Bashing the competition

Maddi Blythe, 11, Kawana Heke-Phillips, 10, Zara Connor, 12, and Darcy Jourdain, 10, get in a final practice for Fuse battles 2016.

Your kid wants to be a drummer. Your investigations conclude it will cost $500 to $6000 for a starter drum kit, plus $11.99 for a pair of super-duper-you-beaut earplugs.

Carl Homersham from the Ministry of Rhythm laughs. It's one of the key reasons he founded Fuse Drumming – affordability for all.

'Everyone appreciates music in some form, and our belief is that every child should have the opportunity to learn how to play a musical instrument.”

Fuse Drumming teaches the art of making music through finding rhythm in everyday objects, especially buckets and flex tubs.

'We believe children who learn a musical instrument do better in the classroom, and the hand-eye co-ordination also helps for sports teams. Students learn to work together as a team, helping each other by providing a strong rhythm within sessions, and preparing for performances in and out of school.”

The Ministry of Rhythm teaches drumming to kids at 20 Tauranga and Hamilton schools. Fuse Battles next Wednesday will see fierce competition between the best eight Tauranga schools, all hoping to take out the Top Trophy, and a swag of gold medals.

Five teachers across the schools lead the bucket-drumming classes. 'We teach the kids to read music booklets, corresponding to pop songs they like. It's a different way to learn music. It's an alternative to traditional drumming, and parents don't have to fork out the huge cost of buying a drum kit,” says Carl.

'It's just a pair of sticks and a bucket.”

A bonus for parents is bucket drums are not as noisy as traditional drums.

The focus at Fuse is on the performing arts. 'Most drummers don't get the opportunity to perform and show their skills. This is a fun way to learn performing, in the safety of a group, and to get up on stage at school assemblies.”

Various groups also perform at community events, galas, and fairs, and one group recently provided entertainment at the Movie and Digital Excellence Awards at Baycourt.

'One of our groups also won the People's Choice Award at the Mount Busking Festival over Labour Weekend. We were pleased with that.”

Fuse Battles is on Wednesday, December 7, from 6.30-8.45pm at Bethlehem Performing Arts Centre, Bethlehem College. Tickets cost $10 each at the door. They can be pre-booked at: tanya@mor.net.nz

For more information, visit: www.mor.net.nz/whatisfuse.html

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