The prospect of taking a college music class can be quite frightening to someone who has not studied the piano or the violin for the last twelve years. It is because of this that the Djembe drumming class, comprised primarily of non-music majors, has seen a swell of success since its inception in the spring of '98.
Djembe, a traditional west African percussion, is the specialty of illustrious teacher Bradley Simmons. Simmons has been playing for the past forty-three years. His array of impressive credentials includes Broadway plays and collaborations with such greats as Eartha Kitt and Gregory and Maurice Hines. However, Simmons explains that his time for fame is over. "It is no longer about me, it is about my students," he said. "I guide them and they handle it well."
This guidance and the opportunity to create and perform is what has helped the Djembe class expand to include a beginners section, an afro-Cuban drumming section and an ensemble. Members of the ensemble put on large scale performances twice a year. Ensemble member Victor Jeffries believes that these concerts are the primary reasons that the Djembe has become so popular here at Duke.
"Students see the show and get really excited about it," explained Victor. In fact it is after these concerts that Simmons is inundated with requests for permission numbers and questions from Duke students and Durham residents alike. Unlike the majority of classes in the music department, Djembe can be undertaken by those with little to no previous knowledge.
Simmons advice to interested students is not to come into the class expecting it to be "instant oatmeal." He believes that to understand the drum one has to have an understanding of the culture and the people of the drum. With that he tells his students not to play mechanically. "Play from the soul. Play from within."
The Djembe ensemble will perform on Nov. 14.
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