From Norwich, UK

[johnsutton]

Hallo from someone who's a bit of a Luddite in respect of modern communication habits, so I'm quite likely to click some wrong buttons here. However, coming to the end of a summer break from my usual routines teaching djembe and dundun in Norfolk schools and at evening workshops, which I do my best to fertilise by going to plenty more workshops as an ongoing student... approaching the new term, my mind is jiggling again to all those tunes and has come up with the idea, not for the first time, that building connections with the online djembe community would be cool.

Though I've done nothing djembe-wise in Norfolk since late July, for the last week of July I was actually in a great place for joyful drumming and much besides at an event called Earthsong, in Tipperary, Ireland - a week-long camp of about 500 people that's hard to describe, but steeped in the rhythms of drum and song and rich humanity. Four years into its existence it's heavily oversubscribed but the organisers are wisely determined to keep it small, preserving the intimate magic, so to open it up to more people they're planning two Earthsong camps at different times next year, no larger. Check it out, if you're curious, at http://www.earthsong.ie. I reckon both camps will still sell out dead early. Real food for the soul.

After Earthsong I stayed in Ireland for another 3 weeks with my partner who lives in Cork. I plan to go live and work there for a year or so from the summer or autumn of 2011, taking a year out from my normal existence in Norwich, if I can sort out the tricky jigsaw puzzle of finding the right person / people to take over my work here for a year, etc etc. Maybe the online djembe community will uncover a possibility or two on those lines! In any case doubtless there's good stuff to find at Djembefola.com, helpful info & more, and I hope to be able to contribute something or other now and then.

John

[Paul]

Good man John..

I had had a similar idea about a djembe life swap to take over business while I sort out my itchy feet Think the trade would have to involve a 30c average weather wise. Cork is a good place, I can hook you up with some drummers..

Never been to earthsong. Anyway welcome.

[johnsutton]

Hi Paul,

thanks for your welcome. I took a look at your website; impressive stuff you've got going on there.

Drumming in Cork - I know there are workshops at the Coal Quay on Friday evenings. With a bit of luck I'll get there some time soon; I'm working towards organising my Norfolk school work this term so that I'll be entirely free for some Fridays and therefore able get to Cork early enough for that, occasionally. Were they the guys you had in mind?

John