Messengers of the Month, April 2010:

Willowe (Starling)

A music enthusiast all her life, Willowe has always been drawn towards creating soundscapes that move the soul.  As a child, she was drawn to playing instruments such as the piano and keyboards, and for a short while played the clarinet as well.  But one summer, about 17 years ago, the heartbeat of the drums began calling her and the energy of the rhythms took hold of her in a way she never expected.  She started playing at various drum circles and festivals, but it wasn't until hearing Raquy and the Cavemen perform in the summer of 2006 that her enthusiasm for the dumbek took on a whole new level and she truly fell in love with the various sounds that can be made from this one drum.

From that moment forward, playing the dumbek truly became a passion.  She began working out of Raquy's "Dumbek Fever" instructional kits and found them to be the most useful tool in expanding her abilities.  She has since been very grateful for the opportunities she has had to study with Raquy at her New York retreats and whenever opportunity presents itself!

Currently residing in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Willowe has started offering monthly classes and is working to help spread "dumbek fever" wherever/whenever she can!  She is very excited at being chosen "Messenger of the Month"!

"Thank you Raquy for being such a source of inspiration!!!"

For more info about Willowe or her classes, visit:
http://www.truealternatives.net/drumming

Other "Messengers of the Month":

Nov 2011 - Jake Cooper
Oct 2011 - Khaldoun Samman
Sep 2011 - Ellen Shapiro
Aug 2011 - Rob Bridge
Jan-July 2011 - Quentin Shaw and Heather McQueen

Dec 2010 - Sahar
Nov 2010 - Christine Du
Oct 2010 - Sam Tynker
Sep 2010 - Mike McKay
Aug 2010 - Barbara Thorn Cale
July 2010 - Geoff Dikeman
June 2010 - Denisa
May 2010 - Amy Ghiz
April 2010 - Willowe (Starling)

Nov 2009 - Sandi S. Millman
Oct 2009 - Sandi S. Millman
Sep 2009 - Lew Hoffman (A.K.A No Filers)
Aug 2009 - Lew Hoffman (A.K.A No Filers)
July 2009 - Kevin Sport
June 2009 - Carolyn Koebel
May 2009 - David Reihs
Apr 2009 - David Reihs
Mar 2009 - The Magic Girls
Feb 2009 - Chris Dintaman
Jan 2009 - Anthony "Phoenix" Battle

Dec 2008 - The Messengers of Dum (Graybeard's troupe from St. Louis)
Nov 2008 - Adama
Oct 2008 - Amanda Turk
Sep 2008 - Tayissa Blue and Ziare Rashima
Aug 2008 - Gyasi Heus
July 2008 - Jordan André Hronec-De Liso (jah-d)
June 2008 - Kaitlyn Creel
May 2008 - Nezih Antakli
Apr 2008 - Hasan (Juba) Bseiso
Mar 2008 - Raquy’s Dumbek Class in Cairo
Feb 2008 - Tandava (Carol Henning)
Jan 2008 - Chip Staples

Dec 2007 - Ileana Santamaria
Nov 2007 - Baraka (Rachel Benbow)
Oct 2007 - Jay Burnham
Sep 2007 - Euphrates (Lex) Dahout
Aug 2007 - Jeff Webb and Casey Bond
July 2007 - GrayBeard
June 2007 - Veronique Gaultier
May 2007 - Pete List
Apr 2007 - Dominic Schiele
Mar 2007 - Raquy's Class at the AUC (Egypt)
Feb 2007 - Christien Real
Jan 2007 - David Zebulon

Dec 2006 - Frank Hughes
Nov 2006 - David Leonardi
Oct 2006 - Rami El-Aasser
Sep 2006 - Trisha McBride
Aug 2006 - Also, Yuval Gabay
July 2006 - Yuval Gabay
June 2006 - Vlado Murdock
May 2006 - Tiye Giraud
Apr 2006 - Natalia Perlaza
Mar 2006 - Lara Triback
Feb 2006 - Gil Ronen
Jan 2006 - Linda Moot

Dec 2005 - Michael Appel
Nov 2005 - Scott Dexter
Oct 2005 - Carmine Guida
Sep 2005 - Brian Carter
Aug 2005 - Bashira Ewald and Marjorie Olster
July 2005 - Beverly Novick