Grow Your Own Music Workshop

In this hands-on workshop, participants explore the fundamentals of polyrhythm by playing essential rhythmic patterns such as 3:2 and 4:3. A key feature of this experience is crafting DIY musical instruments inspired by traditions from across the African Diaspora. Using natural materials—gourds, bamboo, vines, nuts, seeds, shells, pods, hides—and repurposed or recycled items like bottles, cans, utensils, beads, and string, participants create their own instruments. The workshop concludes with a collective jam session where everyone plays their handcrafted instruments alongside percussion rhythms. Often, this culminates in an impromptu comparsa (parade), celebrating community and creativity.