Exciting Course Takes a Deal of Beating

IF you fell in love with the sounds of percussion during Newcastle's inaugural Percussionale festival last month, you may be interested in Global Percussion. The new locally based course will focus on five key areas of percussion with courses held at the Palais Royale and WEA next week.

The course focuses on diverse styles of percussion covering African drumming, samba, Afro-Cuban, steel pan and Arabic drumming.

Students will learn theatrical components of percussion and all instruments are provided in the workshops.

The Ka Boom Ba Percussion School is run by local percussion identity Kai Tipping who is a member of Repercussion, Bamboozier and Panic. Sessions at the Palais will begin on May 6 at 4pm and bookings can be made on 4974-2092.

Sessions at WEA will begin on May 8 at 7pm and bookings can be made on 4926-4066.

Courses cost $70 and bookings are essential.

Get a taste of the percussion sounds when Tipping and his band Panic perform at The Lucky Country Hotel on Friday night before heading off to perform at the Nimbin Mardi Gras Festival.