey, Carly Park-Johnson, Christ Stone, Michelle Moriarty, Erica Munoz, Matt Draper and Eric Downer were able to play. Liz taught the children to "gune," "pa" and "ta." Gune means you pat with the base of your right hand. Pa is a slap with the right hand and ta is a slap with your left hand. Then you put it together, gune, pa, ta. Then gune pa ta gune. Then gune pa ta gune pa. Everyone in the audience was doing it with their hands. It was so much fun I seriously thought about taking up the drums ... not. Liz also taught the children a dance.

This is a multi-cultural music performance to engage the children in multi-cultural music. Ten children from each performance are chosen to have a chance to learn actual drum pieces and perform with the drum troupe. From the 10, one will be chosen to perform with them at the Brewery Arts Center in Carson City on Nov. 18 and perform on stage with the troupe. Wow! The live concert by Liz Broscoe and Java Djembe, a West African style musical performance, will be at the Brewery Arts Center on Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m.

We are so fortunate to have such wonderful assemblies at our schools. Thank you Java Djembe, see you at the Brewery Arts Center.

n Lisa Welch is a Johnson Lane resident and can be reached at 267-9350.