On June 20th, around the time of most sunlight and Yang energy in the northern hemisphere, Robert invited me to join him in a Djembe workshop at the Gulf County Public Library for thirty plus children and their parents. The director, Mimi Minnick, who is doing a multicultural summer series for the children during this summer, googled “West African Djembe Tallahassee” and our programming at UUCT was the top in the search list. Overall, in our UUCT campus we have served over seventy people that have come to the workshops. As a way to encourage more participation within the congregation, Robert from Rhythmic Roots will be leading a service to share the benefits of drumming in the West African tradition and to have some fun. After a few years of playing and practicing the Djembe I can testify for the increased memory recall, deeper connection to my voice, listening, increased ability to focus, and mental clarity. That day in the library we experienced an incredible cultural exchange and immersion, as children and parents, under Robert’s lead, engaged in fun games towards a polyrhythmic plethora of rhythms that at times sounded like the perfect orchestration of chaos. At the end of the workshop there was a deeper understanding around patience, compassion, shared space, and inclusion by all attending. I was surprised by the incredible energy and participation from everyone, how children recalled what they learnt and the promise of collaboration with the library in a workshop series to expand the cultural experiences in the county.
The Djembe workshops continue at the UUCT veranda now three times a month, and we are ready to venture into the community for some performances and into the worship space! I want to thank our Office Administrator for their kind support in keeping all the calendars and website updated for these offerings. Singing Meditation has moved to the first three Mondays of the month at 4:30 pm. Choir rehearsals will resume mid-August. In case you want to try any of these musical offerings drop by, you are most welcomed!
About the author
Angel de Armendi, Music Director
Angel (he/she/they/any) received his Bachelor of Music degree from New World School of the Arts and continued his study of piano performance at Florida International University. He made his way to Tallahassee through the Music Theory graduate program at FSU. While in school he diversified his piano skills accompanying FSU and Tallahassee City Ballet dance classes. His interest in vocal coaching took him to the Asolo Song Festival in Italy during two summers, as Assistant Director/Pianist and Composer In Residence. In Tallahassee, he also directs the High Holy Days Choir at Temple Israel, and has been their regular pianist since 2008. His love for sacred music and practice has motivated him to go through and graduate in 2015 from the Music Leadership Credentialing Program, offered by the Unitarian Universalist Musicians’ Network. During their 2015 conference in Boston he was unanimously elected as Board Member at Large for the Board of Trustees, a three-year voluntary commitment. He is deeply committed to building a thriving music program at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tallahassee.