Creative Team
The DrummingSchool creative team is composed of experienced, quality musicians from a diversity of backgrounds and cultures.
Master Drummer Alex Dayo is the team leader and founder of DrummingSchool – please read his biography below:
Alexandre Yemaoua Dayo – Master Drummer
In 1985, Alex founded Fusion band Wountey, and, for fifteen years, toured with his band and the Ballet across Africa and Europe, spreading Burkina Faso’s cultural fusion to a wider audience. His musical collaborations include Ali Farka Toure, Femi Kuti and Salif Keita from Africa and traditional Master Griots from Burkina Faso/Mali/Guinea/Gambia. An accomplished arranger, Alex modifies his style according to the need, incorporating African traditional, Fusion, Jazz, Rock, Latin and Caribbean influences.
A highlight of Alex’s career was being chosen to play at the Opening and Closing ceremonies at the London 2012 Olympics. Alex is accomplished, whether playing his own or other people’s music in theatrical productions, dance companies and film productions.
As well as gaining British community music teaching qualifications, Alex developed his teaching skills working throughout Europe (Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, France and Holland) and Africa and has played at numerous festivals and events, including Notting Hill and Hackney Carnivals, where he has performed for the past ten years.
London has been Alex’s home since 2007 and during this period, he has run workshops for adults, schools and music services (including Hertfordshire Council, East Side Education, Core Arts promoting mental health and the Rhythm studio). Alex also runs Master classes for top professional musicians and dancers and encourages people with differing needs to play, from disabled groups, mothers and toddlers groups, primary and secondary age children, coaching musicians from learners to performance level. His motto is simple, ‘By sharing our passion, we learn and improve everyday’.
In 2016, Alex toured China, teaching and playing with the Beijing Opera Orchestra. Alex’s latest work takes its inspiration from West Africa’s rich heritage of music with the formation of a new band, Zantagola, (meaning the greatest in everyone), inspiring a message of humbleness and peace. The resulting sound is a mixture of African beats, hip-hop, reggae and jazz. His songs convey the plight and joys of black communities around the world, a reflection of contemporary life and its place between traditional and contemporary culture.
Alex collaborated with Wahever records to co-produce his new band Zantogola. Their first EP (Gùndo Fara) was released in December 2018 and the full album of 11 songs is due for completion at the end of 2019.
https://wahever.bandcamp.com/album/g-ndo-fara
Alai Sanfo
Highly
Ngozi Headley-Foulani – Dance Master
Ngozi Headley-Fulani is a master of African and Caribbean dance. She is the co-founder of Emashi African Dance Ensemble which has been running for over 30 years. She is also a singer, specialising in African and Caribbean traditional songs and a storyteller of tales from both African and Caribbean folklore. She has worked with world class drummer Aaron Highly for over ten years, both playing a major role in the 2012 London Olympics, performing and teaching internationally. She has performed for many dignitaries such as Prince Charles, Ghana High Commissioner, Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioner, Diane Abbott MP. Ngozi is dedicated to promoting positive images of Africa and the Caribbean. Ngozi is British born of Caribbean parentage and African descent.
Petra Siekermann – dancer/choreographer (Germany)
Marta Badia
Marta has experience running drumming workshops for people with a range of special needs, at schools, community groups and team building events. She is a qualified and registered clinical psychologist, with experience as a therapist, supervisor and manager of mental health projects. She is currently coordinating a project that provides Play and Creative Therapies to children in schools.
Gwang
Narcis dit Moustique Piqué
Horace Fender
For years he was teaching/tutoring in Bolton and also performing in clubs and festivals in Bolton, Manchester, Birmingham and London. These include events were eg. Queen’s Jubilee (Manchester), the Commonwealth Games (Manchester), Reading Festival, Womad Festival and Glastonbury Festival.
Most recently he has been doing collaborations with other musicians including Master drummer Alex Dayo who has been fine tuning his performance and as Horace says, “pushes me to the limits”.