Start of 10-Week Group Percussion Course with Nezih Antakli - Fall 2026

A 10-week percussion course diving into the rhythms and techniques of Middle Eastern and North African drumming. You'll work with the darbuka — the goblet drum that anchors maqam and folk traditions across the region — building from fundamentals through more advanced tone work, call-and-response exercises, and soloing concepts. The course also explores odd-time signatures from Turkey and the Balkans, expanding your rhythmic palette beyond the core Middle Eastern repertoire.

Nezih Antakli is a Rotterdam-trained percussionist who relocated to New York in 2007 and has become a fixture in the city's world music scene. He's performed and taught at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Met, and Kennedy Center, and brings that institutional credibility alongside a genuine passion for sharing percussion across all skill levels. Classes are open to intermediate and beginner drummers — you'll need to bring your own darbuka.

Classes meet weekly on Wednesday evenings at Brooklyn Music School in Fort Greene, starting September 30 and running through December 9 (with Thanksgiving week skipped). The vibe is hands-on and collaborative — you'll build toward a final group arrangement by the end of the 10 weeks.