The Soultown! Volume III: Issue 7 JULY 2019 | Page 9

TALK OF THE TOWN
find it, I began think-
ing about how I could
create one.”
Gonzalez searched
the bay area for ma-
terial that would cre-
ate the big bouncy
bass sound of the
tambora. There was
no luck. One day
MIGUEL
as he was playing a
GONZALEZ
friend’s drum-set, he
noticed a strip of duct tape on one of the drums. His
friend told him that the tape dampened, or muffled,
the sound a little bit so the head would not ring (be
too loud) so much when hit. This gave Gonzalez an
idea. He went home to work on the only kick drum
(the big bass drum that gets hit with a pedal, from a
drum set). He took it apart, applied a blanket of duct
tape, and put it back together to play it. The bass
was deeper. He applied another layer of duct tape,
completely covering the head with a second layer.
BOOM! That was the sound that the duct tape ex-
periment rendered. It was the perfect hip-hop bass
drum. The slap sound comes from striking the wood-
en shell directly across the round surface with a thick
wooden stick.
He started taking the drum to schools in East Palo
Alto -- where he was working as a substitute teacher.
He envisioned creating an intervention program that
could engage at-risk and violence impacted youth.
The idea was that instead of fighting, youth could
channel that aggression into hitting the drum. Thus,
every time he would play, the children would either
gather round or come running to see what the noise
was about. Of course, many wanted to try, some of
them taking the drum very seriously, even becoming
angry when they didn’t get a chance to try. He even-
tually bought more drums and secured a position as
an after-school mentor.
With time he learned that the drum was unique,
and strategic, for several reasons. The Slap Drum is
essentially a recycled drum that is renovated, making
it very inexpensive, at times free. The sound makes it
100% culturally relevant for the population he works
with, which is primarily inner-city youth of color that
listen to Rap, R&B, and Hip-Hop. It’s also very easy
to play, requiring only two limbs, instead of four, mak-
ing it very accessible, even to youth with no musical
experience. Many of his current students are able to
Above, youth prepare for their next drumming lesson. Below, youth show final stenciling projects.
I was already a
percussionist.
I played the congas,
but when I heard the
Tambora, it felt like a
drum that was
created by our bay
area hip hop sound,
a lot of slap and bass.
~ Gonzalez
make money by working on drums, including taking
them home for very elaborate projects in which they
completely redesign, and customize drums to order,
adding an entrepreneurial dimension. Today, he
has over 100 drums and have given several away
to eager, young, drum enthusiasts. He is beginning
to fill a niche in the Bay area, and the demand only
continues to grow as he continues to develop the
curriculum.
When he started the drumming program, New
Urban Drum Culture didn’t mirror his vision. After
having taught in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose,
East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, San Mateo, and getting
hired to teach the program full-time it has become
a national program. Time and consistency has al-
lowed Gonzalez to train and coach people on how to
teach his drumming curriculum. It has also attracted
countless schools to offer services. Talk of the Town
has become a national organization that can have a
major impact on youth across America.
Over the years Gonzalez has added other compon
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July 2019 • The Soultown International Magazine • Celebrating 2 years • Connecting Our Cultures to Our Cyber & Conscious Communities • thesoultown.com
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