Drumming is timeless and universal. The oldest examples of crafted drums come from Asia around 8,000 years ago, but no one doubts that humans everywhere have been using rhythmic beats for self-expression, communication and inspiration for as long as there have been humans. Anyone who’s ever been immersed in the bliss of a packed dance floor gets it: the beat of the drum is where the music lives. And for Ubaka Hill, it’s a calling.
“All of our cultures around the world, we find the drum as a central voice within the community: for healing, for calling the community together for group singing, music making, merry making—celebrations and rituals of all sorts,” says Hill, who’s played and taught the instrument all over the US and around the world. “Celebrating the harvest, celebrating the sun, the moon cycles—all of it, you drum. So it's familiar to all of us. Some of that familiarity has been overshadowed by misogyny and militarism, and women have had to rediscover the drum. But in many cultures, the drum is considered the heartbeat of the mother—we were all born of a uterus, and the rhythm and the beat of our birth mother's heart is the most primal experience we have of sound.”
For over three decades, Hill has devoted her energy to bringing a cohesive, folkloric and inclusive drum culture to the US at venues, festivals and schools. Growing up in Jersey City in the 70s, very aware of civil rights, social change and the world’s desperate need for peace and healing, she was 17 when she saw her first woman drummer and a clear pathway forward. “As a young female and a musician, studying the drum, there wasn’t a lot in academia or culture about women’s drumming,” she says. “You just didn’t see it. Then I met Edwina Lee Tyler, who played Conga and Djembe. That was the permission I needed to get going and early on I wanted to emphasize women’s drumming and create an environment that encouraged and inspired that.”
Projects she’s currently involved with that bring that closer to fruition include the Million Women Drummers Gathering Global Community she founded in 2010, the Peaceful Guardians project with Evry Mann, and the African Roots Library; she’s a teaching artist with the Kingston school district and a member of the Women’s Leadership Center Advisory Group at Omega Institute. Her Drumsong Orchestra of the Hudson Valley, a national performance group, meets for workshop sessions every Wednesday at Kingston’s Old Dutch Church, sessions open to any woman who wants to unleash her beat. Donations are appreciated; all drums are welcome, as are participants who need to borrow one.
“It’s an environment where women of all skill sets, or none at all, can come and learn to play together,” says Hill. “The connective tissue is the narrative I bring, the narrative of women’s empowerment through the ancient lineage of women’s drumming. Many cultures have been able to maintain that; I’d like to usher it into existence here. So, I like to call them playshops, because you’ll have a fun, joyful experience and learn the basics you need to be comfortable. Doesn’t matter if you never touched a drum; doesn’t matter if you’re shy and don’t think you could ever perform. Just come join us. Once you have a little technique in your hands, you can play on any surface.”
Modern science has “discovered” a long list of benefits of drumming: it’s proven to be healthy for your brain, immune system, cardiovascular system and muscles, and reduces stress hormones with sweet, sweet doses of dopamine. None of this is surprising to millions of indigenous drummers around the world or to the thousands who’ve participated in Hill’s workshops and playshops, where the drum is a pathway to deep human connection. “I’m not just teaching drumming,” she says. “I center it in a larger conversation about women’s empowerment, creative expression, and wellness for mind, body and spirit.”
Opportunities to experience the Drumsong Orchestra this summer include Saturday, July 20 at the Rosendale Street Festival, where they’ll be playing the Theater Stage at 5:30 pm, and the Caribbean Carnival at Cantine Field in Saugerties on August 17.
