Community African Drumming group starts September 27

Art Center East PO Box 541 La Grande, OR 97850 541-624-2800

September 1, 2022

Contact: 

Moira Madden at Art Center East

La Grande, Oregon. Art Center East’s Community African Drumming group starts later this month after its summer hiatus! Explore the drumming rhythms of traditional West African music. No experience is required and drums are provided. The group is open to community members ages 12 and older, and meets every Tuesday from September 27 through December 6, 2022. The group meets from 6:00 – 7:00 pm on the EOU campus in Loso Hall Room 123.

ACE Outreach Coordinator Moira Madden says, “This fun and welcoming group is a great way to learn how to play the djembe (a goblet-shaped drum played with bare hands) or refine your djembe skills! I encourage people to register soon for this popular class as it is filling up quickly.”

This fall the Community African Drumming instructor is Celine Burke. She holds an EOU Bachelor of Music degree with a focus on percussion performance and is a long-time member of the group. Speaking about African drumming, Burke comments, “I love that each person plays a short rhythm that interconnects with the short rhythms other group members are playing. This fun interconnection creates something larger than each drummer can play alone.”

Register online at artcentereast.org/calendar, via phone at 541-624-2800, or at ACE (1006 Penn Avenue) during business hours (Wednesday – Friday 12:00 -5:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm). Fall Term Community African Drumming registration fee is $45 for current ACE members and $55 for non-members.Youth scholarships are available for community members ages 18 and younger. Visit artcentereast.org/ace-youth-scholarship for information about the reduced cost opportunity.

Community African Drumming is part of ACE’s vital and longstanding Community Music Program that also includes private music lessons for children, teens, and adults taught by experienced ACE music educators. ACE continues its strong commitment to bringing the joy of music to community members of all ages in group and individual settings.

Browse the Fall 2022 ACE Class Schedule and learn more about ACE classes, exhibits, and events at artcentereast.org. Art Center East is located at 1006 Penn Avenue in La Grande. Regular gallery hours are Wednesday through Friday from 12:00 – 5:00 pm, and Saturday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. Exhibits can also be viewed online at artcentereast.org thanks to a partnership with John J. Howard Real Estate. Galleries are open to the public and admission is always free.

About Art Center East: Founded in 1977 as Eastern Oregon Regional Arts Council, Art Center East is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit arts services organization providing arts learning opportunities and experiences for rural students in its ten-county service area in Eastern Oregon, as well as art classes, art exhibits in its three galleries, and cultural events in its historic Carnegie Library building in La Grande. Art Center East also has a Community Music Program, which hosts private music lessons for children, teens, and adults, and a Community African Drumming group. The Community Music Program is a partnership between Art Center East and Eastern Oregon University.

Art Center East programs are supported by members and funded with donations and grants from local sponsors as well as regional and statewide foundations such as the Oregon Arts Commission and the Oregon Cultural Trust, among others. For more information, please visit artcentereast.org.