Workshops & Special Series
Workshops & Special Series
Workshops & Special Series
Instructor: Moss Natal
Instructor: Allie Birdseye-Hannula
Instructor: Mikkel Beckman
Please Note: This Event Is Not at the WDC Studio!
LOCATION: 300 Industrial Blvd N.E., Minneapolis
Park on the west side of the building and enter at southwest corner near the garage door
Intro to Composing for Percussion Ensemble
In this three-hour workshop, led by Moss Natal, she will cover what it takes to compose and perform a piece for percussion ensemble. In the first hour, the class will learn, play, and discuss the artistic, structural, and thematic choices behind a piece composed by her, catered to a beginner-to-intermediate group of players with instruments such as djembe, conga, claves, marimba, and others. Once this piece has been played and analyzed, the focus of the class will shift for the remaining two hours to what it takes to write such a piece from the ground up. Collectively, we will write a short new piece for a group comprised of the students present on their chosen instruments. There will be a 15-minute break during the class.
No experience necessary!
Date: April 19, 2025
Time: 3-6pm
Cost : $35
CO-ED – Open to all gender identities.
Corrective Movement for Drummers
Join us for this 1-hour session focusing on stretch and strength activities to enhance your stick and hand drumming abilities. We’ll work on the muscle groups you rely on to support drumming precision with activities designed to:
Reinforce and support ergonomics in drumming
Train or retrain muscles through corrective movements
Strengthen supporting muscle groups for greater endurance
Stretch supporting muscle groups
Bring a yoga mat or blanket to move on and a water bottle. Wear comfortable clothes and non-street gym shoes or grippy socks.
Disclosure: This workshop seeks to offer support and body awareness techniques to help retrain your body and reinforce how to safely support optimal movement while you play. Modifications are available and as with every movement program, please consult with your doctor on whether this program is right for you before registering.
Date: Saturday, April 5, 2025
Time: 10-11 am
Cost: $25
Open to all gender identities.
Introduction to the Washboard
Join us for this exciting new workshop led by one of the best in the business. Mostly associated in the US with pre-WWII blues, jazz, jug band and old-timey music, the washboard has been used around the world as a handy percussion instrument by many cultures. discover why the washboard is the perfect percussive accompaniment instrument for acoustic music!
Learn through playing, listening and composing brief percussion pieces. Washboards provided for hands-on learning/playing. In addition, a brief history of the washboard will be covered. If you have a washboard, please bring it.
Let’s Have Some Fun!
Date: Friday, April 11, 2025
Time: 6:30-8:30 pm
Level: All
Cost: $35
Open to all gender identities
Introduction to Steel Pan
Join us for this exciting new collaboration with the Pan-handlers Steel Drum Band. Participants will learn about the cultural and societal developments that led to the invention of the pan instrument(s), its role in Caribbean culture, and the parallels of pan history with music history here in the US. Participants will learn how the pan is built, creates sound, and how it is tuned. The bulk of the session will provide participants an opportunity to play the different pan instruments, learn basic pan pedagogy, and make ensemble music in multiple parts.
The ability to read music is not a prerequisite. Participants will stand while playing, though accommodations can be made for those differently abled.
Let’s have some FUN! We will create harmonic overtones and couplings in a series of specific pitches with these unique drums.
Date: Sunday, May 10, 2025
Time: 2:00-5:00 pm
Level: All
Cost: $35
Open to all gender identities
More Coming Soon!
Throughout the year, we offer a variety of workshops and class series that range from trying something new to developing your technique.