Drum Circle

X8 Drums is proud to announce that they have joined MENC as a corporate member, thereby continuing their commitment to the promotion of music as a daily part of every student's education.

From the time our children are babies, they respond to the sounds of music. We play sing-a-long games with our infants, and music plays a big part in the makeup of their playthings. As children grow and are exposed more widely to music, their knowledge of the world around them expands. Children learn about culture and heritage through musical expression, and schools are now placing a wider importance on music as a way to facilitate learning.

X8 Drums has long since believed in assisting those educators who are struggling to keep musical education in the classroom. Studies have shown that students who participate in music training are more focused, well adjusted, and work better as a team than those who have not. Drum circles in particular are an excellent way to teach relationship skills and rhythm.

In this light, X8 Drums is proud to announce that it has joined the National Association for Music Education (MENC) to continually promote the importance of art education. "X8 Drums & Percussion is pleased to partner with MENC. Our participation recognizes the importance of music & arts education in standard school curriculums across the country," said Mark Stancato, X8 Drums & Percussion President and CEO. "Exposing the children to music positively affects their IQ, reading age and the development of certain parts of the brain. Studying music can help in other avenues of life after graduation as well."

MENC is the world's largest arts education organization, and they focus on all aspects of music education. With nearly 100,0000 members that represent educators from high school to preschool, MENC's focus is to ensure that every student has access to an arts education. By partnering with MENC, X8 Drums can continue to spread the importance of the arts as a vital part of every school’s curriculum.

About X8drums.com:
X8 Drums is the premier online store for all things djembe. Working closely with school districts and educators across the country, X8 Drums creates packages and selects the appropriate instruments to facilitate the growing trend of student drum circles.

Labels: about.x8.drums, MENC, Music Education, x8.djembes, x8.drums

Last week, X8 Drums teamed up with Art House Productions to host the first ever "JC Fridays Drum Circle" as one of the community events during the fall season of Jersey City's JC Fridays.

JC Fridays is a citywide celebration of free arts and culture programs in Jersey City, New Jersey. JC Fridays is held at the start of every season, offering an exciting lineup of events open to the public.

The drum circle was facilitated by Jersey City Drummer and African Dance Instructor, Dion Rivers who taught the group Dansa and Mendiani African rhythms on djembe.



Thanks to Art House Productions and all of the participants at the event, especially those that came with their X8 Drums in hand. We spotted a Ramadan Djembe, Duafe Djembe and the World Rhythm Djembe at the event!

Labels: beginner.djembe, Drum Circle, drum.circle, drum.circle.facilitator, x8.drums

The differences between the various lines of X8 djembe drums have more to do with materials used, quality of wood and carving then skill level of the player. The pricing starts off lowest at the beginner line and gradually increases as you move up to the professional line. It doesn't mean that a beginner player should only be playing with a beginner djembe. In fact it would probably behoove the beginning djembe player to purchase a djembe that is at the professional level as this djembe will be more responsive when played.

As the line increases from Beginner to Elite Professional the following differences come into play:

Quality of Rope - The thickness and grade increase from Beginner to Elite Professional

Amount of Vertical Rope Runners - Increases from Beginner to Elite Professional. More vertical rope equates to stability of tuning and prevents the skin from slipping under pressure.

Wood Grade/Quality - All X8 Djembe drums are made from a solid piece of legally certified Mahogany wood however the quality and wood grade increases from Beginner to Elite Professional.

Wood Carving - The girth of the bowl size and thickness of the overall djembe becomes heavier and bigger as it increases from Beginner to Elite Professional. This leads to more range and bigger tone.

Ring System (Head) - Beginner and Intermediate X8 Djembe drums have a two ring forged steal system while Professional and Elite Professional djembes have a three ring system.

Skin (Playing surface) - All X8 Djembe drums are fitted with premium, hand selected goat skin. Beginner and some Intermediate djembe drums are fitted with a bleached, white goatskin while all Professional and Elite Professional drums are fitted with a natural (unprocessed) goatskin. Also, all Professional and Elite Professional djembe drums are specifically fitted with goatskin that was secured from the back hide. This is the thickest part of the animal which tends to be more durable and produces a warmer, deeper tone.

Labels: african.djembe, beginner.djembe, djembe, Djembe.Buying.Guide, djembe.drum, x8.drums

The holiday season is a wonderful time for us to thank you for your continued support. It is people like you who make being in business such a pleasure all year long.

May this season bring you and your family all the joy, happiness and success that you deserve. We look forward to serving you again for your drumming needs.
Happy Holidays from X8 Drums!


Important Note: Order by 12/15/2008 for guaranteed Christmas Delivery for UPS Ground Shipments. Expedited orders must be placed by phone, call us toll-free 1-800-771-9645. Deadline for placing expedited orders is 12/20/2008.

Labels: x8.drums

Thanks to the efforts of Moya Moye at the University of South Carolina, many students are enjoying the positive health benefits of hand drumming.

After only a month, his drum circle turnout has grown from one participant to groups of 20-25. All it took to get that far was a single drummer and a sign up form.

The story is inspiring and testimony that drumming plus the energy of drum circles has amazing health benefits for people of all ages.

If you are interested in starting a drum circle, follow these simple steps that have made the drum circle at USC a success:

1. Be your own drum circle.
Moya started his drum circle by playing his drums outside of a local cafe with a sign next to him that read "Sign Up for Drum Circle". As people came over to sign up, he let them know that all types of musicians are welcome and no experience is needed.

2. "The only thing we discriminate against is negativity." - USC drum circle participant
Make sure that you, as the leader, always provide positive feedback to your members. Your attitude and actions will be reflected by the rest of the members.

3. Create a webpage for your drum circle
Moya created a FaceBook profile page for his drum circle so that members can connect online. FaceBook provides an easy interface for you to maintain a schedule of events and locations, upload photos and the ability for members to leave comments (no HTML knowledge is needed). Drum Circle Meetup is also a great place to promote your drum circle online.

Tell us about your drum circle success using the comments link below!

X8 Drums provides special packages to drum circle facilitators. Contact us to dicuss djembe offerings and other hand percussion instruments for your events.

Labels: Djembe.Buying.Guide, djembe.drum, drum.circle, drumming, x8.drums

We're looking for a professional djembe player to demo eight new African djembe drums that our shop (X8 Drums) is having custom designed and imported from Bali. We will be setting up in a recording studio in Manhattan and will be recording the sounds from each drum and video taping the session. The video sessions and audio will be published on our e-commerce website and used for other marketing purposes. The session will take place in one day.

We're looking for someone who is not only a very good player but is a good teacher as well. You will need to be able to effectively communicate into the camera and be personable. Also, there will be a segment where you will need to walk through the various steps on tuning and detuning a rope-based djembe. Knowing how to repair African djembes, including changing drumheads, would also be beneficial although not a requirement for this particular gig.

This is a paid job! Rates will be discussed over the phone and will be based on professionalism and experience. Please only apply if you are properly trained as a djembe player and have years of experience doing so. You must have proper technique and understand the fundamentals of playing this drum and as I mentioned be able to communicate effectively.

To be considered, please have a resume readily available and be able to send audio or video samples of you playing a djembe drum. Sending samples of you playing other hand drums or a drum kit is not acceptable. Also, you will need to live close to New York City. References are a plus.

Thanks, Mark

Labels: djembe, djembe.drum, x8.djembes, x8.drums

Welcome to X8 Drums!

X8 Drums is a premier online store for all things hand drums. Specializing in pristine quality djembe drums that are manufactured using legally certified timber that is environmentally sustainable, our staff is well trained at helping artists and hand drum enthusiasts fill their needs with the right gear.

We're truly independent, serve a niche market, and are focused on matching up our customer's needs with the right product. Providing a hassle free online experience complete with accurate information, knowledgeable staff, great selection, and full transparency are at the heart of what we're about.

Check out the customer feedback page to find out what to expect when you are a part of X8 Drums.

In addition to offering the entire line of top hand drum manufacturers; X8Drums.com features a Drum Circle blog on topics such as hand drum news, djembe video lessons, how-to articles, drum circle events, and instrument care. The site also offers a hand drum artist directory as well as expert advice on its extensive offering of hand drums.

Spend some time with us, bookmark the site and join our monthly newsletter to keep in touch with the latest news in the X8 community. (subscribe to the newsletter on the bottom left-hand side of this page and get a coupon!) We're a think-tank full of ideas working to provide you with exceptional educational content and the best quality instruments.




About the X8 Logo
Our logo tells all... The "X" (as in the way the brain is wired) and "8" (Infinity symbol) are deeply compelling and significant symbols that summarize the Cosmic Nature and Purpose of Drums and how they can harmonize and elevate the human nervous system.
Many thanks to Baba Issa for the interpretation.

The dancing icon is just a dude enjoying the beat of the drum. Sorry, no deep meaning for him. Although we're open to suggestions. :-)

Thanks for visiting and enjoy the drums!

Some of our most popular content:
Djembe Buying Guide
How to Tune a Djembe
Best Beginner Djembe
Free Djembe Rhythm Video Lessons
Virtual Drum Circle
How to Adjust a Cajon

 

 

Labels: about.x8.drums, cajon, cajon.drum, cajons, world.percussion, x8.drums