African Drumming Concert at Drake

For the fifth-graders at Hardy and Bishop Elementaries, African Drumming is one of the most beloved parts of their music/chorus classes and yesterday, they were able to share that with some of the Senior Citizens who live in Drake Village.

Yesterday morning, roughly 30 fifth-graders played drums and sang for a large group of Drake residents.

"Our residents love something like this," said Bill Fish, the president of the Drake Village Association.

Drake Village is an elederly and disabled housing complex in Arlington Heights with 264 residents that often collaborates with the schools on programs like these.

Not all of the students that performed had a drum. Some played giant tubs, others played Halloween pumpkins. "We don't have enough drums for all the students," Music Teacher Janet Welby said. Still, the lesson works: "That is what they do in Africa. They find what they can."

The students explored three different levels of rhythm in their concert. "When I teach African drumming, everyone has a great time," Welby said.