Featured from the Museum
Edwina Lee Tyler Collection Coming 2010 
Women are the largest number of participants of hand drumming workshops, retreats and gatherings throughout the modern world. Since the early 70's, women and girls have consistently been finding their way to playing hand drums of all types. Comparable to tribal and indigenous life elsewhere, in North America women are giving birth to a socio-cultural norm as did our aboriginal relatives. Every day women and girls of all ages are desiring the experience, skill and art of individual and group drumming. As a result of years of exposure to women drumming, new drummers are entering the drummer's path at a higher level of confidence, comfort, knowledge and skills compared to that of 10 years ago. The music and instruments women are most interested in and specializing in include the Djembe, Djundjun, Dumbek, Riq, Tar, Kpanlogo, Ashiko, Bata and Conga; the music of West Africa, Brazil, Middle East, Cuba, and In the U.S., women are creating and sustaining women-only weekend drumming retreats. In 2009 we had the 12th Annual "Happen'n" in upstate NY. "Born To Drum" in California held their 4th. We also had the 3rd "Bumbada" women's drum camp in Pennsylvania. Women in Canada held their 17th annual "Ontario Womyn's Drum Camp". The first "drum camp for women" I taught at was called "Moon Sisters Drum Camp" in 1995 in the Sedona, CA area which may have been the first all-women drum camp in the U.S. In Indianapolis, "The Women's Drum Center" is the first not-for-profit organization established in 1998. And more recently "The Elder's Drum Project" in upstate NY and "The Young Women's Empowerment Project" in Washington, DC show the wide range of women's ages. Women and girls are discovering a context, a purpose for drumming by participating in these venues. Many women are integrating hand drumming in their professions as classroom teachers, healthcare professionals, mind-body therapists, musicians, poets, performers and corporate staff development facilitators. Some women have been able to create full time professions as drum circle facilitators and teachers. In general, drumming has become integrated into our home-based communities and in a diverse representation of professional fields. Other cultural - economic developments are the cottage industries of women drum-makers, importers, vendors and crafters. Retail drum stores are on the rise as are instructional and music CDs. We are experiencing more all-female drumming performing groups of varying ages. Women are creating signature drums, bags, tools, accessories and are designing drums with goddess and women inspired motifs, as the work of Raven Tekwe of CO and Elizabeth Orleski of NY. There has also been an increase in academic and scholarly research papers about women's drumming and its relationship to social-cultural, changes in the U.S. and globally. We are finding many more books authored by women about drumming, its use and historical legacy. Layne Redmond initiated the first writing of such a book in the U.S. "When The Drummers Were Women". Raven of "Wing of The Heron Drums" co-created the first signature djembe style drum named the "Ube". Commercial manufacturers of hand drums are also profiting from an increasing consumer market of women by making signature drums designed by (and or 'for') women drummers such as Layne Redmond and Alessandra Belloni. Please participate in my on-line "Women and Drums Survey" so that we can continue to chart our progress, direction and overall development. Ubaka Hill - Publisher/Editor, Founder-Curator of The Drumsong Institute Museum of Women's Drumming Traditions ~ * "When Women Drum" is an on-going discourse resulting from research, experiences and documentation towards Ubaka's book of the same title.
The "DrumMa" Award was conceived by Ubaka Hill to honor women who do innovative work in the drumming community. It is the first ever award for women drummers and is for longevity in the areas of innovation, pioneering work, teach Edwina Lee Tyler, of NY, dance and drum teacher for over 30 years received the first DrumMa Award on July 8, 2007. The 8 pound steel statue was commissioned by Ubaka Hill and created by Abbe Graber of Saugerties, NY. Letter imprints were hammered into the "DrumMa" statue , one tiny letter at a time, and it read on one side: "U Edwina stood in a circle with her students Marcia Bernstein, Carmen Castro, Irene Siegel, and Wind Vogel to receive The DrumMa in her home. As they played subtle music a wrapped cowrie shell was passed from hand to hand until it reached Edwina, who held it while Marcia said that it was blessed with the energy and prayers of women attending The Happen'n the previous weekend. The women had charged the shell to remind Edwina of how dearly she is loved and treasured for her talent, heart, spirit, and presence. Edwina held it lovingly for a long time, then placed it in a prominent place in her living-room. Leaf Miller (NY ) and Fre Atlast (NY) also received the first annual "DrumMa" Award at The Happen'n 2007 . Story by Marcia Bernstein, Long Island, NY ~ The 2nd Annual "Druma Awards"2008
 The 2nd Annual DrumMa Award recipients were announced on December 13th, 2008 in Woodstock, NY. The DrumMa Award 2008 goes to Layne Redmond ; Frame Drum, author: When The Drummers Were Women (FL)
Carolyn Brandy Conga, Teacher, Producer (CA)
Caru Thompson Shekere, Teacher, vocals (NY )
The announcement of the 2009 "DrumMa Award" recipients will be announced 2010. See you at "The Drummys"--
January 19, 2010
Women Who Teach Drumming
Imagine A Million Women Drummers A Global Focus for the heart of our nations 2010 ~ 2013 When Women Drum
Have you participated yet ? YouTube Video Feature
Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project Washington, DC
Women Drummers Receive The DrumMa
Drum Sistory
Volume 1 Issue 4
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When Women Drum
native shamanism. There is also a rise in creating new folkloric genres. We see this indicated in our current online survey and new music cds. This is different from 30 years ago when the drums women played most in the U.S. were congas, bongos and kit drums.
The West African Djembe drum is the most popular drum played by women in the U.S., and internationally in such countries as Australia, Japan and throughout Europe. Other drums include the family of frame drums and various other percussion instruments of interest such as the Shekere, a gourd and bead instrument. The frame drum is the oldest drum type played by women, found throughout ancient civilizations from Greece to Siberia and Native American tribes. We can now find workshops that focus on developing the skill and musical knowledge of these instruments.
ing and imparting the development of women's drumming traditions of North America.
baka Hill Museum and Archive of Women's Drumming Tradition" and on the other side: "The Drum is a Woman: Presented to Edwina Lee Tyler 2007". The first DrumMa Award was presented at The Happen'n in upstate N.Y.
