Above: BandaBrava at Fiestaval, Olympic Plaza, 2013
WHAT'S ON THIS PAGE?...
Trudy's bio
Examples of past and ongoing projects
Testimonials from students and clients
Trudy's discography
Tips on buying a djembe drum
*Coming soon*: How to tune a djembe drum
Other things I'm into
TRUDY'S BIO:
Trudy Hipwell is a Calgary-based musician, specializing in West African and Latin drumming, and world-beat percussion.
She performs with Calgary’s Latin dance band BandaBrava, and her all-women’s West African drumming group, Rhythm Method.
Trudy is in demand for her knowledge and musicality, both as a teacher and as ensemble lead for West African dance accompaniment. Teaching, accompanying and performing have taken her to many places beyond Calgary to share her passion, and have introduced her to an international community of artists.
Seeking musical authenticity, Trudy studies with world-renowned international artists to hone her skills. She is privileged to study with West African djembefolas Mamady Keita and Famoudou Konate from Guinea, West Africa, and the late Jesus Alfonso and other members of Los Munequitos de Matanzas, from Cuba. Trudy has traveled to both Guinea and to Cuba, to deepen her musical understanding by connecting with the people and culture of these countries.
Between 2006 and 2012, Trudy had the privilege to study with Mamady Keita at his Professional level, by-invitation-only, workshops while he was based in the United States. She has played dunun drum accompaniment for a number of Mr Keita's workshops in the US and Canada.
Trudy has also brought the drumming home. She hosted Mr Keita in Calgary for two very successful drumming workshops in 2004 and 2006, events that she sponsored and organized.
Trudy enjoys diverse musical projects, performing and collaborating with a number of artists locally and regionally. In 2013 she accompanied Canadian Folk Music Award nominee Sora at the Nickelodeon Folk Club in Calgary, in conjunction with the CFM Awards, and at the release event for Sora's CD "Scorpion Moon" earlier in the year. The Mask and The Muse, a thematic concert of original material, was another collaboration with Sora. CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO.
Also in 2013, Trudy accompanied Celtic harpist, singer, and storyteller Jeff Stockton, at the concert celebrating the release of his CD "Between Two Lights." CLICK HERE and HERE FOR VIDEOS.
Performing with Rhythm Method at Circles of Rhythm's Rhythm Cafe (2011) CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO,
and at Child Watoto fundraiser (2012) CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO
Performing on congas with BandaBrava at Fiestaval, 2013, at Olympic Plaza. CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO.
PAST AND ONGOING PROJECTS - EXAMPLES:
Weekly classes in a month-long residency for grades 1 through 4 at a local elementary school, focusing on rhythm games, drumming repertoire, West African songs, and performance arrangements for a school Assembly presentation (2019). (Repeat booking, annual.)
A month-long residency for high school Dance students, focusing on creating a performance arrangement of traditional West African drumming for their year end Dance show (2019). (Repeat booking, every few years.)
A weekly drumming workshop with residential clients at a women's addiction treatment centre. Clients learn different rhythms each week on djembe drums, and have the opportunity to play a selection of other drums or small percussion instruments. We often create an arrangement with the music, and may include a song in a West African language. (Ongoing into 2020.)
A Clinic on traditional West African drumming music through Long And McQuade Music, in conjunction with their Drum and Percussion Month activities (2017). The presentation (achieved with the assistance of a group of colleagues and students!) focused on the relationships between the different drums in the ensemble and the rhythmic/polyrhythmic nature of this music, using examples from the repertoire, songs, dances, and cultural background/stories.
Senior Instructor and Curriculum Advisor for the One World Drum Company, teaching their Intermediate and Advanced level adult evening classes in traditional West African drumming. (From 2000 through 2016, when their business moved on-line.) Created performance arrangements for the students' bi-annual student recitals; offered specialty workshops in djembe soloing, dunun drum fundamentals, music notation for non-musicians, and popular Latin and Afro-Cuban music on congas.
A one- or two-class workshop for a local high school Band. Students experienced a hands-on exploration of polyrhythm through traditional West African rhythms, on djembe and dunun drums. (Repeat booking, annual.) In some years students experienced West African dance as well. In that situation drumming repertoire was tied in to the dance repertoire.
A week-long residency at the Calgary Arts Academy for grades 6 though 9 (2014), and a series of ten drumming and dance workshops for grade 12 dance students at a local high school (2015), both in conjunction with a specialist West African dance instructor.
In both cases, students learned a choreographed West African dance, and an arrangement of traditional rhythms on djembe and dunun drums to accompany the dance, including call/response sequences and a song in a West African language. The workshop series culminated in performances at all-school Assemblies, and at the high school year-end Dance Program shows.
Single 50-minute drumming workshops for all grades 4 - 6 students (seven groups) on a special Arts Day at a local private school. Each class learned different repertoire, including traditional rhythms on djembe drums, call/response sequences, and a song in a West African language. (Repeat occasional booking.)
A single two-hour workshop for K-6 teachers of a local school board. The teachers learned djembe and dunun repertoire and supporting material for use with grade 4 - 6 students. Usually two sets of rhythms/material are covered in each session - traditional rhythms, suggestions for arrangements, songs. Supporting notation and documentation provided. (Repeat occasional booking. Four different rotating programs.)
A single two-hour workshop for University jazz dance students, featuring djembe and dunun drumming repertoire to complement their West African dance component. (Repeat occasional booking.)
A collaborative presentation of Guinea/West African drumming, dance, history, and culture, in conjuntion wtih the Calgary Public Library's 2013 "One Book, One Calgary" event. (Feature book: The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill.)
A one-of workskhop with students of a local dance studio (approx grades 4 through 8). The students learned rhythms on an assortment of drums and percussion instruments to integrate into their song and dance performance piece. Supporting notation and documentation provided.
One-hour drumming workshops for a corporate client, at an annual activity day for their company. Participants learned traditional West African rhythms and an arrangement of the music including call/response passages, and a song in a West African language. (Repeat booking; annual event.)
TESTIMONIALS FROM STUDENTS AND CLIENTS:
ADULT WEEKLY STUDENTS:
"Drumming classes are the highlight of my week. I really enjoy your teaching style, and I'm glad you work on technique as well as full scale songs [sic. arrangements]" C.M.
"Drumming is more to me than music, it has been about being part of an amazing community that you create in your classes." L.B.
"I feel very lucky to have had this activity [drumming] and especially with such an experienced teacher. You are expert at what you do and bring so many personal qualities and understanding to your teaching." N.W.
"Trudy is an inspiration. Her teaching skills are excellent. She is also very patient and communicates well with her students." Student at Free House Dance Plus.
"You will never cease to be a source of inspiration to me... your talent, your strength, your professionalism." K.B. drumming student and owner, local dance studio.
ADULT RECREATIONAL WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS:
"Always wanted to try drumming, but [previously] felt intimidated - this was comfortable and fun."
[the drumming session] "...was fun, relaxing, rejuvenating. We were all smiling lots throughout."
"I feel like I learned a lot and was following along with ease."
CHILDREN'S DRUM AND DANCE WORKSHOPS:
"The drumming and dance classes were a huge success. The students were on task and engaged the entire time. It was an absolutely fabulous afternoon." C.T. grade 4/5 teacher.
TEACHERS ATTENDING REPERTOIRE WORKSHOPS:
"I liked learning new patterns that I can actually take back to the classroom."
"I will be able to put all of the material from this session to use with my students ...as I did last year, creating a master piece for my grade 6 class."
PERFORMANCES:
Rhythm Method:
"The audience thoroughly enjoyed your wonderful performance that caught everyone's attention." Organizing committee, celebration of 55th anniversary of the Republic of Guinea.
"Everyone enjoyed the African dancing and drumming. ...you got such great audience participation." H.T. Organizer, African fundraising event.
BandaBrava:
"Thank you to the amazing BandaBrava! You were all absolutely fantastic, and added to the energy of our event. My committee couldn't have been more pleased with our choice." C.C. Co-organizer, province-wide (Sask) fundraising gala event.
Worldbeat drumming and percussion:
"Thank you for bringing your artistry and gifts to my music." J.S.
DISCOGRAPHY:
"Latin Beat" - Latin Beat (now BandaBrava) (2007) [congas, bongos, backup vocals]
"Ubuntu" - the One World Drummers (2003) [sopranino recorder]
"Rhythm Method" - Rhythm Method (2001) [djembe, dununs, percussion, vocals]
"Removing the Mask" - The Urban Tribe (1998) [drum kit, bowed psaltery]
"Soulwork" - Hands On (1997) [djembe, dununs, native flute, kalimba, percussion]
TIPS ON BUYING A DJEMBE DRUM:
Finding and buying a djembe drum is a very personal experience. Many djembes are hand made and therefore unique, both in voice and in appearance. Following are some things to keep in mind as you seek Your djembe.
SIZE. The djembe should be the right size for you. When the djembe is standing on the floor, the head should be just above your thigh height when you’re sitting comfortably with your feet flat on the floor. Taller person, taller djembe, and vice versa.
Note: larger diameter djembes will have a lower sound when tuned within their optimum range, versus a smaller diameter. Really large diameter djembes can sometimes be difficult to tune to optimum range.
CRACKS. No cracks! Minor cracks are OK in the stem of the djembe, but if there are cracks in the bowl, it’s generally advisable to stay away from this instrument.
Check for fill – a mixture of sawdust and glue. If the drum has too many of these patches (sometimes used to fill in cracks), it’s also best to stay away. Sometimes knots are filled or patched, and this isn’t so bad, but should be checked carefully as sometimes cracks can radiate out from the knot.
SHAPE. The drum should be generally round when looking down from above (although I have heard some elliptical ones that sound great!), and should be flat across the top when viewed from the side (i.e. it should not look like the Saddledome!).
THE HEAD (goatskin). Check the head for any holes or splits. Splits can be less obvious near the rings, but this is a place they often fail, so check carefully along the sides of the head next to the rings. If you look into the drum from the bottom while holding it up to the light, you can often see thin spots and holes or splits in the skin.
WORKMANSHIP. Check inside the djembe. Many djembes are beautifully decorated on the outside, but it is important that the inside of the drum is also finished well. (Good djembes from Guinea have a characteristic spiraling chisel pattern inside, in both the stem and bowl, and a sharp angle where the stem joins the bowl – you can feel this angle if you reach inside the drum). The wall thickness of the drum should be about 3/4 inch to an inch. Poorly made drums will have some or all of the following characteristics: rough interior finish; small or rough opening between the stem and bowl; the inside of the bowl is conical, rather than mirroring the exterior shape (you can tell if you reach up into the bowl, if your hand doesn’t go “around the corner” into the bowl); thicker walls; very thin walls.
PLAYING EDGE. It adds to playing comfort if the playing edge has a larger diameter curve to it versus a square-ish edge.
HARDWARE. Make sure the rope and metal rings are sturdy. (I’ve seen coat hanger wire and string!)
Look (from below) for a small gap between the rings and the body of the djembe. If there is no gap at all, you may not be able to tune the drum, and it will be very difficult to re-head later. If the gap is too large (if you can fit an entire finger in the space), the rings could be too large for the djembe, and may put additional stress on the head, leading to premature head failure as you tune it up. However, if you simply just have to have a particular drum and the rings are not ideal, they can be changed out when you replace the head for the first time.
TUNING. If the drum you're interested in isn’t tuned, ask the person/store who is selling it to tune it up for you, so you can hear what it sounds like. Most djembes are shipped de-tuned, to minimize the stress on the head during transport. For traditional West African music, you will want to buy a djembe for its open tone and slap, not its bass. If you are playing other styles of music with your djembe, the bass might be of more interest to you.
"YOUR" DJEMBE. Finally, you will know “your” djembe when you find it. If you don’t absolutely love a djembe – how it looks and how it sounds when you are playing it – don’t buy it. “Your” djembe will eventually find you!
Happy hunting!
*COMING SOON*
HOW TO TUNE A DJEMBE
OTHER THINGS I'M INTO
I play recorders with the CALGARY EARLY MUSIC SOCIETY. We get together once a month to play the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music we all enjoy. Let me know if you'd like to join us!
SHAMANIC STUDIES: I belong to the Northern Lights Dancers Lodge, a local group providing workshops and shamanic experiences based on the teachings of the Sweet Medicine Sundance Path, a Path for all Seekers of any background. You can access our programming through www.Meetups.com, by searching for the Calgary Meetup group Shamanism Calgary.