Supporting Samba
It has been over two years now since I started Maracatu and Samba, one in preparation for a trip to brazil and the other due to being inspired by that same trip. It has also been two years now since I have helped to support sessions teaching those two forms of percussion and helping encourage people of all ages to join us as we have performed all over the North East. It has been an incredible experience and one I hope my next three years at University will not be without.
This last year supporting sessions has been incredible and varied. I have had a fabulous time supporting sessions and seeing both groups grow. While I have been supporting both our Core sessions in Crook and our Outreach sessions in Durham, this last year I have been mostly helping with our sessions in Durham and seeing the group there grow and develop has been amazing. Many of the member at the Durham sessions are finally confident enough to join us when we perform and our Young Leader Sam has really managed to get them enthused about not Just Samba, which is all they had been doing until just a few Months ago, but also Maracatu, which they started at the end of April. They have really embraced this new style, which fills me with joy as it is my favourite of the two and I have loved being able to share this snapshot of Brazilian Culture with a new group of people.
While my main Role is to organise the Registers and such I also support the sessions themselves by ensuring people know how to use/wear the equipment and helping to transfer the knowledge of the teaching and rhythms by performing them with very clear and confident movements. The Last Year of Samba has been great as many members who had previously told me they probably wouldn't ever be confident in performing with us and were just happy to learn and take part in the workshops had come with us to perform, finnally feeling confident enough to do so and telling me that they raelly enjoyed it and want to do it more. While Normally I would wonder how much of this was confidence in their ability and how much was confidence in themselves, our recent forays into Maracatu have also had a large amount of support in performances from those people making me beleive that we have really worked to improve their general confidence as they have gone out to perform music that is new to them and that many have professed to me they still don't really know very well.
In summery it has been a fabulous year supporting these sessions and seing both the young leaders and the participants of the sessions grow and develop both in their drumming ability and in their confidence of self. While I will be leaving the Company after the Summer to pursue a degree in Theatre I hope to come back often as a participant and continue to be a part of this powerful and beautiful form of community band that has had such profound effects and really has a place in my heart