A. The Drum Cafe is an international organization that facilitates interactive corporate drum circles to affect change in organizations. The word CAFE represents a relaxed atmosphere. People can find something new in themselves and bond with others in a group even if they are shy. The Drum Cafe has offices across the globe and has performed over 40,000 events in 56 countries. Company Overview
A. Our products are unique! Drum Cafe is the only company in Japan offering this interactive drumming experience used for team building. The amazing testimonials we always receive from our clients and the rave reviews from the media are a proof of our success globally. Our proven leadership program has been developed over many years by global Motivation Speakers, HR Consultants, Company CEOs, Leading Musicians and Academic Professors. With a team of world-class musicians, specialized facilitators and a drum for each participant to play, Drum Cafe creates unparalleled, interactive team building and entertainment events. We shift attitudes and effect change. Highlights & Testimonials
A. The Drum Cafe brings interactive drumming to conferences, road shows, year-end functions, incentive breakaways, mergers, product launches and other corporate events.
This activity usually takes place indoors inside theaters, conference centers, hotel venues etc, and sometimes outdoors with intimate settings in nature or massive sports and performance arenas. The venue choice will depend on the number of participants, the theme and purpose of the event. View event scenarios
A. The Drum Cafe was borne not long after Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa in 1994. This was a time of ambivalence, a period of joy, fear and hope, where many people anticipated bloodshed and war. With 11 official languages, cultural differences and a history of a minority which had held power for decades, South Africa needed to undergo a radical change. Under the guidance of President Mandela, bloodshed and war were averted, and South Africa was transformed rapidly and profoundly into a ‘rainbow nation’ which brought together cultures, races and communities under a unified banner.
The Drum Cafe took Madiba’s philosophy as the core of its approach and during South Africa’s time of transition, it brought the message of cohesion and unity to hundreds of companies across South Africa. The Drum Cafe learnt how to facilitate communication and cooperation between black and white, male and female, old and young. It learnt how to bridge the gap between the old and the new, and to foster understanding and friendship between employees from vastly different cultural backgrounds. The Drum Cafe still uses these techniques today. Our vision & Philosophy
A. The Drum Cafe uses group drumming – one of the most ancient forms of music making, communication and community building - to break down barriers between people and silos within organizations. The Drum Cafe, by its very nature, nurtures the idea of “ubuntu” – a South African concept that refers to individual identity as a function of the collective. Prior to any event, the Drum Café consults with your managerial staff to understand the nature of the factors affecting your company and to identify your key goals. Our functions are customized to address these issues.
On the day of the event, a team of facilitators and musicians collaborate to teach the group simple drumming rhythms. Our methodology is tried and tested and our processes are standardized worldwide. The group is taught to play the same bass rhythm and to listen to one another. As the session progresses, the music gradually becomes more harmonious and the team is transformed into a percussive orchestra. The analogy between an orchestra and team provides perspective into the synergy between individual and team. We use this experiential method to demonstrate that each individual’s contribution is a vital component of the overall success of the group.
A. Our clients often find that after a Drum Cafe experience, participants are more open to taking in new information and concepts. We believe that this is because participants have engaged in a new and challenging activity which has allowed them to grow as individuals and as a group beyond their preconceived limitations. Before this experience, how many participants would have believed that they would play a valuable role in transforming their company into a synchronized orchestra? This experience fundamentally alters participants’ perceptions of what can and can not be achieved and lays the foundation for organizational change. Although the learning is hands-on rather than taught, our facilitators encourage participants to extrapolate their learning’s and draw insightful analogies based on the principles of music and drumming.
The Drum Cafe experience also enhances relationships. It is well known that relationships are built and deepened when people have unique and memorable experiences together. A Drum Cafe event has a meaningful impact on its participants and is often remembered years later. The experience of creating music together also changes the way people see each other and the way they interact with each other in the work environment. One manager thanked us for allowing her to ‘let her hair down” in front of her employees. She explained how at work she had struggled to create bonds with her employees as her managerial position had kept her distant. She reported that after the Drum Cafe experience her relationships had significantly improved and there was a much more relaxed atmosphere in the office which has been of great benefit to her team’s performance.
For busy employees, the Drum Cafe provides a much needed opportunity to relieve some of the stresses and strains of modern living. We encourage people to have fun and to inspiration.
The Drum Cafe now reaches employees in companies all over the world, and brings the simple message of ‘ubuntu’ - the philosophy of the New South Africa – to organizations across the globe. What we offer
A. Drumming doesn’t need to interrupt your work day too much – it takes only an hour. The positive effects are immediate and long-lasting. We can come to you in the morning at 8am and be out of there by 9am! We guarantee an invigorating start to the day. Or, finish your day slightly early, and an hour later, your group will have bonded and will emerge on a high! Our events are built on entertainment, team training and physical and mental shifts and the combination of those depends on your event … Why drumming
A. Yes we do! In combination with our interactive drumming we offer a list of other team building activities to create a half or full day team building program for our clients. These activities are geared towards leadership development, staff training and other purposes and can be performed indoors or outdoors. Our team building activities
A. Events are between 20 and 60 minutes and our breakout events are up to 3 hours. A combination of interactive drumming sessions with other complimentary team building activities (which we develop and customize to fit your theme and purpose of event) can take as long as a half or full day. Table of examples
A. We can work in any venue including hotels, conference venues or meeting rooms. For large events we often work in theatres and exhibition halls.
A. For smaller groups we need no lighting or AV, but from 50 pax up, we require one microphone per facilitator. Extra lighting is always a bonus but not a necessity.
A. We have three drummers for up to about 150 delegates, and then four or more depending on the size. We have done shows with a cast of 20 when required.
A. The show cost depends on the number of delegates, the city, and the date and time. If you send us an email, we will prepare you a proposal.
A. The shows are around 85 decibels, which is not loud at all. Most of the volume comes from our performers and we can control our own volume. In ten years, we have had only one or two noise complaints, and this is always related to the situations where our room adjoins another room with a partition.
A. Definitely, we often work after main course, around tables of ten. It's great too to start off the evening.
A. Yes, we have facilitators in many languages, but are also able to do an entire event without saying a word… non-verbal instruction creates a great atmosphere and works very well for events where there are multiple languages represented in the audience.
A. Yes, we often work in very formal events. Our event is dignified and high energy at the same time.
A. We generally like the event to be a surprise, so we either load the room before delegates arrive, or immediately when our event starts… for an event of 200 pax, we can load the room in about 15 minutes.
A. They are Djembe drums, about as long as from your elbow to your fingertips… and are played sitting down with the drum in your lap … It’s very comfortable and natural to play a drum like this.
A. Drum Cafe began with the world of Drum Circles, drum jams, drum sessions. The difference between our interactive corporate events and normal drum sessions are that our events are facilitated without excessive verbal instruction or focus on learning drums. Team drum sessions are equally geared towards the experience and the understanding. Drum workshops are either to learn drums or to build teams but ours are a mixture of both.
