At the heart of Toumaranke is the partnership between Moussa and Chris Sylla, who are accomplished musicians and educators. Multi-instrumentalist Moussa is from Guinea in West Africa and Chris is an English community musician. Our working partnership has now come to an end so for UK based services contact Chris: Hands on Skin – website coming soon.
Contact details for Moussa will be updated once he’s resettled.
Sessions can be tailored to a multiplicity of needs, educational and social. Chris has almost 30 years experience in community music and has done just about everything – weddings, funerals, parties, picnics, playschemes, festivals, tiny tots, octogenarians, schools, colleges, nurseries, team building, special needs sessions, carers events, and nursing homes… to name some.
Toumaranke means outsider in Susu, one of the main languages spoken in Guinea. Lived experience and knowledge of being inside and outside of different cultures adds extra richness and sensitivity. Chris provides a comprehensive and accessible experience; delivering simply ‘music’, or combining musical/cultural/ educational/well-being aspects into our sessions. Performances – large or small, workshops, parties (with or without West African food), teambuilding or motivational sessions, wellbeing-based events, one-to-one tuition, and much more besides.Moussa Sylla.
Born in Conakry, the capital of Guinea in West Africa Moussa is a multi-instrumental performer and teacher. His main instruments are balafon, djembe and doundoun (plus other West African drums), krin (log drum), bolon, ngoni (African harps) and gongomah (Guinean idiophone).
Chris Sylla
Chris is an accomplished and widely experienced percussionist and community musician. Her Main instruments are West African drums and balafon, although she has the capacity to play many other percussion instruments. Having been a teacher and educator for over 40 years Chris is a very skilled group facilitator. She is available for beginners’ tuition in djembe and balafon, one-to-one or groups (online or in person), ‘drum circle’ or drum-based community events, team building, and special needs groups.
She has also developed a technique for special needs students called Rhythm and Resonance. Information pending.
Available for workshops, one to one tuition – online or in person – in djembe/doundoun, krin (Guinean log drum), balafon, gongo or bolon. Performance & participatory performances.
Toumaranke UK 