On February 26, 2025, the Black Diamonds Club held a drumming workshop for the students by inviting a drumming instructor to the large gym and hosting entertaining drumming sessions all day to promote the cultural and ancestral importance of Black History Month.
Students in each period went down to the large gym with their teachers to have an hour full of an enriching drumming experience with an instructor called Baba.
Baba brought in drums for students and explained the cultural importance of drums in Jamaican history, and how they were used over the years. He talked about different drumming styles, the purpose and use of drums, and how to make a rhythm.
The instructor taught important skills which can be used anywhere, like listening, through a game of repeating drumming patterns, and pattern recognition by recognizing the order of patterns in songs. Towards the end, he made students come up with their own drumming patterns, using the techniques they learnt throughout the whole session, on two different songs, which were “Waka Waka” by Shakira, and “Calm Down” by Rema. Students were then brought up from the crowd to show off the drumming patterns they created.
In an interview with an anonymous student, they talked about how much they “enjoyed the session” and mentioned that they “learned a lot of different drumming patterns and didn’t even realize how they relate to today’s world.” They reviewed the interesting and captivating way the instructor taught about drumming and its history, and rated the event a 5/5.
The drumming workshop was entertaining, educational, and enriching for students who were able to take part. It was a way to teach an important part of Black History in a way which can be enjoyed by everyone simultaneously. The drumming sessions held more importance than just explaining the cultural importance. They were a way of showing students to be proud of their ancestry, where they come from, and who they are. Culture is a huge part of who someone is, and it shouldn’t be disregarded.
THE NORTH STAR 