Djembe Drum 5.5″ diameter, 25cm high, Educator Star, wood
£12.00 exc VAT
£14.40 inc VAT
RRP £13.20 exc VAT
Age 3 - 6
- Instruments 1
- Players 1
- Buddies 1
- L 25cm x W 14cm x H 14cm
- Stock: 125
The ‘5.5 inch Educator Star djembe (overall diameter), 25cm high painted’ is the second biggest of our Early Years low cost djembe range and is supplied with a free wooden drumstick and our Early Years “Good Practice Guide”. 5.5 inch Educator Star djembe
This educator star djembe drum has 5″ playing head (5.5″ in overall diameter) and is a working drum and not a toy. It’s big enough for very young children to play with two hands, and it makes a surprisingly good sound. It’s really good for young children because it can be handled easily and carried around by the string handle, but it can also be played by older children and even grown-ups, either with the free wooden drumstick provided, or with the fingertips. Being relatively small it makes a higher pitched sound than bigger drums.
Each 25cm high wooden 5.5 inch educator star djembe drum is made by hand using traditional materials and techniques. The wood is mahogany , the playing head is goatskin and the skin is stretched tight using cotton string. The designs on these instruments vary from drum to drum and are all painted by hand using safe, water-based paints. You can see some of their other designs, and compare the other sizes of drum, in the “group” photo.
These drums can help with all aspects of EY development, including:
Sensory and/or physical needs
* Self-played:
Can be helpful in challenging and exercising balance, proprioception, integrating multiple coordination, postural and positional self-management skills – especially when walking/moving. As they are so robust they can handle a lot of interesting and eventful encounters!
Can sit astride the larger drums when they are laid parallel to the floor, playing the head using different muscles than when seated or standing
Requires a range of gross motor control skills from subtle side-to-side, forwards/backward, up/down twisting to vigorous shaking -increasing competence in motor control for dynamic playing including stop/start, soft/loud, fast/slow, getting louder, faster, softer, slower etc.
* Practitioner-facilitated play:
Helping with posture and mobility – supporting walking and forward movement whilst student continues playing .
Social, emotional and mental health
Sometimes there can be nothing better than everyone joining in a few very simple rhythms together. And it doesn’t matter whether you ‘keep in time’ or just hit it!
Feeling part of the group empowers individual and community/group cohesion.
Communication and interaction
A simple communication between groups can occur when you have a group of djembes or mixed drums together.
Beginning with very simple non-rhythmic beating of the drums – one group plays, then another group plays in response. Have a conversation!
Over time, these skills can be adapted to groups playing other types of instruments – for example, have shaker group conversations, scraper group conversations, chime bar group conversations and so forth.
The point is simply to communicate.
Follow the leader – different students could have the opportunity to lead the conversations.
Cognition and learning
Rhythmic conversationcan often result in wordplay and exploration of creativity.
Often, this can transfer into developing self-awareness by way of students determining preferences for certain types of rhythmic organization, songs, activities and so-on.
Learning to express these preferences and celebrate small achievements [such as joining in and feeling good about it, as well as perhaps understanding where a beat drops out, pauses and comes back in ? for some] are pinnacle moments that add huge value to celebratory self-growth and skills learning.
Begin in ‘comfort zone’ then gently challenge and ‘stretch’ by eg. playing different tempos [speeds] Begin with almost free play then add more structure over time. Helps to accept ordered rhythm, organization, pacing as a value.
Eco-note: The wood for the drums is certified plantation-grown mahogany and comes from off-cuts from factories that make furniture. Wood products like these are a great way to store carbon, providing they’re kept for a long time and not thrown away.
Taking care: The drum is very tough and will last for a very long time if treated with care. When not in use keep it in a dry place away from direct sunlight or other heat sources. If it should get wet, let it dry slowly. Above all keep sharp points away from the drum skin, as this is the most fragile part.
Guarantee: The wooden djembe drum shell is guaranteed for 5 years and the drum skin is guaranteed for 2 years, but please follow the “taking care” instructions above.
For SEN settings: When you purchase this product you get free access to a wide range of downloadable SEND teaching resources. Please visit our SEND resources page to see the range – free resources have a purple “FREE” label alongside.
Product Information
What's included
1x Djembe Drum 5.5″ overall diameter ( approx. 5″ playing head), 25cm high, Educator Star, wood
1x wooden beater
How to Play
The easiest way is to hold it in one hand and hit it using the flat of your other hand.
Very young children will also want to stand the Djembe on the floor and hit it with their hands. This makes a more dampened sound, as the hole at the base of the drum needs to be exposed to allow the air pressures to balance, allowing the skin to become more resonant.
You can also use a small beater or two as long as you do not hit the skin too hard which will create dents. It’s also ideal for using fingers to tap out rhythms. When using your fingers, it is best to flick them quickly, so that they just touch the skin for an instant before bouncing off again.
Guarantee
We use the best quality materials and traditional manufacturing methods to make our West African Drumming instruments and accessories and they’re designed for serious, long term use in the classroom. Looked after properly the instruments will give many years of satisfaction, even if used several times a day and the materials and workmanship are guaranteed as follows:
Djembe and other drum shells – 10 years. But keep at a stable temperature and humidity and don’t let the shells get damp or wet. Don’t leave in direct sunlight or near a heat source as this can cause the wood to dry out and crack. Although they’re naturally tough, handle with respect and don’t drop them or throw them about as rough treatment can also cause cracks to appear.
Drum skins -5 years. But keep hard or sharp points (including rings and other jewellery) away from drum skins at all times. Keep skins dry and don’t leave in direct sunlight or near a heat source as this can cause the skin to dry out and split. If you need to tighten the drum skins, be sure not to over do it as over-tightening can also cause skins to split.
Hand percussion instruments – 1 year. But treat with care and don’t drop them or handle roughly as natural materials are not as strong as plastics and may crack or break, particularly if dropped on a hard surface.
Storage/carry bags and accessories – 2 years. But keep bags away from sharp points and don’t over-fill them or force the zips.
If you should get any problems with any of our African Drumming instruments or accessories, please take photos of the issues and email them to us with the order/invoice number and a brief description of how the problem arose and we’ll get back to you right away.
Delivery
We work with a small number of specialist logistic companies to deliver your order quickly and economically. The delivery method varies, depending on your location and the size of the order, as follows:
UK Locations
Orders up to 5kg – Courier 2 to 3 working day delivery. This would typically include books, smaller instruments, percussion baskets and djembes up to 40cm.
Orders over 5kg – Courier, next working day delivery. Most orders are sent this way.
Large orders – Pallet service, 3 to 5 working day delivery. Used for large orders and those with more fragile contents.
Please note:
- Above timings are from dispatch date. Time from placing your order will usually be one or two days longer, depending on the order and destination.
- Delivery to offshore or Highland addresses may take longer and may cost more than to UK mainland addresses and we’ll quote and agree the costs with you in advance. Please note that in these cases it’s fine to go ahead and place your order, and there’s no obligation on your part until the delivery costs have been quoted and accepted by you.
- For some destinations, where a courier service isn’t available, we may send by Royal Mail instead.
International Locations
Orders weighing less than 1kg and not too bulky – Post Office Airmail. This would include books and smaller percussion instruments.
Orders weighing more than about 1kg and large orders – international courier or pallet service. We’ll obtain competitive quotes and agree these with you in advance.
Please note that it’s fine to go ahead and place your international order prior to confirming shipping costs, and that there’s no obligation on your part until the delivery costs have been quoted and accepted by you. Payment for international orders, including shipping costs, is required before dispatch of the goods.
Returns
Please let us know straight away if anything arrives damaged or otherwise in a substandard condition and we’ll be happy to replace it, refund the cost or provide you with an alternative product to your satisfaction. Speed is of the essence here as most courier companies will only accept responsibility for damage in transit if the damage is reported within 24 hours of delivery.
In the event of damage, please take photographs, including any damage to the packaging, and email these to us ASAP.
Similarly, if an instrument develops a fault within 12 months of purchase in the course of normal use (though excluding fair wear and tear), please let us know, and we’ll replace it or refund the cost. It’s also very helpful for us to see photos of the issue as this gives us solid information for changing the design, the production method or the packing materials.
But please do contact us before returning any damaged or substandard items. Once we’ve approved their return, please send to: Drums for Schools Limited, 21 Shaftesbury Avenue, Burton Joyce NG14 5GL
We really appreciate your feedback in the case of faults (or if you think an instrument could be improved in any way) and we take all such feedback very seriously indeed.