Drum Master Class

Daria Shani Johnson Drumming from Female Perspective

Is it really that unorthodox?

This masterclass will enlighten students on the value of being a well-rounded musician, from the
drummers perspective specifically the female point of view. During this journey though storytelling
and playing examples, drummers will gain more insight on becoming the best you can be, so that you
can achieve more and be an asset to any musical project and society.

Topics explored will be:

American musician life as a drummer

o Exploring areas such as Gigs, livelihood, venues, money
Experiences as a woman drummer in America and Europe
o How does it compare? Are there pros and cons
Education and how it relates to the professional drummer
o Is formal education a good idea? How about reading music?
Being a singing drummer
o Having the ability to sing background vocals and lead vocals. What are the pros and cons

..and beyond.

Daria 'Shani' Johnson

Drummer, Singer, Songwriter, Arranger, Producer

Daria 'Shani' Johnson is one of the most dynamic, exciting young musicians in San Francisco, Bay
Area. In addition to her percussion skills, this Berklee College of Music grad is an accomplished
singer, songwriter, arranger and producer, making her as well-rounded a musician as one can
find. She co-founded the band London Street. On the groups debut album, Life through Lyric
and Melody, Johnson got to exercise the full range of her talents, which lead to London Street
touring the West Coast and Europe and sharing the stage with Erykah Badu, Angie Stone, John
Legend and Ozomatli. She has moved on from London Street to pursue new musical projects
including her jazz stimulated Daria Johnson 4, Pamela Roses Blues Is A Woman and the
female hip-hop fronted group Golden Arrow. Her steadfast professionalism and infectious
energy have fueled countless sessions, performances and original ensembles, including stints
with Esperanza Spalding, Eoin Harrington, Cava Menzies, Jonathan Richman, and Adam Theis of
The Jazz Mafia.
 Drum Workshop
Daria Shani Johnson The Singing Drummer
You too can sing and play at the same time!

In this workshop drum students will learn concepts on how to begin singing and drumming at
the same time. In class students will sing background vocals and lead vocals.
A. Singing background vocals
Singing in unison
Singing harmonies
B. Blending techniques
C. Singing lead
D. Song key choice
E. How do lead from behind the drum kit

Learning to sing and drum at the same time is a very useful skill and can prove to be a very
valuable asset. With this ability, your prospect of gigs can double. This workshop is like a voice
lesson and drum lesson in one! Students will learn exercises to help develop their inner singing
voice and feel the joy of lifting up their voice to sing with their bandmates.
During the workshop attendees will be exposed to:
Vocal exercises to warm up the voice
o Students will learn vocal warms ups to exercise and prep the voice for singing for
a lifetime.
Developing independence separating what youre singing from what youre playing
o Sing simple patterns while doing drumming exercises and then with a tune.
o Singing harmonies with fellow students while holding a drum beat
o Oooh and Aaahs
o Singing a round
Practice singing background vocals while drumming
o Students will be the background singers as I sing lead
Practice singing lead vocals while drumming
o Students will take turns being the lead singer, which the rest of the class act as
the background singer