Beverly guides students with disabilities in a hands-on music journey, with drums from Africa and Latin America and percussion colors from around the globe.  Students learn skills of teamwork, listening, creativity and self-expression as they create music together in ensemble. Using the rhythm of words participants will learn some of the building blocks of music: steady beat, groove, call and response, dynamics and improvisation.  Students and teachers learn about instruments they can make from recycled materials, connecting to the environment, science and math. "Drums for All” has a cultural arts theme; exploring diversity and global connections and integrates ELA stories and text, building fluency and literacy skills through movement and song. This program is designed to accommodate students with a wide range of physical, intellectual and emotional disabilities; including students with language delays, sensory sensitivities, autism, visual impairments and students who are deaf/hard of hearing.  Modifications can include alternate choices of percussion instruments and hand-over-hand drumming. In a required planning meeting prior to the workshop, teachers share specifics of student challenges, suggested strategies and desired goals.

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Artist Background

Beverly Botsford is a cross-cultural percussionist and educator, blending music, movement and spoken word in solo and ensemble performances, workshops and residencies.  With over 30 years of full-time professional experience, Beverly has toured all over the world as a jazz musician and had the honor of performing for President and First Lady Obama. She shares her passion for rhythm and culture in hundreds of school and community educational programs, weaving tapestries of rhythm, spoken word and stories with drums of Africa, Latin America, global percussion colors with a taste of jazz and Carolina spice. Her experience working with special populations spans three decades and includes programs for the SC School for the Deaf and Blind, Governor Morehead School, workshops for the hearing impaired at Martin Middle School, and a recent residency for students with disabilities at Rogers Lane Elementary in Wake County.

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Search Criteria

• Discipline: Music
• Grade Level: Elementary, High, Middle
• Program Type: Workshop/Residency
• Cultural Context: African, African-American, Caribbean, European, Latinx
• Accepts bookings in Johnston County
• Specifically adapted for students with disabilities