Holly delivers monthly workshops with her group Juba do Leão. Come along to a JUBA JAM!

Holly is an experienced workshop facilitator with delivery experience in a variety of settings including mainstream education, special education (with specialism in S.E.N.D.), higher education, corporate, community, summer schools, residential weekends, staff CPD, and more. She is known for her skill in connecting with each participant to help them get the very best out of their personal learning experience, and she also likes to have a right laugh in the sessions.

Though many of her Afro-Brazilian themed workshops are bespoke depending on the group they are for, Holly regularly delivers variations of the following music training:

MARACATU

This introductory Maracatu workshop packs percussion punch, with the option to enjoy alfaia, caixa, gonguê, abê/shekere, and mineiro/ganzá. Maracatu dates back to the pre-1800s, where the enslaved in Brazil would honour and celebrate the traditions and rituals of their African homelands as their culture mingled with European influences and the native Indian roots of what became Brazil.

Get the Maracatu ‘hit’ whilst taking away new musical information, see how the style has survived and progressed over time, and enjoy the opportunity to play authentic instruments (with enough alfaias for every player to harness the power of the bass drum simultaneously!). This workshop will briefly explore the history of Maracatu to give all ‘batuqueiros’ (drummers) an insight into the rich journey this Carnival style has made over time.

• This workshop is suitable for small groups (5-10 players) right up to 60 people.
• It caters for complete beginners up to experienced percussion players.
• It can last from 1.5 hours (introductory session) up to a full weekend and beyond, depending on the level of detail the group has time to digest.

For information about all workshop fees and options, visit the contact page here.

CÔCO CHEGOU / SOUNDS OF THE SEA

Join Holly for a taste of the Pernambucan coast in this workshop celebrating Côco, with a splash of Ciranda. Having enjoyed a more in-depth study of these beautiful styles with renowned Brazilian artists Andreza Karla (grand daughter of Dona Selma do Côco and daughter of Dona Aurinha do Côco) and Alessandra Leão, Holly is bursting with songs and sounds from the Northeast. Featuring alfaia technique, snare grooves, and hand percussion mini-lessons in mineiro, pandeiro, and triangle, this workshop gives a flavour of the various feels behind Côco playing.

As someone who found her voice by accident as a result of her long-term research into Brazilian percussion-driven music, Holly encourages everyone to ‘have a go’ and experience group singing in a laidback fun atmosphere, complete with light complimentary percussion.

• This workshop is suitable for groups of 5-30 people.
• It caters for complete beginners up to experienced percussion players.
• It can last from 1.5 hours up to a full weekend and beyond, depending on the level of detail the group has time to digest.

For information about all workshop fees and options, visit the contact page here.

FUSION GROOVES

Drawing influence from a variety of Pernambucan styles including Maracatu, Côco, Caboclinho and more, this workshop takes traditional grooves to new heights with a modern twist (using the high-register instruments from the bateria in combination with the grounded bass beats of the alfaia). Instrumentation features alfaia, caixa, timba, bell, shekere, mineiro/ganzá, repinique, and tamborim.

• This workshop is suitable for groups of around 10-40 people.
• It caters for complete beginners up to experienced percussion players.
• It can last from 3 hours up to a full weekend and beyond, depending on the level of detail the group has time to digest.

For information about all workshop fees and options, visit the contact page here.

YOUNG PEOPLE

Having begun her own journey in music and community arts aged 12, Holly is dedicated to sharing her passion, time, and energy with the next generation of emerging young creatives. She has developed music initiatives in a number of Manchester-based high schools, and is the driving force behind the Global Grooves project ‘Future Leaders‘ (where young people aged 12-25 experience high-level training and mentoring to realise their dreams of a career in the arts.

Holly has a gift and intuition with teenagers in particular, and is often drawn towards the most marginalised and misunderstood young people to help them find their voice and have themselves be heard as contributing, valued citizens.

Read here about her work with ‘Jubacana’, a youth percussion and dance collective in Oldham for 8-18s.

Photos by Sara Kinas, Dan Jones, and Christian Dyson