Global Drumabout 2016

globaldruma-general-icon2016

On the road again...

Here we begin Arthur's Drumabout Stories for 2016
Click on the country icon below to view the story.

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Beijing, China 2016

In Beijing the air is much clearer this year. Last year, after a full day walking around in the lake park district, I picked up the famous "Beijing Cough." After I left China on my last tour I took my my “Beijing Cough” with me. I hacked away for 3 more countries/Playshops before I got rid of it. read more

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Xi’an, China
 2016

Here you will find a combined “On The Road” and Playshop report for Xi’an China.  read on

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Hangzhou, China 2016

To start off the Hangzhou visit, (pronounced HungJoe), I did a drum circle at the "Cai He” high school which holds over two thousand students. Cai is the name of a particular lotus flower that grows in the region. One of my Level 2 Playshop students, Zhon Yao, a music teacher who works there, set up the one hour gig with about eighty 14-year-olds. read more

japan2016Japan 2016

It was impossible to send you a report of each and every event that I did on this "Japan DrumAbout" but now that it is completed, I will give you some of the highlights before moving on to Hong Kong. read more

Korea 2016 Spring

Pibong Cultural Village 
We did our Playshop at the Pibong Cultural Village. This village is situated in the foothills near the Southern city of Jeonju in the heart of the Korean peninsula. read more

Sydney, Australia July 2016

Before we begin, I’d like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land upon which we are meeting, and I offer my respect to all elders past and present.
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Brisbane, Australia July 2016 — A River Runs Through It

Like most Australian cities, Brisbane was founded upon ancient homelands of Australia’s indigenous peoples, specifically the Turral and Jagera peoples, who are still around the area today.  read more

Barcelona, Spain 2016

It is "Indian Summer" here in Barcelona, Catalonia Northren Spain. The city is right on the Mediterranean sea, and no matter where you are in the city, the breeze brings the ocean to you.  read more

 Copenhagen, Denmark 2016

E En To Alla Spil… That is '1 - 2 - Lets All Play' in Danish.
Here is a big thanks to Anne Kathrine Henriksen for hosting me in Denmark.
 read more

 Germany 2016, Part 1

At the 6-day VMC Playshop in Deutschland last year, I drew an outline of Germany on a large poster paper. I put a dot on the map near the center where the city of Kassel is, saying that I have visited Kassel so many times and for so many years that I didn’t really know where any other city was on the map.  read more

 Lübeck, Germany October 2016

LÜBECK is a beautiful old city in the very north of Germany. Near the Baltic Sea, it is one of the major ports of Germany. Situated on the the river Trave, the oldest part of Lübeck sits on an island enclosed by the river.   read more

 Germany DrumAbout 2016 - Kassel, Weimar and the Nazis

As Ben and I drove down the autobahn, going south through the rolling hills of Germany, it started to rain more and more. We were scheduled to do a drum circle at an outdoor  “Unity through Diversity" cultural celebration festival in the central German city of Kassel. When we got there, the rain slacked off a bit but the weather was still blustery and unpredictable so the drum circle had to be cancelled.  
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 Berlin, Germany Oct 2016 - Kids, Teachers, Elderly DCs

Berlin is BIG on drumming. You will find many Samba bands, Culturally-specific, and Taiko Drumming groups playing publicly throughout the city. There are also many drumming schools here as well.  read more

 Cologne, Germany - October 2016 

'Almost Bombed Out Drum Circle'
It is not uncommon that a WW II aerial bomb is uncovered from time to time during a construction project in Germany. I believe every large metropolitan fire department in Germany has an active bomb squad.  read more

 Germany DrumAbout – OCT 2016 – YouTube Learning “The little girl”

Jürgen Engel (Yurgen) was our only non-VMC graduate organizer on this tour. He is self-taught and has created the beginnings of a great drum circle community in the Frankfurt Germany area.  read more

 Germany DrumAbout – Ginsheim – OCT 2016

Christiane Meier, is our local organizer for the Ginsheim Germany area, but because of her job description and expertise her outreach went to professional music teachers from all over Germany. She even published an article about the concept of RAP in a publication distributed throughout Germany. read more

 Germany DrumAbout – Augsburg & Ingolstadt - 2016

This is the last day of our Germany DrumAbout 2017. We will do one program in each of two cities. Both towns of Augsburg and Ingolstadt are in near proximity to Munich, the third largest city in Germany. read more

 DrumAbout Germany ‘Wrap Up” – OCT 2016

Benjamin Flohr (Germany DrumAbout Organizer, Community Connecter, Driver, Head Roady, Scheduler in Chief) and I are still in pretty good shape considering that we visited 9 cities in 10 days while traveling 2,200 miles. read more

After Germany & before Scotland

After the Germany DrumAbout I spent my annual week with James Asher in his brand-spanking new studio. Great Musicical/Rhythmical Alchemy! AHHhhh… (a report will be forth coming)... read more

UK Mentor & 6-day Playshop at Wiston - Scotland 2016

Fall has fell at Wiston Lodge. When we arrived at the Lodge situated in the middle of the Scottish midlands, fall was in all it’s glorious colorful splendor. The giant birch tree that stood guard over the pond behind the lodge, was in full bloom with every hue of oranges, reds and yellows ...  read more

Palermo Italy RAP & Tour Wrap - NOV 2016

I am back once again in the seaside city of Palermo on the island of Sicily in the middle of the warm Mediterranean sea. It looks like Palermo, is becoming a regular last stop on my Fall European tour...  read more