It’s important to acknowledge and respect those that came before us in any form of musical endeavor we are part of. Be it traditional drumming from Africa, Cuba, Haiti or your local drum circle.
If you did not start it, someone or several people put in hard work to lay down the foundation for you and I to be there drumming in this spot, location or scene. It just did not magically appear one day.
Often times places, clubs, venues, drum circles, dance studios have histories. And it is usually a fight for survival.
If you are playing in a park then someone had to deal with town hall, the police or some form of bureaucracy.
The dance center you play in has probably fought battles to stay alive and no one has ever made it rich from playing hand drums. Everyone who came before us in the hand drum and dance scene has struggled. They struggled for survival, for gigs, for acceptance. They had to educate others including other musicians about the relevance pf percussion in modern music.
For many simply finding a place to play with out being harassed was tough.
The reason you have a drum in your hand, the reason it easy to study, to see drummers play or to even buy a drum yes buy a drum….is because our elders paved the way. Because others were there before us making it happen. And, If someone did not show someone else something and share information people would not have grown. It took people studying and sharing. Some one, some people had to share.
Yes the drum and dance scene would have happened no matter what, but the facts remain that because our elders strived, and sought information, we now have teachers here to share their knowledge with us. Your teacher had a teacher. And their teacher had a teacher.
Because people paid their way, put up the teachers, fed them and introduced them to people, this process paved the way to open doors for other teachers and performers to come here.
Before Youtube, people went to other countries and sought out teachers to learn.
It was not always easy to drum, to find drums or to study drums. And when I first started drumming there were not classes readily available, there were not teachers advertising for classes, there were no drum and dance retreats or even many albums to listen to to gain information.
Any place you hear people playing drums outside there have been people trying to stop them from playing in that spot, I guarantee it. Be it Central Park rumba or your local drum circle.
Every drum community has elders. has people that were there before you. Please acknowledge and accept them, thank them, honor them and remember this. Always take a moment to honor and respect those who came before you.