Balafon Music Classes
Mondays, January – June, 2026
6:15pm – 7:00pm
KST’s Alloy Studios | 5530 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $5 – $15 (Drop-In) / $50 – $100 (Full Session)
Feel the rhythm of the heartbeat of traditional African drumming with community music classes for everyone, beginner to advanced. Led by master musicians with decades of cultural knowledge and teaching expertise, percussion classes authentically access the diverse sounds and polyrhythms of West Africa.
Winter sessions will introduce a number of instruments from a range of rhythmic families– such as the djembe, doundouns, kutiro, and sabar drums, as well as the melodic balafon. Technical instruction and cultural context explore not just how to play these traditional instruments but also appreciate their significance. Dancers will connect more fully with African movement; musicians will learn something new; people of all ages will experience creating harmony together in an intergenerational space for spiritual uplift and community connection.
Experience the collaborative beauty of West African music-making as students learn to listen, respond, and contribute to collective rhythms. These sessions offer more than musical instruction—they provide a pathway to cultural understanding, stress relief, and the joy that comes from collectively making uplifting music out of many different sounds in the West African tradition.
Session Dates:
January 5 – February 9
February 16 – March 23
April 6 – May 11
May 18 – June 17
Photo Credit: Daniel Abusuampeh