"The Joy of Playing Marimba"
The Singing Wood Marimba Centre is the physical expression of my own
personal love of marimba playing. Its mission is to make the joy of
marimba playing accessible to all who are drawn to it.
I am a classically trained percussionist with roots in classical
(chromatic) marimba and decades of experience teaching and arranging for
traditional "Western" percussion ensembles. I connected powerfully
with the Zimbabwean Shona style of marimba playing when I moved to Santa Cruz in
1997 -- studying with Tom Melkonian and Don Davidson and performing with the local marimba
ensemble of that time. I established Singing Wood in 2002 in order to offer broad
access to the Shona style of marimba ensemble playing -- the instruments
and the style as originally conveyed in North America through the teachings of Shona master
musician Dumisani Maraire -- and as evolved in the years since. This
music offers exceptional melodic and polyrhythmic variety -- from the
very simple to the extremely complex -- and its ancient spiritual roots
strike common chords in all people who are open to it. The Singing Wood community
is a wholly nurturing and supportive place to learn and play...
Come be a part of it!
Laura Mallon, Founder