Everything you need to know to attend Wooden Roots Experience
What and where is Snape Maltings? With a history as an industrial site stretching back over 175 years, the roots of Snape Maltings as it exists today were planted by the composer Benjamin Britten and landowner George Gooderham, who both recognised the potential of the striking Maltings buildings and their stunning location. It is now a unique and world class music and arts venue with bustling shops, cafes and art galleries in a small village called Snape, a 10 minute drive from Aldeburgh. Aldeburgh is on the beautiful Suffolk coastline with award winning fish and chips shops, art galleries and independent shops. We chose the Snape Maltings venue as it is in our backyard, we already collaborate with Britten Pears Arts on other projects throughout the year and we wanted you to enjoy the experience & beauty of this incredible venue. WOODEN ROOTS EXPERIENCE is brought to you by Wooden Roots Ltd. in collaboration with Britten Pears Arts at Snape Maltings.
What is the Wooden Roots Experience? We present a one of a kind and unique event called Wooden Roots Experience where you can fully embrace and educate yourself with a full weekend of traditional West African drumming, dance & performances. Whether your passion is for drumming or dancing or both you will have access to over 6 hours of tuition a day from an incredible line up of world class teachers: Babara B Fakoly, Monette Marino, Sidiki Dembele, Aida Diop, plus one other master drummer yet to be announced as well as supporting top class teachers assisting you along the way.
Enjoy weekend workshops presented on all levels and in all disciplines from complete Beginner too Advanced. Freely move between workshops with ease and at your own pace, graduate between levels - test them out, but don't get caught out - this culture can be demanding on the hands and feet. Take the opportunity to fully understand how the dance connects with the drumming and vice versa. Learn the core fundamentals of this fascinating culture from the ground up. There is no other event like the Wooden Roots Experience and our ethos is to ensure that all the artists are respectfully paid and with the correct supporting artists in all the workshops we think you will agree.
You will end your weekend with a spectacular performance in the main concert hall which is renowned for presenting top class artists from around the world. Tickets for the concert are sold separately via Britten Pears Box office and they are released by the end of April 2024 HOWEVER if you purchase a ticket to the Wooden Roots Experience you automatically receive a pre-sale email with a discount code. Concert tickets will range from £10-£35.
Our Gold standard ticket includes starting your weekend at a very special SMOKE N’Drums event at Wooden Roots HQ on Friday evening 6-10pm where you will get to meet all the artists that will be teaching and supporting this incredible weekend 🔥
#woodenrootsexperience 😎
Book your workshop tickets now to secure your place and avoid disappointment 🎶🎶
What is SMOKE N’Drums? It is a monthly event held at Wooden Roots headquarters, a 10 minute drive from Snape Maltings. The ethos for SMOKE N’Drums is simply that we cook/smoke/grill food on the Wooden Roots Original Jerk Pan and we drum. SMOKE N’Drums on 2nd August 2024 will bring the heat with an exclusive “Meet n’Greet” where you can unwind from your travels, meet your teachers and kickstart the weekend. You can watch your teachers in action and of course you are welcome to JOIN IN! This is open to everyone, and is included with the GOLD STANDARD ticket only.
Who is booked to teach at Wooden Roots Experience? We have the wonderful Babara B. Fakoly flying in from Brussels and Monette Marino flying in from San Diego, California who will headline this event. They will be joined by Aida Diop (Senegal) who will be running a weekend of West African dance workshops & dance demonstrations with her team of advanced dancers. SIDIKI DEMBELE (Ivory Coast) will accompany Aida and will be teaching core fundamentals of how to drum for dance class (advanced drummers only) and we also have one more Master drummer yet to announced who will be teaching Improver to Adcanved. There will also be Marcus Brown of Wooden Roots and other supporting artists to be announced, but rest assured you will not be disappointed with any of the lineup. For those of you that have taken classes at Wooden Roots with Marcus, the workshops at Wooden Roots Experience will be in the same true and authentic vein so you will feel very comfortable learning from Barbara, Monette and anyone else that we announce.
Who is booked to support the teachers with dundun? We will let you know in the lead up to the event
What instruments can I use at the workshops - Traditional West African djembes or dundun drums. I.E. djembes or dunudun from West African that have been hand carved and headed with a goat or a cow skin and that are properly tuned so that they sound tonally correct. Non authentic or non traditional “look alike” drums will NOT be allowed in to our workshops like Remo, LP, Meinl, Toca to name a few. If you do not have an authentic djembe you can rent one of ours.
What are the levels of playing at Wooden Roots Experience?
BEGINNER 1 - Very simply put, you are completely new to traditional West African drumming and instruments and you need to start with the basics. We have the perfect teachers to guide you and bring you up to speed and who knows, by the end of Saturday you may be looking to be in an IMPROVER class on Sunday! Starting out correctly is important and you need to know that you are playing authentic sounds - Instruments used need to be authentic, properly maintained and tuned to the ensemble.
BEGINNER 2 - Once you graduate from Beginner 1 you will go immediately to the Beginner 2 class and this is where you will step up your knowledge and technique with the goal to keep moving up and into the Improver class.
IMPROVER - Let’s say that you have been taking weekly classes for some time, you are familiar with BASS, TONE & SLAP, can identify calls, breaks and pick up extended breaks relatively quickly. You are happy to play dunduns in class once you are familiar with the rhythm. You may know a couple of passport accompaniments. As you continue in your studies it is critical that you using the correct authentic instruments - Instruments used need to be authentic, properly maintained and tuned to the ensemble.
INTERMEDIATE - An intermediate drummer is confident with a number of different accompaniment patterns and is used to learning solo phrases, breaks and can play these competently with a group. You would be expected to play dunduns without much direction during a class workshop. Their instruments are authentic, properly maintained and tuned to the ensemble.
ADVANCED - An advanced drummer is expected to be confident playing complex djembe phrases on their own, can place calls correctly against the dundun patterns and has a wide knowledge of the different types of rhythms. Playing techniques like the slap and tone notes can be clearly identified when playing challenging phrases. Their instruments are authentic, properly maintained and tuned to the ensemble. Proficient at playing traditional dunduns and can maintain the correct tempo within the duration of the rhythm. Does not need to use music notes while playing live and can fully engage with the other drummers to make sure that the music is tonally correct.
*Have fun with the levels and move between them but if you are in a workshop and feel out of your depth or your teacher advices otherwise you will be expected to change levels.
DANCE WORKSHOPS & DEMONSTRATIONS - this year we have introduced dance workshops with Aida Diop and Sidiki Dembele. Each day will start with an Intro to Dance taster session followed by a class teaching the core fundamentals of why we dance and how. This will lead onto a practice dance session and finally to the “real deal - bring the heat” at full speed. Advanced drummers will be able to also learn the core fundamentals of drumming for dance class. If you are looking to try out a dance workshops we will have various workshops running throughout the weekend to suit beginner/mixed level and advanced dancers and we will have a public demonstration/symposium Q&A with Aida & Sidiki on Saturday at 5pm. Why not take your new found skills to the Dununba Celebration on Saturday evening and show everyone what you have learnt.
Will there be a timetable? Yes - it will be posted on big posters in the Hoffman Building where you get your teas & coffees. All the classes will be signposted so you know where to go and we will have volunteer staff that can help you transport your djembe’s if required and show you where to go. Registration will be at 9.00am each day in the Hoffman Building and all classes will start at 9.30am. If you are renting a drum please ensure that you arrive at 9.00am to select it from our Box Office in the The Hoffman Building. All ticket holders will be provided with all the information they need for the weekend via email prior to the event.
How many will be in a class? Wooden Roots ethos is that we all learn better when in smaller focussed groups. The Wooden Roots Experience will strive to maintain that each workshop will have a capacity of approx 15 to 60 students per level and depending on the room size. Every class will have qualified full dundun support . Some of the room capacities can take over 100 students which will give you a sense of the size rooms we have access to. You will also have the opportunity to experience all the teachers at all the different levels each day but of course the optimal experience will be to attend for the full weekend package.
Where can I stay? It’s very popular to stay on-site and there is 15 gorgeous and fully equipped self catering accommodations. You can hold Snape Maltings accommodation with a 10% deposit now, a further 15% in March and then the balance will be due mid June. If you would like more information please email: spartington@snapemaltings.co.uk. Alternatively if you would like to speak to someone, please call 01728 687172 during office hours. Suffolk is a holiday destination with many many campgrounds, air bnb’s, holiday homes & hotels, Learn more HERE. If you google camping grounds near the village of Snape there are a lot that come up click HERE. We know that there is a camping ground that accepts caravans and motorhomes within walking distance of Snape Maltings called Croft Farm. CAMPING?? CLICK HERE FOR LOCAL CAMPSITES
Where will I eat? The Snape Maltings site has a variety of eateries, shops, coffee shops as well as a deli. If you are on a budget please feel free to bring a packed lunch each day and enjoy eating it by the river on a blanket. There will be urn’s with complimentary tea, coffee & water in the Hoffman Building where you can help yourself throughout the weekend. A large Tesco and Waitrose are located at Saxmundham, a 10 minute drive from Snape Maltings where you will also find chip shops and other eateries. For evening food, there is an onsite restaurant River View Cafe, or there is an on-site pub called the Plough & Sail. In Snape village itself (5 min walk) there are a couple of pubs. Further afield (10 min drive) there is Aldeburgh with it’s award winning fish and chip shops. Learn more HERE.
Will I receive a paper ticket? No, you will receive a digital ticket and a series of emails with all the information that you need for attending the event. On arrival you will receive an entrance pack that will include a map of the venue and a “at-a-glance” timetable to reference throughout the weekend.
Carer ticket? Carer tickets are available and are free with one full paying adult or child ticket, proof of ticket eligibility required. Please contact us in advance if you have any special requirements or if you would like to order a career ticket. Tel: 07846 761145
What do I get for my money? This weekend is exceptional value for money and depending on what options you choose depends on your experience. If you can attend the entire weekend with everything that is on offer you will absolutely have the best experience we can offer.
Why is the ticket priced higher than last year? With the rising costs of everything we have had no other alternative but to re-align the pricing of the tickets. Our ethos is that all artists are respectfully paid their worth for their expertise and time. This is also the case with supporting artists i.e. dunun support in all workshops. This year we have added a new element to the Experience which is West African Dance so we have taken over even more of the Snape Maltings venue to ensure that we have plenty of space for all the drum & dance workshops to simultaneously run over the weekend. Running such a high end event is not cheap and that must be reflected in the the ticket price. We appreciate your full understanding and if you did attend last year you would have appreciated and seen for yourself the calibre of high class instruction that we bring to this event.
What is the refund policy? General policy is that once you have bought your ticket it is non-refundable. If you are under an extreme circumstance and really cannot attend we will allow you to re-sell your ticket to someone else (as long as you give us their full name for our records and their entry). We may also have a waiting list and will work with you to refund your ticket that way. Please call us to discuss 07847 761145.
Who is playing for the concert hall performance on Sunday night? SONA JABARTEH!!!!
If you have any questions that we have not answered on here or that you think should be on here, please let us know by either emailing us at info@woodenroots.com or calling us on 07846 761145.
DISCLAIMER: Wooden Roots will have filming and photography happening throughout the event which will be used publicly on our social media platforms. Anyone under the age of 18 will be asked to sign a disclaimer allowing us to do this at the event. If you are an adult and don’t wish to be on film or photos please speak to a member of Wooden Roots staff who will be located in the box office throughout the weekend.