Buy The Drum

Get into the spirit of The Drum with music from around the world!

The Drum by Ken Wilson-Max is a colourful and fun picture book with gorgeous illustrations by Catell Ronca. The book is the first in our series ‘Children, Music, Life’. It gets young children moving and dancing to the rhythm of the drum!

Listening to music is a great way to explore other cultures. The drum is one of the world’s oldest musical instruments. It’s used in almost every kind of music across the globe.

The drum is an easy instrument for children to start playing, and so fun!

We looked at some amazing examples of drumming from around the world.

Here the group Jalikunda show off their djembe drumming at the African Music Festival in Montserrat. The djembe is a drum from West Africa that’s played by hitting it with bare hands. Its name means “everyone gather together in peace”. The rhythms are so fun and lively!

This is an example of Japanese taiko drumming from the group Kodo. There are many types of taiko drum, that range in size from small and hand-held to these massive ōdaiko drums. The drum is hit with a wooden stick called a bachi. The effect is incredibly dramatic.

These students are playing drums in the samba style at PercuFest International Percussion Festival 2012, held at La Font de La Figuera in Valencia, Spain. Samba music originated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The drum section of a samba band is called a bateria. As you can see, it’s a joyful style of music that creates a party atmosphere!

These are only a few examples – there are hundreds more! What other examples of drumming can you think of?

Children might enjoy listening to these great samples and thinking about how each one is different, and how the rhythm makes them feel. You could even try some drumming at home!

• The Drum named as one of the best diverse children’s books by The Evening Standard
• Hurrah! The Drum nominated for Kate Greenaway Awards!
• The Drum longlisted for 2019 UKLA Book Awards!

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