Passport West Class: Improvisational Solos

Name: Passport West Class: Improvisational Solos
Start: 2025-09-20T09:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-09-20T16:00:00-04:00
Location: Francine Delaney New School for Children, 119 Brevard Rd., Asheville, 28806

Schedule

Sat Sep 20 2025 at 09:00 am to 04:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Francine Delaney New School for Children, 119 Brevard Rd., Asheville, 28806 | Asheville, NC

Join us for our Passport West all-day drum workshop in Asheville, taught by the amazing Robin Bountou Leftwich of Happy Beat Drumming. The topic is Improvisational Solos. Appropriate for all skill levels
In this class students will learn how to use traditional solos as a starting point for building your own improvisational solos. Basic techniques and common solo licks will be revealed to the students who will then have the opportunity to practice soloing in a failure-free environment.
Each class is $100 if it's your first time taking the series, and when you complete all 8 classes, repeats are just $50. Payment can be made using PayPal to [email protected], or see the Happy Beat website for other payment options. When you register, *please send an email* to [email protected] too, so we can plan for the size of the group.
The Passport series of classes gives drummers the opportunity to develop skills, learn new rhythms and have fun drumming with a great group of drummers. All classes are for any skill level and it's fine to jump in anytime in the series. If you know Bountou, then you know that each class is fun and packed full of content!
During our classes, we cover:
History of the rhythm
Djembe and Dunun parts
Rudiments and improved sound/technique
Reading/Writing djembe/dunun music
And much more
All Passport West classes are 9 am - 4 pm at the Francine Delaney New School for Children, 119 Brevard Rd., Asheville, 28806. Map and Directions: https://fdnsc.net/admission/visit/.
If you'd like to bring your lunch, there are picnic tables on the school grounds or visit one of the many area restaurants for dine-in or takeout.
Bring your djembes and as many dununs as you want to use and carry. These classes are always a blast and it's amazing how much can be learned in one day of unbelievable fun!
The incredibly talented and fun Robin Bountourabi Leftwich from High Point, NC brings instruction and humor to every class.
Here are the upcoming Passport West dates to add to your calendar.
September 20 - Improvisational Solos
October 18 - Performance
November 15 - Introduction and Foundational Rhythms
Looking forward to drumming with you all!
https://happybeatdrumming.com/