We are so fortunate to have these gifted teachers and performers.
We will be adding a few more featured teachers and performers.
As they are confirmed we will announce them here.
Ubaka Hill
Teacher and Performer
Musician, Percussionist, Teaching Artist, Inspirational Speaker and Visual Artist.
Ubaka has been performing and teaching Women how to drum for over 35yrs throughout the US and abroad.
Ubaka is the original founder and Music Director of the national Drumsong Orchestra and currently, of the Hudson Valley, NY DSO.
In addition, Ubaka is the Founder of the Drumsong Institute Museum of Women’s Drumming Tradition’s, Visionary Founder and Producer of the Million Women Drummers Global Initiative and the Co-Founder / Co-Producer of the Catskill Mountain Women’s World Drum and Percussion Happen’n.
Over the years, Ubaka has been a returning Teaching Artist, Presenter, Performer and Inspirational Speaker at many Women’s Conferences, Drum Camps and Women’s Music Festivals, such as Omega Institute, Kripalu, Michigan Women’s Music Festival, National Women’s Music Festival, Ontario Women’s Drum Camp, Northeast Women’s Herbal Conference, Women of Power Conferences, Bumbada Drum Camp, Born To Drum and Hollyhock Wellness Retreat Center, Center for Creative Education, to name a few.
Ubaka has 3 Music CD’s and a collection of Note Cards of her oil paintings and graphic art.
Ubaka makes her home in Upstate NY were she currently offers weekly Drumsong Orchestra Playshops for Women.
“We come from a long line of powerful Women Drummers”
Tammi Hessen
Teacher and Performer
Tammi Hessen is drawn to transformative arts—she is a local therapist and drumming teacher in the Lancaster, Reading, and Harrisburg areas. Tammi teaches at Franklin & Marshall College and has taught at Millersville University, has a small private therapy practice, teaches empowering local drumming classes, is a member of several music bands and performance groups, is a mother, and lives with her family in Lancaster. Ready to begin your journey? Contact Tammi for private drumming lessons or group classes, or for performances and school programs.
TammiHessen.com
Kristen Arant
Teacher and Performer
Kristen Arant
Kristen Arant is a musician, activist and teaching artist whose mission is to facilitate skilled artistry and self-expression, and to build camaraderie and community towards the goal of creating social change amongst a diverse student body, with a special focus on women and girls.
Originally an oboe player majoring in music and inspired to drum via her activist pursuits, Kristen has studied West African drumming, song and percussion for 20+ years in order to utilize these art forms as her primary tools in furthering her mission.
Kristen is the founder of the non-profit Young Women’s Drumming Empowerment Project, and of the all-women’s West African drumming ensemble Bele Bele Rhythm Collective, and leader of the Akoma @ All Souls drumming group out of All Souls church in Washington DC.
In addition, Kristen has been to Ghana, West Africa 5 times in partnership with drummer and drum builder Michael Owusu, leading cultural and musical immersion tours, engaging with communities where Kweku’s project Drumming up From Poverty is located. The Hands on Drums pop-up Ghana shop, started by Kristen and Kweku in 2015 in DC, is currently located in Brentwood, MD.
Kristen also teaches music to kids grades K-6 at Lee Montessori Public Charter School in Washington, DC.
www.drumlady.com
Marcy Francis
Teacher and Performer
Marcy Francis
Marcy Francis applies her skills in work-shops and healing circles. Her focus and reason for living is to bring children and adults closer to a culture of Love, Peace, Harmony and Healing.
She takes a holistic view and always seeks to connect the mind, body and spirit in her work whether playing her bass guitar, singing rock or African music or through giving a massage. In her work with people of all ages she fosters, respect for one’s self and for loving one another. Marcy says, “I studied with people from the old school. I learned to just keep it basic and simple and the Spirit will come out.” She is proud to have been taught by many noted musicians and singers, like Omomola Iyabunmi or The Woman’s Shekeres Ensemble, Baba Ishangi, Alphonzo Cary, Gerald Veasley, Sandy Day, John Allen, Bob Leslie and Ricardo Martin from Freedom Theatre. She has received outstanding awards for entertainment from the U.S. government for the Mediterranean tour, the European tour, and the Caribbean tour. She also received awards from the Thule Greenland, North Pole. Resident Artist for the Art Well After School program. Marcy also taught healing workshops in Jamaica; vocal coach for The Woman’s Shekeres Ensemble; an African percussion group. A leader and founder of Better Days, Marcy was known as “Miss Ladyfingers of Soul, with an all-girls band, where she played a bass guitar and vocal. Touring the USA in USO shows and Army of Defense featured rap singer with the Cutaways, People of the Future; gospel soloist on Tapping the Power Within, CD by Iyanla Vanzant. Performing with Ubaka Hill percussionist and bass.
Marcy Francis is a member of Women’s Drumming group, Music Over Matter (M.O.M.) under the direction of Jan Jeffries.
Contact: 215 382 4158 * Email Missladyfingersbass@gmail.com
Carolyn Brandy
Teacher and Performer
Carolyn Brandy
is a percussionist, composer, educator, performer, cultural worker, and mom. She started playing the conga drums in 1968 and has been a pioneer in opening doors for women in the world of Afro-Cuban percussion. She has led six tours to the Island of Cuba to study music and dance with masters of Afro-Cuban folkloric music. She has a degree in music from Holy Names University in Oakland.
arolyn is a spirit teacher. She gained visibility and respect in the Women’s Music community in the seventies as a founding member of the jazz quintet Alive! It was groundbreaking. Women playing jazz! Not playing standard jazz, but jazz that grew out of a feminist woman identified esthetic.
Then Carolyn founded Sistah Boom in the SF Bay Area, a large mobile ensemble of women drummers, created to call community together, letting the drum invite us to our highest selves. Their first outing was at the San Francisco Gay Pride parade in 1981. The spirit of the room—or the street—rises when the sound of Sista Boom arrives on the scene.
Collaborating with many Bay Area Artists, Carolyn played with the vocal/percussion group OJALÁ! which was selected to attend the Festival Del Caribe in Santiago de Cuba in 2014.
Carolyn is the founder of the non-profit organization, Women Drummers International, and is the producer of the Born To Drum Camp for Women Drummers, which was created to inspire and empower women students, teachers and performers of hand percussion.
Fre Atlast
Teacher, Heartbeat Drum Facilitator
. Fre is a Multi-Instrumental Performer, Producer, Resident Teaching Artist, Composer, Foley Artist and Community Activist. She founded the Elders Drum Project in 1998 and has been teaching the Elders Method of music making to professionals ever since. Her mission is Drumming for Peace and Justice, following the vision of our elders and honoring our Ancestors.
