From Ghana to Ballarat: How Mishael and his son found their groove in West African drumming classes

Mishael Gyabeng grew up in Ghana, where traditional West African drumming is a part of everyday life.  

🗣️: “Coming from the Dankyera Kingdom, we are raised in drumming. When my mum was cooking, I used to take the tin containers to start rehearsing.”

Gyabeng has been drumming since he was seven, and he now teaches in Ballarat and Creswick. The primary drum he teaches with is the djembe, but the workshops also include kete drums, singing and dancing. 

• “Joy, happiness, and creativity,” he said. “That’s the best thing. Phones are getting out of hand and music brings unity and connectivity to other people.” 

Gyabeng moved to Australia almost a decade ago with his two children, to live with his wife Stella, a Ballarat local. Together they run CocoSounds, a regional music school.  

🗣️: “What I feel about drumming in my community is that it brings so many smiles. I feel so happy when I'm drumming. I remember when I would eat and the drums would play, my grandma would immediately say, ‘Don't you go anywhere’, because she knew I would leave the food and go to the sound.” 

🥁 The history: West African drumming is a traditional art that has been around for thousands of years. It’s deeply entrenched in many cultures as a form of storytelling, community and daily life. The djembe has roots with the Mali Empire, which included portions of modern Senegal and Burkina Faso.

The next generation: Several of the classes Gyabeng teaches are geared towards children.

“Kids have very special memories. It’s special to learn something from infancy with passion. Drumming is one of the best mental therapies in the world,” he said. 

“Let’s keep our eyes on what we used to do before phones. In Ghana, our grandparents used to sit us down and tell us stories. Very scary ones, lovely ones, all kinds.” 

Drumming also helped Gyabeng’s son adjust to life in Australia. 

• “It’s a very big thing to leave your family in Africa and emigrate here.” 

Once his son began engaging with the drumming workshops, the result was new friends and a keen interest in rhythm. 

• “Now he’s started drumming on the dining table. He reminds me of when I was young and disturbing the whole neighbourhood with all kinds of rhythms.” 

Join the rhythm: Gyabeng teaches classes in traditional West African drumming on Mondays and Wednesdays. More information here.