From: B. Michael Williams (williamsm@winthrop.edu), Associate Professor of Music
Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC
I have grown immeasurably through my experiences at SJI, both as a musician and a scholar. The interaction with master teachers who give their very best to all students at SJI has been invaluable.
The success of SJI has been nothing short of phenomenal. . . In my opinion, this is truly the cutting edge of ethnomusicology, . . . bringing indigenous music directly to the people. . . . setting the example for a more user-friendly form of ethnomusicology, fusing solid scholarship and research with direct musical experiences for students at every level.

From: Francoise Stauber, Morgantown, WV
. . . the Institute more than exceeded my best expectations. What a great learning and enjoyable experience! I am still flying high from all the excitement. The classes with the African masters, the social interactions, the lectures you gave every night on Mandeng history and culture as well as the movies, slide presentations, handouts, all gave us the opportunity to learn a great deal in a short period of time about jembe music and its cultural background.
One of the things that made the Institute very special was the opportunity to interact extensively with the outstanding faculty, in and out of class . . . I also appreciated the opportunity to be with other drummers of all ages and levels.

From: Adam Rugo (adamrugo@aol.com) (http://members.aol.com/adamrugo/Links.html)
Washington University, St. Louis
I just returned home from the Djembe Institute in Greensboro, NC, and it was a wonderful experience. I heartily recommend it to anyone. The big surprise to me was the number of novice players who came. It seemed like most players had less than two years experience, and quite a few had never even played a djembe before the conference. The teachers worked well with beginners as well as professionals. . . . it was a phenomenal experience. Many thanks to Eric Charry for organizing the institute, and to the teachers, Ladji Camara, Papus Jobate, Djimo Kouyate, Mohammed Camara, Mohammed Dacosta, and Abdoul Doumbia, for their great generosity and kindness to us.

From: Michael Wall (drum@aloha.net)
Honalulu, Hawaii
I attended last year's Institute and in my mind it is the best intensive program available. In addition to the highly talented players, here were some of the BIG pluses for me in contrast to the many other drum camps I've attended:
1) Both audio and video taping were allowed in most classes and performances.
2) The instructors were all effective teachers, as well as players. The classes started on time, and were well organized.
3) The group size of approximately 10 per class kept things moving along quickly
4) The classes were sorted by skill level
5) Two classes were given for soloists working with dancers
6) There was a lecture every evening by Eric Charry on Mandeng culture, history, music, and more - complete with slide and video presentations, handouts and a full length film. I learned more background information about Mandeng music and culture at this camp than my entire previous readings had revealed!
7) The accomodations and food were a MAJOR improvement over the typical "camp" fare. I shared an airconditioned room with one other person. There is also a business district within walking distance with excellent restaurants!
8) There were three drum classes per day
9) There was a class on reskinning and tuning the djembe
10) There were 3 balaphon classes
11) There were two classes on notating drum rhythms, including an analysis of one of Mamady Keita's solos by Michael Williams.
12) Eric Charry and his staff were friendly, helpful and available.
13) VERY high quality drums were available from Sandy at Talking Drums for purchase and rental.
14) Doundouns were provided for every class (a tremendous plus for me as I didn't have to bring mine from Hawaii!)
15) Chris Donaldson played doundoun for virtually EVERY dance class! (Had to throw that in!)
16) A show on the last evening was presented for the local community, including all the teachers and ALL the students.
I'm sure there are many more things which set this program apart from the others, but these are the ones which come immediately to mind. I give my highest recommendation for this program to anyone interested in Djembe, Doundoun, Balaphon, West African dance, song and culture. It is truly excellent!

From: Michael Goshern (mgoshern@PACBELL.NET)
Sacramento, California
Thanks Michael for the oustanding list of BIG pluses and I agree with every one of them!!! . . . I attended last year for the first time and can't wait to go back! In addition to Michael's 16 BIG pluses, I would like to add:
(17) The outstanding instructors and staff make themselves available for questions or just plain socializing the entire time!
(18) You get to meet, play, dance, eat and "hang-out" with, possibly room with, and develop friendships with some of the most interesting and talented people you will ever meet (many I might add contribute the most knowledgeable and interesting posts to this list, in my opinion!)
(19) You learn that these great folks are just like you and me!
(20) You'll leave with a passion for more, even though you are returning home with more information and instruction than you can possibly assimilate in the coming year!
Lastly, I rented one of the drums from Sandy of Talking Drums at a very inexpensive rate and liked it so much I purchased it at a great price, and brought it all the back to California with me!