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Drumming To Our Own Beat
Organisation: Byron Shire Council
Project category: Regional Recipient
Art form: Percussion and Performance
Date of Event: Thursday 2 December, 9:30 - 4:30pm.
Event venue: Alstonville Showground, Leisure & Entertainment Centre, Commercial Road, Alstonville NSW 2477
Cost: Free
Contact: Belle Arnold tel: 02 6626 7225, belle.arnold@byron.nsw.gov.au
Access:
- Wheelchair and limited mobility access
- Wheelchair and limited mobility accessible toilets
- Services for carers
- Description of visual elements for people who have a sight disability
- Auslan sign language interpretation
Drumming To Our Own Beat flyer (PDF, 812KB)
Project Description
Building on the drumming workshops that commenced in 2009, musician Greg Sheehan will lead a series of six drumming workshops held for young people with disability. The workshops are aimed to further develop the skills of participants with an outcome to build a performance troupe to perform at local community events.
This year Drumming To Our Own Beat will be a featured performance act held on International Day for People with Disability at Alstonville Showground, Leisure & Entertainment Centre. Following on from International Day there will be 6 monthly follow up workshops to further develop the skills, create instruments and establish the performance troupe.
Young people from the Muskateers, Mullumbimby High School Support Unit and the Accommodation Network are participating. Throughout the workshops participants will be further developing their skills acquired in the first series of workshops. They will be working with a range of percussive instruments and will learn a serious of musical rhythms.
Facilitated by Byron Shire Council and Accommodation Network, this project has linked the Muskateers social group with the Support Unit at Mullumbimby High School, Disabled Surfers Association and the Youth Development Officer, Aged and Disability Officer and Youth Activities Officer at Byron Shire Council.
Collaborators
Bell Arnold
Byron Shire Council Youth Activities Coordinator & Artist
Belle is a community artist of aboriginal heritage. Belle has many years of experience in delivering and documenting a wide range of innovative multi media arts projects including visual arts, photography, video production and graphic design.
Greg Sheehan
Musician & Service Provider
Greg Sheehan is one of Australia’s premier and most innovative percussionists, widely regarded internationally as an expert in his field. As a performer, he is significantly represented in the last three decades of Australian contemporary music as a solo artist, a live band member, and a studio musician having played on hundreds of recordings. As a teacher Greg has coordinated many community arts projects along with teaching both professionals and the wider community with his unique style of rhythmic notation and original body percussion techniques.
As well as unique rhythms Greg showcases a battery of unusual instruments, such as the Hang, a mesmerizing bell-like instrument from Switzerland, Jaws Harps from Vietnam crafted from recycled war materials, bike horns, kids toys, balloons and kitchen utensils. This combined with more traditional percussion instruments and Greg’s tambourine creates an unforgettable experience.
Organisation
Byron Shire Council
Byron Shire is located at Australia's eastern-most point with a population of almost 29,000. It is a thriving community where residents and visitors live, work and play in a sustainable environment and where Council strives to deliver the highest standard of local government services and infrastructure.
Council’s commitment to the provision of community services involves engaging the community in determining a shared vision, which takes into account priorities for social sustainability. Council is committed to working in partnership with the community and relevant government departments to initiate and/or facilitate actions to meet local community needs that have been identified in various social and community planning documents.
Project Partners
- Byron Shire Council
- Accommodation Network
- Mullumbimby High School
