Ritmos, Raices, y Ramas (Rhythms, Roots & Branches) is a drumming and youth mentorship program. Instructor Chris Rodriguez will teach students to play the essential instruments (barril, maraca, and cuas) and rhythms (sica, yuba, cuembe, etc.) for Afro-Puerto Rican bomba. However, students will not just learn how to drum; they will learn about batey, a Puerto Rican word that refers to both a drumming circle and its social space. Through group drumming, students will learn what it means to create and sustain a supportive, harmonious community.

Dates: Thursday June 1st / Thursday, June 8th / Monday, June 12th / Thursday June 15th / Monday, June 19th / Thursday, June 22nd 2023

4:30pm - 6:00pm

All Ages

$20.00 per class ($100 for all six classes)

Musical Instruments will be provided but bring a drum if you have one and want to!

Chris is a New Jersey-based Boricua percussionist, bassist, and educator. He served as a high school English teacher for six years, advocating for culturally responsive education for his students. In collaboration with his students, he created poetry and music clubs that served as spaces of care, exploration, artistry, and community. Through self-expression practices and Afro-Puerto Rican percussion, Chris helps children connect to each other, to their minds, to their hearts, to their bodies, and to their spirits.