Ubaka Hill is a storyteller, drummer, poet, preacher, and sage sister who makes drumming accessible to all who want to feel their own voices through the voices of the drum. Inspired by the rhythmic drumming traditions of North and West Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Jazz, and Shamamism, she creates her drumsongs from intuition, interwoven with poetry and song. "The earliest experience is of the rhythms of the heartbeat, so we are all initially connected to and aware of rhythm. The music already exists within us."
Drum from the heart of our Ancient Mothers. Celebrate our heart connection.
Give birth to the power and strength of the feminine principle of healing
and creativity. Connect with your personal power. Feel the rhythm of life.
Strengthen concentration. Build stamina. Relieve tension. Develop tonal
clarity, breath control, dexterity, time dynamics, creative improvisation,
and vocalizing. Learn how to acquire and care for a drum. No previous experience
with drumming is needed. "Learn at your own pace; play from your own center."
Ubaka Hill, a nationally known drummer, teacher, performer, and visual artist, began drumming professionally over 20 years ago and has taught drumming for the last dozen years. One of thirteen children, she considers Harriet Tubman to be her personal mentor and brings her life's experience and deep sense of responsibility to everything she does. ShapeShifterS, the name of her all-women performance ensemble, is also a best-selling CD, as is Dance the Spiral Dance. She founded The Drumsong Institute and is musical director of the Drumsong Orchestra. She co-founded the multi-media jazz group The Spirit of Life Ensemble and helped create the group Celebration and Rebellion, the woman's percussion ensemble Kuumba Caravan, and the woman's drumming trio Rhythm Express. Ubaka teaches drumming in a way that touches people and communicates joy, and she's so wonderful that we have her back every year.
"Ubaka is consistent, very loving, and very clear. ...she's an incredible inspiration. She's a leader...a powerful woman who knows how to reach out with even more than the intensity of her drumming. She is a woman who is feeling her roots and offering her dream to the world." -Poet Pamela Sneed