GLOBAL RHYTHM SANGHA –
ONE YEAR ONLINE COMMUNITY LEARNING EXPERIENCE
** 21.0 pre-approved CMTEs for Music Therapists through CBMT
Description:
Now on its 6th year running, Christine Stevens, MSW, MT-BC curates and hosts the global rhythm sangha, with world-class teachers and practices for maintaining a juicy drumming practice of cultural rhythms direct from the source to bring joy, happiness & creativity into your life.
Features of the course:
Sangha is a Sanskrit word for a community of practitioners in a shared tradition. Within the sacred lineage of drumming, we want to create a worldwide community of support, sharing, and teaching to continue our rhythmic path – in service to global awakening.
Using zoom.us, we will hold monthly teachings followed by breakout rooms to get to know other people in the Sangha. We will also offer open practicum times monthly where students can gather and meet each other, to practice the world rhythms.
The course features world rhythms from drum masters, detailed hand-outs, the private Facebook group – optional, and all video and audio recordings with permanent access and download capability.
Continuing Education Credits for Music Therapists – There are no pre-requisites to receive CEUs from this course, apart from being a music therapist. Global Rhythm Sangha is approved by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) for 21.0 continuing music therapy education credits. UpBeat Drum Circles, P-208, maintains responsibility for program quality and adherence to CBMT policies and criteria.
BONUS – 18-minute video teaching from Sule Greg Wilson on cultural competency and carrying sacred world rhythms into your life and work.
DATES: Two Sessions per Month *Always Recorded for Your Access*
Teaching Sessions – 2nd Saturday of Month @ 12pm Pacific Time USA
Practice Sessions – 4th Saturday of Month @12pm Pacific Time USA
Master Teachers for 2025:
Jan 25 – Christine Stevens – Welcome Drum Circle & Hand Drumming Basics
Feb 08 – Jamie Papish – Ayube Trance Rhythm from the Middle East
Mar 08– Nagmeh Farahmand – Persian Rhythms for the Frame Drum
Apr 12 – Walking Crow – Sacred Drum Medicine
May 10 – Krista Holland– Drumming the Chakras on the Sacred Frame Drum
Jun 14 – Richard Noel– Island Rhythms from Trinidad and Tobago
Jul 12 – Kasiva Matua – Rhythms of Joy from Kenya
Aug 9 – Lisette Santiago – Sacred Bata Drumming from Cuba
Sep 13 – Fantuzzi – Rhythms of Devotion and Joy from Puerto Rico
Oct 11 – Dramane Kone – Siwaya Healing Rhythm from Burkina Faso
Nov 08 – Christine Stevens – Review of All Rhythms & Celebration
Dec 13 – Christine Stevens – Drumming for Holiday Meditation
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the Cancellation Policy? If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.
2. How long can I access the recordings and materials of the course? You have unlimited life-time access to this course across all devices you own.
3. Do I need to have a drum? Actually, you ARE a drum. But during the course, we will be exploring different world percussion instruments including djembe, doumbek, frame drum, and hand drum. All of the rhythms can be played on any drum you have.
4. What if I can’t attend a LIVE call? Don’t worry. We post all the video recordings within 24 hours of the calls. You can download them or just log into the course homepage and view them later.
5. How good do I have to be at drumming to join the course? The course is open to ALL levels of drumming. All the teachers know how to teach to all levels. I will warn you – you will probably get better during this course. However, the course is equally about the purpose of each world rhythm for spirituality, health, celebration and community.
GLOBAL RHYTHM SANGHA 2024 TEACHER BIOS
Christine Stevens, Upbeat Drum Circles, Host is the author of Music Medicine, The Nature Sutras, and The Healing Drum Kit. The founder of UpBeat Drum Circles, she has appeared on NBC, PBS, Discovery Health and is on the faculty for The Shift Network. As a Musical Ambassador of Peace, Christine led the first drum circle training in a war-zone in northern Iraq. She teaches online training programs including Awaken Your Rhythm which has served hundreds of people from over 35 countries.
Jamie Papish is a session musician, teacher, band producer and gigging percussionist. He is daf drummer for the acclaimed Yuval Ron Ensemble, with members from enemy groups working to alleviate national, racial, religious and cultural divides. He plays many styles including Middle Eastern, Persian, Turkish, Greek, West African, Latin, Flamenco, Hip Hop and Country. He specializes in Darbuka, Riq, Daf, the Kurdish/Iranian Frame Drum with rings, Cajon, Djembe and Udu. Jamie lives in Los Angeles and also leads drum circles for ages 7 and up.
Naghmeh Farahmand is a Persian percussionist and daughter of one of the leading percussion masters of Iran, Mahmoud Farahmand. Naghmeh started playing the tonbak at age 6. She also studied the santoor under Faramarz Payvar and Pashang Kamkar. Besides learning traditional music, Naghmeh began learning Sufi and Kurdish rhythms on the daf from teachers Bijan Kamkar and Masoud Habibi. Naghmeh has performed in many well- known Iranian bands in festivals around the world. She was honored to perform with Hassan Nahid, Iranian master of the ney and Hengameh Akhavan, a famous singer of traditional music for years. In 2010 Naghmeh moved to Canada and started playing with Arabian, Bulgarian, Turkish, Indian and also Jazz. She has been teaching in different music institutes for 15 years and has taught master classes and workshops around the world. Naghmeh founded a percussion ensemble, Sharghi, while collaborating with Iran’s national TV for a decade. She also plays darbuka, dayereh, cajon, udu and drumset. She has published a book, Helheleh, that includes some pieces for the daf and is currently publishing her percussion CD, Drums & Dreams.
Walking Crow (Anthony Rodriguez) is a Shamanic drummer and drum maker. He uses Shamanic drumming to help others journey into dimensions to find their spirit guides, spirit animals, gifts, and healings. The guides and spirits taught Walking Crow to create Sacred Drum Medicine. He has been channeling drum medicine for many years and making drums for people all over the world. He recently published his book, Transformation of a Walking Crow. His drums are used in sacred ceremony around the world as a reminder of where we came from and our connection to the first heartbeat sound we heard. He lives in Sedona, AZ.
Krista Holland is a frame drum expert, yoga instructor, mythologist, and the founder of the Sacred Drumming Academy. She teaches on The Shift Network global platform for transformational learning. Long time student of Layne Redmond, Krista carries Layne’s slides of ancient images of women frame drummers which inspired her book, “When the Drummers Were Women.” Krista teaches others to play the frame drum as a tool for sacred practice, meditation, sound healing and the transformation of consciousness and culture. She is based in Asheville, OR
Richard Noel was born in the twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago. As a child, he became fascinated with drumming and global rhythms as drumming with family and community was a part of daily life. He studied aerospace engineering, until relocating to the US in 1998. Richard leads corporate seminars for Toastmasters International and others through his company Jam 2 Grow. As a REMO endorsed facilitator, Richard has also taken his expression to the corporate world as a motivational and inspirational tool, positively influencing people through a rhythmic experience they will never forget. Richard lives in Tucson, AZ.
Kasiva Mutua began learning drumming inspired by folktales told by her grandmother, yet developed her own style for powerful beats. One of Kenya’s leading percussionists and drummers, her expressive playing can tell a story on its own or keep a band perfectly in the pocket. Today, she’s an international touring percussionist, integrating African traditional music with modern styles such as Jazz, Hip-Hop, Reggae, Funk and more. Kasiva plays music to celebrate her community’s spirit, tell her people’s stories and elevate the place of the African woman in music. She’s been involved in numerous intercultural musical collaborations including The Nile Project, 1Beat, x-Jazz women, TED, and Coke Studio Africa, and is currently a Ted Fellow. She lives in Asheville, NC and Kenya.
Lisette Santiago is a Grammy-Award winning percussionist (2021), vocalist, composer and educator from Brooklyn, NY. Having been accepted into The Metropolitan Children’s Opera at age 9, Lisette later received classical and jazz vocal training at Fiorello LaGuardia H.S. of Music and Art and Columbia University’s joint program with The Juilliard School. Primarily versed in Latin percussion, Lisette studied and performed in Cuba and the US, and was first recognized as one of only a handful of female Batá players in the U.S. Lisette toured extensively with Cyro Baptista as a featured vocalist and percussionist. She has played notable venues such as Madison Square Garden, Radio City Hall, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola and The Kennedy Center.
Fantuzzi famously appeared on the cover of TIME Magazine during the Woodstock Music Festival. His African-Caribbean roots meld into ecstatic, transformational, interactive performances in Fantuzzi Music. Based in Hawaii, his music is “Mystic Latin, Reggae, Afro-Funk” – infused with the energies and rhythms of Salsa, Merengue, African drums, and devotional Kirtan. CDs include Ease & Grace, Tribal Revival and Divine Inspiration. He most recently recorded an upcoming project in Cuba.
Dramane Koné, master drummer, was born in Burkina Faso in West Africa and was soon recognized as a musical prodigy of the famous Kone griot lineage. By age 3, Dramane was studying djembe performance with his father and grandfather, both griots and master drummers with a lifetime of drum experience. In his early childhood, Dramane’s musical journey and his family were documented by filmmaker Taale Laafi Rossellini in the award-winning 1997 film Great Great Great Grandparent’s Music. From 1995-1996 Dramane taught music in Burkina Faso’s largest art center, Centre National D’Artisanat D’Art. He has performed as the master drummer of the Burkina Faso Ballet, traveling internationally. He has also performed with the African drum and dance group, Landiana. Dramane was a member of the Kone family’s group, called, Manding Djeli, playing African music, jazz, and blues. He also leads corporate team building through drumming with the world-famous Drum Cafe. His CD of traditional West African rhythms, “Mandeng Foli Kela”, was launched in 2018. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
