Send us a message using the form below and let us know you want to join

You can also just show up to the first class to see if you are interested but you won’t get the introductory email with helpful information

And if the workshop fills up we will prioritize people that officially reached out and confirmed they were coming over people that just showed up

No drumming experience is required

Some members had never touched a drum before their first beginner workshop

If you have some experience you can still join and it will just be easier for you to learn

No equipment is required

Drums, straps, sticks, knee pads and earplugs are all available to use during the class

Many people choose to bring their own hearing protection and knee pads for additional comfort

Knee pads are needed for the Surdo drums because they hang down and rest on your knees

Fall, Winter and Spring workshops are usually 8 weeks long

Summer workshop is usually 6 weeks long

We meet once a week for two hours from 7-9PM

Not really

You are learning two full songs and each week we build on what we learned in the previous week

Every week you miss will make it increasingly difficult for you to keep up with the rest of the class

You can come to the first class to get the introduction and decide if you want to join and then pay for the workshop on the second week

If you miss the first class you will miss the chance to try out all the drums to decide what you want to play

You will also miss the very fist lesson but you should be able to catch up if you join by the second class

Also if you have to miss a week during the session you will just need to catch up in the next class which is common

Trying to start in the middle of the workshop or missing many classes during the session will mean you won’t know the material we learned previously so you won’t be able to follow as well which is less fun for you and makes it harder for the class to preform well

Anybody under 18 will need a parent or guardian to be present at each class

There is a lot to learn so very young participants tend to lose interest pretty quickly as it is geared toward adult focus and learning

The workshops can range between $60-$80 dollars

We need to consider and adjust pricing to ensure we can keep offering classes

We also want to continue to try to offer one free class during the summer and work with anybody who wants to take a class so that cost is not a prohibitive factor

Core Star Center
439 W 2nd Ave Eugene OR

Usually once a week from 7-9PM during the workshop date but details will be confirmed at the start of each workshop session

It is up to you but our practice space is a no shoes allowed zone so make sure you are comfortable removing your shoes and walking around our padded carpet floor

It is a multipurpose room so most people where socks they are comfortable walking around in

Some drums tend to be more difficult so your experience or ability to learn quickly will help you decide

We try to let everybody play what they want but it also could depend on the number of people wanting to play a specific drum because we need to balance the drums to have a good overall sound

A general guide of difficulty from higher to lower
- Repique and caixa
- 3rd surdo (Dobra)
- 1st and 2nd surdo

But all drums have specific challenges so this estimate of difficulty might not be the same for you

And regardless of difficulty, you might just find one drum the most fun to play and that should be the one you choose!

Our standard set list is around ten to twelve songs. Each class covers two different songs so if you take all four classes in the year you could learn versions of up to eight songs

The songs being covered in each session will be sent out before the workshop starts

These are often slightly shortened and altered versions of our songs to make them easier to learn in the workshop time

Taking the classes is the first step

Trying to join the performing group is optional

If you think you want to be in the performing group after taking classes then you will need to show technical progress during the classes

The performing group plays faster and with more parts and choreography so you will need to be able to keep up

Playing technique is also important for consistency in the main group

We have to determine what drums are needed in the main group so it could be that we are only looking to bring in a certain drum at a specific time

If you are interested and do progress to the main group you will then need to show you are able to play a song accurately and confidently to be cleared for performance

If you don’t have interest to try for the performing group it is perfectly fine to just take as many beginner classes as you want for the fun of playing

The classes are a required step to progress to the performing group but they are meant for anybody with any level of interest and don’t require or guarantee progress to the performing group

There is a resident cat named Max that hangs out at the practice space

Max leaves when we play but if you have allergies consider that Max does roam freely in the space and will sometimes make an appearance