We are Pete & Jo and together we have somehow managed to establish a wonderful drumming community in South East Essex. It has been a truly organic process which started as a tiny gathering and has grown and changed across the years.
Our drumming circles began at the roundhouse in Hadleigh Country Park, way back at Yule 2009, with a few friends and children brought frame drums, made a fire and celebrated the solstice and the deepest, darkest of days. We loved it and so next solstice we did it again, this time in the lightest of the light at midsummer. More people came – and so it continues to this day. Sadly in the meantime we have lost the roundhouse to natural decomposition – it was only ever an archaeological experiment but we loved it regardless – and our circles have morphed from frame drum circles in to Djembe and Dun Dun Workshops, which are popular and dynamic. So what we offer now is different to how we kicked off, but that’s life isn’t it, we move and change with the times.
Over the years we also established successful frame drum making workshops, using genuine and locally sourced materials – again this developed organically and came about from drum circle attendees asking where they could buy a drum. We decided to learn to make them and offer out the experience for the added investment of time and energy creates a very personal and much loved finished instrument. We do not offer specific drum making workshop dates these, but if asked specifically we are able to put on a special day.
Importantly to us, our ethos at JamBeats has always been to be inclusive, affordable and available to the community. We have never sought to make money from the drums and have kept fees as low as we can, simply to cover expenses and come Christmas time, if we are in profit, we donate to a children’s charity.
We welcome all-comers – skilled and experienced drummers and novices alike. Older children are welcome as long as they are strong enough to hold a djembe for two hours, it can be challenging.