Play the African Marimba
Full of buzzing sound and energy, the marimba is a wonderful instrument to play. A typical marimba ensemble is made up of soprano, tenor, baritone and bass marimbas. They are acoustic instruments, making them easy to set up, and they are played using two sticks, making them easy to engage with.
Have a browse below to learn more about some of the types of workshops on offer.
School Workshops
The marimba is a wonderful classroom instrument that gives participants a multitude of learning experiences and outcomes. Playing in an ensemble boosts confidence, encourages creativity and concentration, and teaches participants to listen and work together in producing a harmonious sound.
Marimba workshop with young music students at World Heart Beat Music Academy in London
“The children really enjoyed the workshops yesterday and it was a great opportunity for them to learn about different styles of music!”
Diversity Day
Engaging your senses through music and rhythm is a great vehicle for cross cultural dialogue and understanding. Marimba workshops can be used in schools, community centres and theatres, or for private and corporate events. Participants get to experience southern African culture through its music and rhythms.
Icelandic students playing and singing a folk song from Botswana
Black History Month
Black History Month is an annual celebration of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is celebrated in October in the UK and marimba workshops can facilitate in the delivery of meaningful Black History Month events by giving participants the opportunity to play music and rhythms from southern Africa and learn about the rich histories of the continent - in a fun, hands-on and interactive way.
“I really enjoyed the classes! Your teaching style is about patience and consideration and I think you have a very good feeling for it.”
Team Bonding
Using soprano, tenor and baritone marimbas to form an ensemble, teams have the opportunity to bond over southern African rhythms, sharing in the co-creation of lovely music. Marimba workshops can include singing, clapping patterns and simple traditional African dance moves. Playing African music is a great way to bring any team closer together.
South Africa Day at Trinity Laban Conservatoire
Festivals & Retreats
With a warm and festive sound, the marimba is a perfect instrument to add to any festival workshop line up. The marimbas are fully acoustic so require no electricity and can be set up almost anywhere. Children and adults of all ages can play and make music together.
We have led marimba workshops at festivals and retreats such as Let’s Play Musicians (2021), Tropical Pressure (2019), Wilderness (2019), Norfolk World Music Festival (2018) and ZimFest UK (2017), to name a few.
Norfolk World Music Festival
What Will Participants Learn?
Participants will learn songs and rhythms from Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana. This includes folk songs, original marimba compositions and contemporary covers.
In addition to the marimba, participants can also learn traditional call-and-response singing, patterns on the hosho - traditional Zimbabwean shakers, hand clapping patterns, drumming patterns and traditional dance choreography.
The background to all songs taught is given for a well rounded cultural and historical understanding.
Workshop Set Up
Our marimba ensembles are built up using soprano, tenor and baritone marimbas. The sopranos hold the melody, the tenors add a rhythmic backing, and the baritones hold the beat.
We deliver our workshops by ear, the traditional African way, which enables students to more freely engage their senses and be present in the music and experience as a whole. Workshops require absolutely no previous experience or knowledge of reading music, playing the marimba or of African music.
Workshops can be as short as 30 minutes long for younger children, or as long as one hour to an hour and a half for older participants. Bookings can be made for half a day, a full day, or over several days.
Contact Us
If you are interested in having an African marimba music workshop, use the tab below to get in touch. We would be delighted to discuss your ideas.