World Music Drumming

What World Music Drumming does

World Music Drumming is a K-12 music education curriculum and professional development workshop program operated by Music Workshops, LLC, a privately held Washington-state LLC headquartered in Bellingham, WA. The company owns and licenses the World Music Dramming Curriculum — a sequential, standards-aligned teaching framework covering West African, Caribbean, and Latin drumming and singing traditions, structured as 7 units and 33 lessons — co-developed in 1997 by Dr. Will Schmid and Ghanaian Master Drummer Sowah Mensah, and currently published by Hal Leonard Corporation. The curriculum has been adopted by more than 20,000 schools worldwide.

The company generates revenue through three primary streams: (1) summer workshop registrations delivered at 10 US locations ($385-$595 per attendee), (2) graduate credit fees paid through a partnership with VanderCook College of Music ($445 per participant), and (3) curriculum book royalties distributed via West Music's retail and e-commerce channels. Workshops are delivered in-person by a faculty of ~14 credentialed clinicians, including ethnomusicologist Sowah Mensah and percussionist Josh Ryan, and serve music educators, community music leaders, and church musicians. The customer base is highly distributed across individual educator purchasers and school-district hosts, with no enterprise anchor customers. Post-2018, following the deaths of both co-founders, Patty Bourne (Director) has led operations.

Distribution combines direct online registration via the company website, West Music retail/curriculum sales, host-district workshop co-marketing, and the VanderCook academic credit pathway. Marketing is event-driven and content-led, leveraging conference presentations (NAfME, AOSA, PMEA), testimonials, and faculty credentials within the K-12 music education community. The operating model is asset-light and human-intensive, with no external investment, no mobile or software product, and no disclosed technology platform beyond a Squarespace-hosted marketing site and basic online registration.

Name

World Music Drumming

Legal name

Music Workshops, LLC

Website

https://worldmusicdrumming.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Education Professional Development

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAMAAAE

Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Arts & Creative Enrichment (Visual Arts, Music, Theater, Dance)

SECONDARYEDAMANAC

Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Music Education (Instrumental & Vocal)

SECONDARYEDAAAGAC

Music (Instruments, Voice, Music Theory)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Personal Enrichment & Hobby Learning (Arts, Crafts, Music, Cooking)

SECONDARYEDAMANAI

Online / Virtual Music Instruction & Platforms

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Music Education (Instrumental & Vocal)

Keywords

• Music education curriculum
• Professional development workshops
• World drumming instruction
• Educator training programs
• Sequential music lessons

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Workshop Registration Fees: Professional development workshop fees ranging from $385-$595 depending on participant category (student, in-district, retired, general). Workshops run Monday-Thursday 9am-5pm with shorter Friday sessions, offering 32 hours of PD.
2. Graduate Credits: Partnership with VanderCook College of Music to offer 3 graduate credits for $445 additional fee. Participants complete projects after workshops and submit to Patty Bourne.
3. Curriculum Sales: The World Music Drumming Curriculum 20th Anniversary Teacher Edition is sold through West Music. The company receives referral/sales through West Music's distribution network using promo code WMDCURR26.
4. License Renewal Credits: Iowa teachers can earn 2 license renewal credits for an additional $100, processed through AEA transcript.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

World Music Drumming sells a standards-aligned music education curriculum (7 units, 33 sequential lessons covering West African, Caribbean, and Latin drumming and singing traditions) developed by Dr. Will Schmid with Ghanaian Master Drummer Sowah Mensah. The company delivers multi-day summer professional development workshops (Levels 1-3 plus specialized tracks) for music educators, community music leaders, and church musicians at 10 US venues in 2026, with curriculum book sales distributed through West Music and an optional graduate credit pathway via VanderCook College of Music.

Product overview

World Music Drumming is a music education curriculum and professional development program built around a single unified curriculum offering (the World Music Drumming Curriculum) with a tiered workshop delivery system. The curriculum comprises 7 units with 33 sequential lessons teaching West African, Caribbean, and Latin drumming and singing traditions. Delivery occurs through multi-day summer workshops offered at various locations across the United States, with workshop levels 1-3 providing progressive skill development. Specialized workshops (Drumming Up the Fun, Festival Brazil, Kids Choir and Drums) extend the program to specific age groups and musical traditions. An optional graduate credit program (3 credits at $445) is offered through a partnership with VanderCook College of Music, enabling participants to earn university credits alongside their workshop participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• World Music Drumming Curriculum (20th Anniversary Teacher Edition) A 7-unit, 33-lesson sequential music education curriculum covering West African, Caribbean, and Latin drumming and singing traditions, aligned with National Core Arts Standards. Sold through West Music and published by Hal Leonard.
• Level 1 World Music Drumming Workshop Introductory workshop teaching the basics of West African and Caribbean drumming, singing, and movement through the World Music Drummering Curriculum. No prior experience required; can be repeated.
• Level 2 World Music Drumming Workshop Intermediate workshop for those who have completed Level 1, deepening application of the curriculum while improving musical skills and teaching effectiveness. Includes work with Sowah Mensah (Ghanaian traditions) and Josh Ryan (Cuban/Afro-Cuban traditions). Many participants repeat this course.
• Level 3 World Music Drumming Workshop Advanced workshop for those who have completed Levels 1 and 2, covering drumming, singing, and dancing from Ghana (Ga, Akan, Ewe peoples), gyil xylophone ensembles, Ghanaian flute, adenkum gourds, and Cuban/Afro-Cuban traditions. Taught exclusively by Sowah Mensah and Josh Ryan at Cedar Rapids, IA and Columbus, OH venues.
• Drumming Up the Fun Workshop Workshop for early childhood and early elementary classroom and music educators introducing modifications to the World Music Drummering curriculum for children ages 3-8 (preK-grade 2), focused on sound stories and ready-to-use drumming activities. Taught by Melissa Blum.
• Festival Brazil Workshop Workshop based on 'Festas Brasileiras' by Estevao Marques and Fabian Galli, featuring Brazilian folk festival songs, dances, and rhythms for classroom teaching. Includes 11 ensembles combining choir, xylophones, percussion ensembles, and dancing. Offered exclusively in Kent, WA.
• Kids, Choir & Drums Workshop Workshop for elementary and middle-level teachers of vocal music presenting strategies for singing, movement, and drumming. No prior experience required. Complimentary choral octavos provided with support from JW Pepper and Hal Leonard publishing. Not offered in 2026.
• Graduate Credits via VanderCook College of Music 3 graduate credits available to workshop participants for an additional $445 fee through the partnership with VanderCook College of Music. Participants complete post-workshop projects and submit them to Patty Bourne for credit posting.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20,000+ schools worldwide using the curriculum
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• West MusiccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWest Music is the primary retail partner for World Music Drumming Curriculum sales. They provide promotional code WMDCURR26 for curriculum purchases. Additionally, West Music provides instrument support at workshops and sponsors the opening reception at Cedar Rapids venue.
• VanderCook College of MusiccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to offer graduate credits to workshop participants. World Music Drumming offers 3 graduate credits through VanderCook for $445 additional fee. Registration and communication handled by Music Workshops LLC until grade posting and transcript ready.
• JW Pepper and Hal Leonard PublishingsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJW Pepper and Hal Leonard provide complimentary choral octavos for the Kids, Choir & Drums workshop. Hal Leonard is the publisher of the World Music Drumming Curriculum and related materials.
• HotmartTechnology or IntegrationHotmart is the platform hosting 'Festas Brasileiras' content by Estevao Marques and Fabian Galli, which is featured in the Festival Brazil workshop offering.
• Greater Western Area Education Agency (AEA)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIowa teachers can earn 2 license renewal credits for $100 additional fee, processed through AEA transcript system for the Cedar Rapids workshop.
• Elizabethtown CollegesupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerElizabethtown College Department of Music hosts the Elizabethtown, PA workshop location and provides on-campus housing options for participants through their roomboard program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• West Music: West Music is the primary retail distributor of the World Music Drumming Curriculum and also operates its own teacher workshops, instrument sales, and PD events for K-8 music educators. It is both distribution partner and an adjacent player in the music educator PD ecosystem.
• National Association for Music Education (NAfME): NAfME is the primary US professional association for music educators and runs national and state conferences, learning opportunities, and resources that World Music Dramming's faculty leverages for distribution. It is an ecosystem participant that shapes curriculum adoption decisions rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE): OAKE delivers Kodály-inspired music education teacher training through national and chapter-level workshops, certification programs, and institutes aimed at elementary/general music educators. Its sequential pedagogy and summer workshop delivery format makes it a structurally parallel peer to World Music Drumming's curriculum-plus-workshop model.
• Music Together: Music Together is a widely-used early-childhood music education curriculum with licensed teacher training workshops delivered in person. It overlaps with World Music Drumming on the workshop-based teacher training and curriculum licensing model, particularly the Drumming Up the Fun preK-grade 2 audience.
• American Orff-Schulwerk Association (AOSA): AOSA is the US organization for the Orff Schulwerk approach to music education and runs summer workshop-based teacher certification courses comparable in structure to World Music Drumming's PD workshops. Both serve elementary music educators through multi-day in-person workshops with sequential skill progression, and World Music Drumming explicitly positions its curriculum as complementary to the Orff approach.

Emerging players

• MakeMusic (SmartMusic / Finale): MakeMusic's SmartMusic and Finale products are widely adopted in K-12 and collegiate music programs for practice, assessment, and curriculum delivery. It targets the same music educator purchasing decisions and represents the digital/technology-native alternative to print and workshop-based curricula.
• Quaver Music: Quaver Music offers a digital K-12 general music curriculum with interactive lessons, teacher resources, and PD for music educators. It competes for the same school purchasing decisions as World Music Drumming's curriculum, though via a digital-first model rather than print + in-person workshops.
• MusicFirst: MusicFirst provides a web-based K-12 music education platform with curriculum, assessments, and teacher tools. It targets the same school music programs and curriculum budgets as World Music Drumming, but competes on technology integration rather than cultural authenticity.

Broad incumbents

• Hal Leonard Corporation: Hal Leonard is the publisher of the World Music Drumming Curriculum and a dominant music education publisher whose Essential Elements band method, guitar method series, and other curricula compete for the same music teacher textbook and materials budgets. It is both partner and broad incumbent peer.
• Alfred Music: Alfred Music is a large music education publisher offering band, orchestra, guitar, and general music method books (e.g., Sound Innovations). It competes for K-12 music curriculum adoption dollars at the district level against the World Music Dramming Curriculum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wmdrumming
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/music-workshops-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about World Music Drumming