Drum Circle

The What's Your Issue Song Competition is designed to give youth around the world a positive outlet to express themselves using music.
Many of the community members here are active songwriters and we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to get your music and your message in front of an engaged audience. Please pass this along to your percussion/drummer/songwriter friends that meet the age requirements.

This competition, judged by singer/actor/activist Jack Black, is looking for three-minute songs from young adults 14 to 24 on any issue that moves them including the environment, education, healthcare, pathway from poverty, national security and defense, public service, human and equal rights issues.


Winner to receive:

Presentation at the 2011 NAMM Show

Presentation at the VIP reception in Washington, DC

Presentation at the Annual awards ceremony co-hosted by Sony Pictures at its Los Angeles studio

Inclusion on the What's Your Issue iTunes Tile.

For Finalists:

Inclusion of song in a compilation CD of emerging artists.

Prizes also include a MacBook laptop and iPod Touches.

How to Enter:

The submission period is open now and runs through mid April 19, 2010.

Songs must be 3-minutes in length, expressing a social issue. Any issues that matters to you. Contestants are encouraged to use the power of music — as only art can — to help illuminate the issue and touch hearts or minds. Any music genre is welcome.

Upload a video of your song to www.youtube.com/whatsyourissuemusic. Upload the video of the song as a "Post a Video Response" to the contest's main video at www.youtube.com/whatsyourissuemusic. You can enter as many videos or songs as you want, as long as they are original.

Music must be an original composition, for which you must hold all rights. Open to anyone 14 to 24.

The contest prefers a video performance of the song because the winner will be flown to Los Angeles to perform the song at the 2010 What's Your Issue Awards Ceremony co-hosted by Sony Pictures Studios, and will be eligible to perform at the annual NAMM Show for 85,000 music industry professionals in January 2011.

Judging:

After close of the submission period, the What's Your Issue Foundation will internally select between two and three dozen semi-finalists for consideration for awards, to be then selected by the VIP Judges and YouTube audience.

The VIP Judges will evaluate the semi-finalists based on (a) originality and creativity overall; (b) execution of the video presentation in an articulate, concise, visual and impactful way; (c) Excellence of the proposed-solution-project, including such factors as how innovative, implementable and impactful the project idea, and its viability for implementation within a neighborhood or community. Innovation and originality in presentation and concept of the proposed project is as important as cinematic expertise.

The YouTube Audience Favorite Award will be selected by the public, on the basis of approval and enthusiasm of the proposed solution-project-idea, as well as the execution of the video, and articulation of the issue and solution.

On or about May 10, 2010, at the conclusion of the public voting period, and VIP Jury selection process, the winners will be announced. For more information, please visit whatsyourissue.tv



About What's Your Issue Foundation
The What’s Your Issue Foundation is a national not-for-profit organization, which runs an internet-based film and song competition, as well as Y/E, The Young Entrepreneur Network. The Film Your Issue competition, in its 5th year, is looking for solution-project ideas to front-burner issues from young adults 14 to 24 in a 3-minute video format, with accompanying one-sheet description. The new Issue Song competition is looking for original 3-minute songs using the power of music to illuminate front-burner issues. For more information, please visit www.whatsyourissue.tv

Labels: Jack Black, Music Contest, Music Education, NAMM, Songwriter

During a time when music and arts classes are threatened nationwide, the NAMM Foundation continues its effort to recognize schools across the United States with the strongest music education programs

The NAMM Foundation invites schools and communities that support music education to participate in the 2010 Best Communities for Music Education (BCME). Established in 1998, BCME recognizes and celebrates schools, their administrators, teachers, board members, parents and students for their support and commitment to music education. The program also celebrates communities and schools that have set a goal to provide continuing music education to all students.

The 2010 survey period is January 14 - March 12, with the results announced in May. As in the previous years, the 2010 survey is conducted in collaboration with The Institute for Educational Research and Public Service, an affiliate of the University of Kansas.

Find more information and complete the survey at the NAMM Foundation.

Labels: Music Education, NAMM

The only place these djembes are light is on your pocket book. The new Toca line of lightweight hand drums feature authentic Afro-Cuban sound coupled with indisputable value: It's a match made in hand drum heaven. With the Toca Lightweight Hand Drums you receive an excellent combination of value, looks, and sound quality.

Toca Hand Drums feature sculpted shells in a variety of hand painted finishes that covers both the shell and the head, making them eye-catching as well as functional. You can find a Jamaican-inspired Rasta finish with black, red, yellow, and green stripes or an African-themed Earth Tone finish that offers an organic brown/black/tan pattern. The hand drum has a pre-stretched synthetic head and a protective rubber edge along the bottom. The shell itself is also synthetic, and was developed as a hybrid that combines the fundamental components featured in doumbek and djembe drums.

Although this drum is light, the sound quality is definitely not. The Toca has a wide frequency range and fantastic response, delivering both heavy bass tones and resonating crystal clear slaps.

The best thing about the Toca Lightweight Hand Drums? The price. Starting at just $49.99, this is the best drum for those who are on a budget or individuals who are buying in bulk for classrooms and drum circles. Plus, each drum comes with a an adjustable carrying strap and a drawstring-carrying bag.

Choose from three sizes: 9" x 16", 10" x 19", or 12" x 22". The Toca drums are high in sound quality, visually stunning, and are so easy on your wallet you may just may want to own all three.

These drums were introduced at NAMM 2010. Pre-Orders are now being accepted and drums will be available to ship in March.



Toca Lightweights Series Hand Drums, Rasta w/ Strap + Bag



Toca Lightweights Series Hand Drums, Earthtone w/ Strap + Bag

Labels: drum.circle.facilitator, freestyle, hand drums, Music Education, NAMM, toca, toca djembe, toca.percussion, toca.shell

No one could deny the statement that music makes the world go around. We listen to it during exercise; we attend concerts and other events where music is a focal point. It blares behind us during almost every TV show, occasion, or during our workday. Without music, the world would seem completely quiet, despite the noise of our everyday lives. Every three years, the International Music Products Association or NAMM for short, conducts a poll to define the general public's attitude toward music. This survey measures many things including the likelihood of playing an instrument, where those individuals access their instrument instruction, and which gender is most likely to pick up an instrument and learn it on their own. Most data has remained stable across the past 3 years, but there have been some interesting changes to note.

During this survey, males and females were found to be almost equal in that they both play music instruments. There was no great deviation of males playing more than women. There was however, a huge jump of music playing for both genders under the age of 18. The percentage in 2000 of those under the age of 18 playing an instrument was 29%, but this figure jumped to 35% in 2009. This correlated with an increase in correspondents stating that the decision to play music was a joint decision and not individual. 45% stated that their parents encouraged them to play music. Parents appear to be more aware of the benefits of musical education and are influencing their children to become more involved.

In contrast, those in the age group of 18 to 34 saw a significant decrease in those who play music, dropping from 32% in 2006 to 24% in 2009. This may be due to the economic crisis, as many in that age group saw a drop in income or could have possibly lost their employment, therefore not being able to afford a musical hobby. The use of private lessons saw a slight decrease as well.

Although the NAMM poll saw that there was an even split between those who bought new and those who purchased used instruments, when the respondents did purchased, over 51% stated that they preferred to purchase in a specialized retail environment.

For those respondents with children in school, it was found that parents were encouraging their children more than ever to focus on music in school. The 5 to 11 year old age group increased since 2006. This could be due to better music programs in the schools. Many who were surveyed believed strongly in music education in the schools, and even stated that a state mandated music program would be a good idea. It was widely believed that children who participated in music programs were considered well rounded, and those surveyed were strongly on the side of infant music education and a larger music program in preschools.

Not learning a musical instrument tends to become a big regret in people's lives, with over 81% stating that they wished they had picked up an instrument, and over 60% of those people feeling they were too old to learn.

Every once in awhile it is useful to have a reminder as to how important the practice of playing music is. Whether it is enriching our children's education or allowing teenagers self-expression, learning and playing an instrument is a vital part of our lives.

Labels: djembe, Drum Circle, drum.circle.facilitator, hand.drumming, Music Education, music.therapy, NAMM, the.healing.power.of.the.drum

As a young child, your first foray into art was when your parents put a single crayon into your hand. Pulling out pads of paper, you drew dogs, cats, and your family surrounded by a beaming sun and endless blue sky. Your first musical instrument could have been a butter container and a spoon, an activity put together by your mother to entertain you for hours. Whether a child is creating their first painting or dancing to a children's tune on the radio, Art and music have long since been thought of as the building blocks of learning.

When President Obama stepped into office, he let it be known how important it is to his administration that each child deserves to have a well-rounded education. As a parent himself, both he and the First Lady have established that music is a vital part of their Administration. The have put on Jazz Workshops at the White House for students, as well as hosted major music artists in concert as an effort to support the creative arts. Therefore, it is no surprise that various funding initiatives supporting the Arts have come from the Obama Administration within his first 100 days of service. NAMM, the International Music Products Association, recently hosted the SupportMusic Coalitions conference call with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Duncan discussed a recent letter that was sent out to schools and a host of educational advocates. The letter asked those involved with educating the students of our country to understand that the monies available under the State Fiscal Stabilization fund, as well as other grants and programs, can be used to develop Arts programs in schools. It has long been an issue that, in an effort to develop programs that focus on the core basics such as Science and Math, the Arts are left to the wayside. The common misconception is that the Arts play little importance in a student's education, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Why should Arts not be thought of as a broad part of a child's education? Although The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) has established that the Arts are a core academic subject, educators have been unable to come up with a way to 'test' the development of a child's ability when dealing with music and the creative arts. When budget cuts are to be made, it's Arts programs that often suffer. While discussing his letter with the SupportMusic Coalition, Duncan stated that "Only 57 percent of eighth graders attended schools where music instruction was offered at least three or four times a week." Duncan's plan to promote Arts education is to send his letter out to educators, and then begin to conduct surveys of school art programs. His goal by 2011 is to promote both music and art within elementary and secondary schools, as well as to allow educators to make better informed decisions when planning their yearly budget.

NAMM and the SupportMusic Coalition stress the importance of working together as a whole to change perspectives on the Arts in schools. Every educator who is making the decision to develop programs that promote music and creative arts in their curriculum is contributing to the future of a well-educated child. Those in doubt of the benefits of your school's music and art programs need only to ask the children who participate in them. Budding Picasso's and future Beethovens all begin with a single crayon or a twirl around the room to some much loved music. A well-rounded Arts education can be the gift of a lifetime.

Labels: Beethoven, Music Education, NAMM, Obama, School Music Program

With funding to education being cut nationwide, most schools are focusing on reading and math as a consequence of the Center on Education's policy, No Child Left Behind. Because funding overall is limited, money that had previously supported programs in physical education, the arts, and other areas of study is disappearing in favor of state-tested subjects.

However, schools are making a mistake when they cut funding to their music programs over their math or English programs. As reported by the College Entrance Entrance Examination Board, students who have studied music score at least 40 points higher on each section of the SAT - 44 points above their peers in math, 63 points above in verbal.

These findings are reflected in the average American's views as well, as a Gallup poll by NAMM (the trade association of the international music products industry), show that almost all Americans, 94%, believe that studying music increases intelligence.

NAMM has also shown that music studying can help in other avenues of life as well. Students who have undergone music training are better adjusted, and work well in groups. They also exhibit a higher level of confidence than their less musical schoolmates, and later in life, turn to academia rather than alcohol, cigarette, or drug use.

A study performed in 2003 backs up these views: researchers in Hong Kong analyzed the effect of musical training on ninety students over the course of five years. Half of students were given lessons on traditional instruments and played in the school's orchestra, while the other half took no lessons. After five years, students who played with orchestra showed a greater increase in verbal memory than their nonmusical peers.

In fact, learning to play music has been linked with increased development of brain tissue, which leads to a better sense of proportions and verbal skills. This helps in an increase in intelligence that helps not only the SAT test, but in life as well.

Virgil Griffith, a CalTech grad student, recently charted his peers' taste in music against their average SAT score. During this test, he found that students who listen to music, like Beethoven, scored around a 1300 SAT score, while his peers who listened to music forged on a less classical tradition, like reggaeton or country, scored between 900 and 1000 on the SAT. By cutting funding to arts programs, schools are limiting their students abilities and their opportunities to exceed.

The First Lady has begun a program from the White House that teams professional musicians with music students in order to foster their interests and provide a positive outlet for creativity. This program, which began in June, is planned to continue during Obama's term of office. Although changes have begun in the White House, they're taking hold elsewhere as well.

In Boston, schools are struggling to hold on to their music programs. Despite cuts to music programs, 70% of Boston students are still enrolled in some variety of a music program. For students in other states, there are a number of programs outside the classroom you could try.

X8 Drums is proud of the relationships we have developed with school districts and music teachers across the country. We have worked with state boards of education, school principals and private drum instructors to develop complete drum circle packages for a variety of classroom environments. Find out more about integrating drum circles at your school.

Labels: Learn Music, Mozart, music, Music Education, music.therapy, NAMM, Pagan Drumming, the.healing.power.of.the.drum

The very first djembes made from staved Siam Oak as opposed to being carved from a solid piece of mahogany or hardwood.

There's a new djembe in town and it rocks! Back in November of 2006 Tycoon Percussion partnered up with Dancing Drum, a company based in Santa Barbara that specializes in the drum circle and educational market. They expressed to Tycoon the need for a high-quality but affordable djembe and so together they embarked on creating one, hence the name: "Tycoon Percussion - Dancing Drum Signature Series".

These drums are just absolutely amazing both sound-wise and through their appearance; I can say without any reservations that these djembes sound great! You can view some video clips of the drums being played right here.



They created a huge buzz at the NAMM show back in January, and were used in the annual Remo drum circle! As a testament to their quality, Remo's drum circle coordinator himself put these drums in the very front row.

Made from sustain-ably harvested Siam Oak hardwood, the Dancing Drum Signature Series Djembes are designed from the inside out, with sharp, defined contours, to produce tones that have a deep bass, rich mid-tones, and crisp highs. They're the very first djembes that are made from staved Siam Oak as opposed to being carved from a solid piece of mahogany or hardwood. Not only does this make the drums much more environmentally friendly, they make them sound great as well. The skins are pre-selected hand-shaved natural goatskin so every kind of material used in the production of this drum is absolutely top-notch. That is what separates them from other drums on the market.

Available in three sizes, the Dancing Drum Signature Series Djembes offer an exceptional combination of professional quality, value, and sound.

Next: 7. How To Start A Drum Circle

Labels: african.djembe, dancing.drum.signature.series, djembe, Djembe.Buying.Guide, drum, goatskin.head, NAMM, siam.oak, tycoon.percussion

For over 22 years Tycoon Percussion has been manufacturing high-end, top quality, percussion instruments for musicians worldwide. They have over 150 skilled craftsman creating all types of percussion instruments including bongos, congas, djembes, timbales, and cajons to name a few. Tycoon currently produces around 40,000 sets of percussion instruments each year and venture to all the main music exhibitions including NAMM.

Tycoon instruments are known by professional percussionists (such as Virgilio Figueroa, David Stanford, Tamasito Cruz, Inocento Alvarez, and Arnaldo "Arnie" Silva) to deliver pure, crisp sound every time they are played. Additionally, Tycoon percussion is known for creating beautiful sought-after glossy finishes that catch the eye of even the most critical player. They continuously change and develop a unique array of colors and patterns to constantly bring excitement to their line of percussion based instruments.

Tycoon Percussion has consistently been growing since the mid-80's when they first began producing their line of top quality hand drums and percussion instruments. Their percussion products are sold in every major country worldwide and are now finally available in the United States. In 2006, Tycoon established a U.S. distribution center in Reno, NV and most recently opend a new U.S. office in Pasadena, CA.

Tycoon Djembe

Tycoon Bongos

Tycoon Congas

Labels: bongo, cajon, conga, djembe, NAMM, percussion.instrument, timbales, tycoon.percussion, world.percussion