Dear EarthBeat Music Family,

Drum in Joy and Strum in Joy classes begin this week, and the EarthBeat Music Calendar has been updated with all of the following options for cultivating empathic and resilient communities through musical expression:
Th, September 11 - September Grateful Gathering: Live Your Life as a Pilgrimage
M, September 22 - Saratoga Peace Week Autumn Equinox Frame Drumming Workshop and Community Drum + Song Circle Celebration
M, September 29 - WomenSing for Peace September Sing
Sat, October 4 - West African Drumming Workshops with M’Bemba Bangoura at Malta Cultural Arts Festival
T, October 7 - Strum in Joy! 4 Week Series for Adults 60+ at Greenwich Free Library begins
Th, October 9 - October Grateful Gathering
Th, October 9 - EarthBeat Music Drum + Song Circle for Wellspring
M, October 27 - WomenSing for Peace October Sing
Th, November 13 - November Grateful Gathering
M, November 24 - WomenSing for Peace November Sing

Now let’s reflect and give thanks to the amazing August we just experienced together! (I highlight the events from the end of the month; the earlier part of the month was left open for personal time with a sprinkle of travel and great music!)

August 28
Our end-of-Summer EarthBeat Community Intergenerational Summer Drum + Song Circle was phenomenal, complete with bouncy houses sponsored by our friends at the Kayak Shak. Kids and adults bounced, drummed, danced and sang in the name of community. We raised $1200 for Master Drummer Namory Keita’s family. We focused on the themes of healing and celebrating, TOGETHER.

During our Drum Circle series we raised over $3000 for these community organizations: MaiSam Foundation/Van FM Soccer Program, Saratoga PLAN, Risse-Albany and Saratoga Immigration Coalition. Thank you again and again to all of the volunteer facilitators, to Beau Stallard and family for use of the Pavilion and to ALL OF YOU for showing up!

August 24
Seny Daffe and his son Fode visited our community for a day of West African drum and dance workshops - and so many laughs! We appreciate you, Seny and Fode!

August 23
Ballet Waramba featuring Ismael Kouyate offered a fabulous West African song and dance presentation at the Charles Wood Theater in Glens Falls as part of the “Beyond the Exhibit” Summer Series, hosted by the World Awareness Children’s Museum. Drum in Joy showed up and brought some positive, appreciative audience energy!