Traditional and Contemporary Styles

Our teachers are experienced at teaching Djembe across a variety of styles, from West African traditional music used at weddings and rituals to Jazz, Soul and modern Pop music percussion.

Across these genres there are a huge range of different techniques and approaches to playing a Djembe drum and our different members within our Djembe teaching community specialise in teaching them to students all over the world.

Many of our students start as complete beginners who might not even know what a Djembe is or never played one in person before their first session. For intermediate and advanced Djembe players who have some experience in playing, we can create a tailored course of lessons based on your individual goals that will guarantee rapid progress In a short amount of time. Areas that can be focussed on include learning your favourite songs, developing skills like improvisation, composition and stagecraft for playing live music.

Reach the Next Level on Djembe

Alongside teaching students of all playing abilities and styles, at MusicTeacher.com we also welcome students of any age. We have tutors specialising in lessons for children who are complete beginners, to adults who have never seen a Djembe or are even revisiting the Djembe after many years away. Whatever your age or ability, we are confident you will find a teacher that is perfect for your playing goals and individual learning needs. 

For those who have a little experience but are looking to push their playing to the next level, our teachers have a wealth of knowledge and experience to get you inspired and progressing rapidly on your own musical journey.

Our teachers can offer a variety of different approaches such as helping students to prepare for auditions for a Music school or college, taking them through graded examinations, these grades have a set syllabus of techniques and information to learn and be performed in an exam environment.

Grades are a great way for children to begin taking their instrument more seriously and measure success with a written qualification. Teachers can assist you in learning technical exercises, how to read music notation or even learn music theory.

A big area in the world of percussion is being able to understand rhythm within music and how different rhythms played on the Djembe can totally transform a piece of music with other instrumentation.

Our teachers can take you through the different note values, accents, rests and how to read these within music and apply them to the Djembe, with different hand techniques to achieve many unique and different sounds on this wonderful instrument. If you are looking to learn the Djembe purely as a hobby or for your own enjoyment, we have tutors that will be happy to teach you how to play your favourite songs, with relaxed, fun and engaging lessons within the comforts of your own home either in person or online.

Are you a Djembe Teacher?

I am always on the lookout for more Djembe teachers to invite to join the international MusicTeacher.com teacher database and help them grow their online and in-person student numbers.

In particular, teachers who have a real passion for developing and helping their students learn to play the music that the student is inspired by. By blending technical exercises and music theory with the songs that their students enjoy listening to and playing, it creates a fun and engaging learning environment for students of all ages and abilities. I can help you build streams of students, grow your teaching business and establish a great career as a music educator.

Our community of Djembe teachers are based all over world, with many teaching national and international students online via a platform such as Skype or Zoom, but the majority of our teachers are teaching in-person lessons to students within their local area. To find out more about joining our guitar teacher community visit the Become a Teacher page.

What is a Djembe Drum?

The Djembe is one of West Africa’s most famous and well-known instruments. It is an almost goblet-shaped drum that is carved from a single piece of hardwood and topped with animal skin as a drumskin. In western music, the Djembe is used as a common instrument in the percussion category. The original meaning of the word Djembe comes from the word ‘Dje’ which means gather and ‘be’ means everyone. So, the original meaning of this drum actually was to gather everybody together as it so often does within the local villages. The Djembe drum is likely around 800 years old, and was created in the Malian empire by the Mandè people and soon swept all over West Africa.

The Djembe is one of West Africa’s most famous and well-known instruments. It is an almost goblet-shaped drum that is carved from a single piece of hardwood and topped with animal skin as a drumskin. In western music, the Djembe is used as a common instrument in the percussion category. The original meaning of the word Djembe comes from the word ‘Dje’ which means gather and ‘be’ means everyone. So, the original meaning of this drum actually was to gather everybody together as it so often does within the local villages. The Djembe drum is likely around 800 years old, and was created in the Malian empire by the Mandè people and soon swept all over West Africa.

The Djembe has a pivotal role in West African culture, and would be played at a number of different events and ceremonies within villages, these could include Weddings, Funerals, Rituals and any event in which people would come together. It is said that at one time, the Djembe drums were used by neighbouring tribes to communicate with each other from far away, as the soundwaves would travel a much greater distance than voices alone.

Djembe drumming is an ancient artform and the teachers of today are proud to continue to carry the legacy and spirits of their ancestors onto future generations through the drum, their rhythms speak stories of many years ago and this concept can be incredibly exciting for both teachers and students to learn. Even though the traditional Djembe could be seen as a dying artform, the Drum itself is making its way into the global consciousness through the vessel of pop music. It has been used by artists such as Ben Harper and Jason Mraz and who have brought the Djembe drum into the charts and mainstream western ears. This hopefully will carry the legacy of the Djembe far and wise, with many new students learning to play this fantastic instrument.