I just got home, after a loooonnnng drive from Bellingham, Washington, where I spent 3 days learning from the master marimba builder, Tom Bourne. I learned tons of stuff that will help me in my own marimba building. I took a few pictures, but I will have to post them later; probably in the next 2 or 3 days. We… Read more »
Yes, Friday was our last day; yay! The last week was a busy one for me. I not only teach elementary music; I also teach jr. high and high school band, so we did graduation, and turned in music, did grades and got the room all organized and clean for the summer break. It worked out so I was at… Read more »
It’s really not all about me, but this page is Posted on February 18, 2014 My name is Roger Turner. Music has been a part of my life for over 40 years. I started playing trombone in the sixth grade band. I studied music in college and have been teaching for over 30 years. I have taught levels K-college. I… Read more »
Since Christmas break, I have been working with my 4th and 5th graders on the marimbas. In my classroom, I have a bass, baritone, 2 sopranos, and a 3.5 octave, plus a metallophone. I also use a shekere, cajon, conga and a guiro. My kids are having a lot of fun learning a few new pieces. My dilemma is finding… Read more »
When I attended the Doug Goodkin Orff workshop several months ago, we learned a couple of songs that use a lot of latin percussion. We had the marimbas, as well as conga, drum set, agogo bells, shakers, maracas, etc. It was a blast and sounded really cool. I was recently searching for some more latin rhythms I could teach my… Read more »
This article was posted in our local newspaper, The Times News, about a week ago. DECLO • When musical instruments are named Zimba, Zambo, Zootie and Zoomba it’s an indicator that the music is going to be lively. Teacher Roger Turner, who makes marimbas to sell, also takes them into his Declo Elementary School classroom to the delight of… Read more »
My friend, Premila Mistry, is hard at work building her new group, DC Sticks and Bars. A few months I received this video of her group performing Manhanga (Pumpkin). It is a traditional Zimbabwean piece arranged by Paul Mataruse. I asked Premila where she gets her music from. She gets much of it from Bonnie Carol at www.bonniecarol.com . All… Read more »
You may have seen a site similar to this one called Zimba Marimbas. Well, it looks similar because we are currently one and the same. I began Zimba Marimbas about a year and a half ago. Zimba is a catchy name and has its roots in the Zimbabwean tradition of marimba music. The only problem is, there is another entity… Read more »