Drumming up some good times

Aside from just drumming, the Rocky Drumming Group aims to provide a nurturing and relaxed environment where members of the Rockingham community can connect with one another.

Facilitator Treoen Phillips said the group’s regular drumming sessions were not set out into lessons, but provided attendees with the opportunity to experiment with different rhythms on the African and Egyptian drums and “have a good gas-bag.”

“We are absolutely all about community and promote the act, belong, commit message,” Mr Phillips said.

“It is about staying mentally healthy and connecting with one another.”

Mr Phillips, whose wife Carole and daughter Jenna, 13, also play, set up the group four years ago to encourage people to get together and have a bit of fun.

“We are a very nurturing group and newcomers will always be looked after and made to feel very welcome,” he said.

“It’s just very social and loads of fun — sometimes the coffee break is one of the highlights of Friday night drumming at Warnbro Family Centre because people have a good gas-bag.”

While Rocky Drumming Club is not a performance group, it has been invited to a number of events across the southern corridor, including Rockingham Spring Festival, Kwinana Festival, Mandurah Crab Fest and various school fetes.

“We’ve done plenty of community stuff — it’s always quite exciting because it creates an audience,” Mr Phillips said.

“After the performance, we usually set up some chairs and put together an interactive drumming circle where people can have a go.”

New members are invited to attend Friday Drumming at Warnbro Family Centre at 6.40pm and Sun Drum, a free community drumming circle on the first Sunday of each month at Baldivis Children’s Forrest, 1399 Mandurah Road, Baldivis.

To find out more, search for Rocky Drumming Club on Facebook.