Drum making is a long tradition spanning back thousands of years. Michael has made hundreds of drums over the years and has taught many people how to make these drums. He teaches the same way he was taught by his elder. In the traditions of the Abenaki people all learning, is an oral tradition.

Michael teaches the process of drum making from beginning to end. In a drum making class you will learn the history of the drum and how it came to be. You will also learn how to assemble all the pieces and bring life to the drum. You will plane the boards your drums will come from & you will also cut each individual piece and glue them together. You will then finish the frame by sanding and coating your frame with an oil. The final step will be placing your drum head on and lacing it to the frame. After drying, your drum will be ready for awakening!

Your drum making experience will be from start to finish and take approximately 2 days to create the drum and several more before it is ready for Awakening.