A new music class is coming to Waco this month. Focused on the basics of percussion, the class caters to children 5 to 13 and will teach music from a wide variety of Latin American culture.
Garland Hancock has always loved percussion. This attracted him to the music of Latin America, which often centers percussion.
In a new class starting on November 19, Hancock hopes share this love for percussion with Waco kids.
"Even kids as young as five years old can certainly learn how to play a cabasa or claves or the quijada," Hancock says.
The class will center Latin American music and teach its participants the basics of drumming. Hancock says everyone has to start somewhere, and the basics are the best launching point.
"Once you have these rudiments, you can play pretty much anything," he says. "You hear these elaborate drum solos and really, if you break it down, they’re all just the basic rudiments played in a very creative way."
He says he hopes the students will learn not only drumming skills, but also gain a new appreciation for all the different types of percussion and culture showcased in the class.
One of the ways he hopes to accomplish this is by inviting professional percussionists from Latin America to be guest teachers for some of the classes.
One of those artists, Andres Chaibun, is a body percussionist in Uruguay.
"There are some artists that I like very much that in some moments of their concerts, they do a little bit of this music with their hands and the chest and this thing that I don’t know how to say (snapping)," Chaibun says.
He had always been a drummer, but says he started incorporating body percussion after seeing other artists do it.
When they are guest teaching, artists like Chaibun will join and teach by video call. He says this makes teaching percussion and rhythm a little bit harder.
"If they learn one, I’m happy," he says.
But for Garland Hancock, the class is about more than just teaching drumming skills.
"It goes beyond drumming in general and extends into cultural aspects," Hancock says. "But more than that, I think it’s a very therapeutic practice."
The class will be held every Tuesday and Thursday and will last for 8 weeks with a break for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Students will be required to pay for each session and purchase a practice mat and drum sticks.
To register text Garland Hancock at 254-216-0460.
Hancock says there is no registration deadline, but classes start November 19.
