For information about booking World Beat, please contact Ethos
Since its inception in 1990, World Beat has enthralled and educated
tens of thousands of students throughout the country. Developed by members
of the critically-acclaimed Ethos Percussion Group, World Beat's unique
performance, workshop and residency activities are appropriate for any
age or special education requirement. Featuring aurally and visually exciting
percussion instruments from the United States, Brazil, Africa, India and
the Middle East, World Beat provides a memorable and entertaining introduction
to music and cultures from around the world. While based in New York City,
where organizations such as the Children's Museum of Manhattan and Lincoln
Center have presented hundreds of World Beat services, over a decade of
touring has brought these outstanding music education programs to schools
from Maine to California.
The djembe, which comes from Guinea, West Africa, is one of the most
popular African drums in the west. Before Djembe Jam is performed,
the audience is divided into two groups and each group is taught to clap
a simple rhythm. Then, when called by the djembe, the audience members clap
their rhythms separately and together to create an African-style polyrhythm.
