Why Is Tribal Groove So Unique?
Why Is Tribal Groove So Unique?

If you're a teacher, parent, community group leader, homeschooler, life coach or anyone who works with children or youth, you’ll love Tribal Groove! It’s an unbelievably easy, fulfilling and effective way to teach respect, patience, positive communication and citizenship skills - even to some of the most challenging students!

African Body Percussion has an amazingly positive effect on those learning it. It helps them do things they didn't think possible, which fosters a sense of achievement and builds self-esteem. It looks amazing and brings a sense of spirit and unity to the performers and the audience. It encourages team-building and universal participation as part of the process of learning the steps. It embraces other cultures in a positive and inclusive way. And it gets participants moving and exercising – raising awareness of the importance of a healthy mind and body.

What is Tribal Groove?

Developed by qualified teachers Ollie Heath and Victoria Leith, Tribal Groove has been used in schools, community groups and businesses for the past five years - with amazing success - using dance, music and performance as a framework for learning communication and citizenship skills.

As well as being an exciting and engaging dance form, every body percussion step has the name of a virtue, which the learner is encouraged to practice while they learn the step.

How Does Tribal Groove Work?

Tribal Groove encourages universal participation, even amongst some of the most challenging students. It’s particularly effective with boys and teenagers who find this form of dance very agreeable.

A versatile and cutting edge resource which raises the interest and enthusiasm of a large number of pupils in Music at school

Ed Temple, Head Music Teacher

Tribal Groove is suitable for all key stages and has cross curricular links through music, dance, art, social education, history and physical education. Tribal Groove can be used in a school class room setting, in a community centre, in fact anywhere with enough space for the students to move around and enough sound proofing for the stomping of feet.

Teachers love African Body Percussion because the kids find it so engaging. It’s easy to teach and gets the children focusing their energy on something construtive. It encourages universal participation and is appealing to boys as well as girls. It helps children learn communication skills and builds respect and self-esteem – which leads to happier classrooms!

The pupils were highly motivated as well as captivated... Very effective in contributing to their personal and cultural development; there was a tangible, spiritual dimension to their learning.
 
Pupils with challenging behaviour participated well. All pupils made rapid progress and achieved a high level of performance in a short time... It also significantly helps their listening skills and improved physical control and dexterity needed for literacy skills.

Ofsted

The workshops encouraged the children to communicate... Children were taught the importance of responsibilities as well as rights... The workshops raised the motivation and self-esteem of the children. It helped every child be aware of the needs of others.

Anthony Agnew (Head Teacher, St Thomas More School, Kettering)

The dance project was great. It involved all the children – boys and girls, young and old. Parents were really impressed. Lads that you thought would turn their noses up really got into it.

Timothy Rose (Head Teacher, Kilsby Primary School, Rugby)

“We are particularly pleased by the reaction from some of our pupils – mainly boys – with emotional behavioural difficulties. The work has given them a confidence and a pride in themselves which has enhanced their lives at school and given them self-esteem upon which they are now able to build.”

Pam Marston (Head Teacher, Falconers Junior, Daventry)

“Not only do the children really enjoy them but they learn vital rhythm and co-ordination skills. Children learn to value and appreciate the diversity of world culture in a non-judgemental and dynamic way.”

Mark Thomas (Head Teacher, Woodlands View Primary School, Northampton)

What’s Is Included With The Teaching Edition?

In the teaching edition of Tribal Groove you will find a DVD-ROM section that includes:

Tribal Groove builds self-esteem and encourages universal participation. It makes your classroom a more focused and happier place. The kids find it so engaging that they don’t realize that they’re learning. Tribal Groove brings virtues and positive and effective communication skills into dance and music, demonstrating how they can dramatically effect the working environment and how they can be applied to other areas of life.

Special Educational Needs

Tribal Groove has been taught in many different schools, including ones where children have severe emotional and behavioral difficulties, have restricted use of limbs, are wheel-chair bound, visually impaired, or have difficulty in hearing. You can tutor Tribal Groove to any ability, as long as you are aware of each student’s individual needs and can cater for them. If you need any advice or help on this subject then please email info@africanbodypercussion.com

How Do I Order A Copy of Tribal Groove - Teaching Edition?

It’s easy to order your copy of Tribal Groove - Teaching Edition just click here!

Anyone who purchases the teaching edition of Tribal Groove also gets free email support from Ollie and Victoria - giving you the opportunity to call on their expertise and years of experience of teaching African Body Percussion in a wide and diverse variety of locations. You will also get access to an ever increasing library of articles, information, suggestions and inspiration for your Tribal Groove activities (to be introduced soon).

"An excellent resource to get kids moving and making music in the classroom or at home."

The Green Parent magazine

Who Are The Tutors?

Victoria Leith and Ollie Heath learnt African Body Percussion whilst traveling and working in Swaziland. For the past five years they have been running workshops in schools, community groups and businesses that use African Body Percussion, Stamp-Rhythm, Drama and Music to help children and adults explore issues related to citizenship and social responsibility. They have had an amazing response and demand for their workshops have been high, this is what lead to the creation of Tribal Groove.

Victoria Leith studied a Language Arts Degree, which focused on drama, english and music, and qualified in 1998 with a B.Ed Honours Degree and Qualified Teacher Status. She is a published author on matters of health and nutrition, an accomplished musician and writer for The Green Parent, an internationally acclaimed magazine for parents (www.thegreenparent.co.uk).

Ollie Heath also studied Language Arts at University and is a qualified teacher.