Font ResizeThe workshops, which will focus on African rhythms, will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Fridays for the next eight weeks.
Lydia Velose, who will lead the workshops, started hand drumming when she was 12 years ago and a friend invited her to a hand drumming group in an Aztec book shop.
"I thought it was something I could do," Velose said, adding that she had no musical background.
Since then, Velose has studied a number of drumming styles, including Afro Cuban bell, clave, conga, djembe and dunan. She has also taught hand drumming classes at San Juan College.
Even though students were required to buy their own drums, Velose said every class she taught at the college filled up. The success of those classes influenced her decision to offer a class at the collective, where she has been a member for the last three years.
Unlike the college classes, participants in the collective's workshops will not have to buy their own drum; they can sign out a drum and practice with it.
The movements can help people with mood disorders and help build a sense of community, she said. Nowadays, people are often busy with isolating activities, such as computers and iPhones, but hand drumming is a group activity. The group will learn two or three rhythms and then put them in different patterns, she said.
The most challenging part of hand drumming, Velose said, is situating
Hannah Grover can be reached at hgrover@daily-times.com; 505-564-4652. Follow her on Twitter @hmgrover.
