Jim Donovan Interview

Donovan's workshop creates community music
By Lauren Ober / The Citizen

If you can get over your pride, then you can play more than just air drums - you can play the real ones. So says Rusted Root percussionist and frequent Auburn visitor, Jim Donovan.

For most adults, learning a new skill is a matter of getting over yourself and realizing that you're not going to be an expert from the start. Letting yourself be taught is difficult, especially if you're not used to it.

But for Donovan, teaching people like that, especially adults, is one of the most rewarding parts of his job as a drumming teacher.

"My speciality is getting folks with little or no experience a foundation in rhythm. We eliminate the pride problem from the very beginning," he said.

Tomorrow night, Donovan will be leading an "Interactive Drumming Experience" at the New York Institute of Dance and Education. This is not the drummer's first time in Auburn - he met NYIDE director Sean McLeod three years ago in Syracuse and he's been coming here ever since.

Donovan wants people to understand that drums are different than other musical instruments. People who have been turned off to playing music because they can't read notes can pick up drumming quite quickly.

"With very little instruction, you can make a really nice sound. There's instant gratification," Donovan said.

Donovan teaches with djembe drums, traditional West African instruments also known as "healing drums." For his workshops, Donovan brings a van of 50-odd drums and can accommodate 40 to 50 drummers in one teaching session. While that many students might be a bit much for one teacher, Donovan thrives on the community feeling of it.

"The workshop is very open and accepting. It's not about being the best. It's about a community making music," he said.

Donovan's workshops send him all over the country and around the world. He's held classes for preschool to university students, as well as corporate sessions, leadership development programs and special needs groups like the deaf and children with learning disabilities. Though he works with many groups, Donovan is able to tailor his teaching to meet the needs of the students.

"All groups respond to some core material. I know how to read a group pretty fast," he said.

He and McLeod will be traveling to South Africa in August to perform "The Drummer and the Dancer," a collaboration between the two men. Before they go, Donovan will be back in Auburn in July for the New York Dance and Drum Festival also held at the NYIDE.

In addition to intensive dance workshops with renowned dancers from around the country, the festival will also feature a five-day drumming workshop featuring drummers from the Congo and the Middle East, as well as Donovan himself. During that festival, he hopes to offer programs for underprivileged children in the region.

Community not-for-profit groups interested in participating in July should contact NYIDE and Donovan will make provisions for a drumming preview during his April visit.