We're excited to introduce a great team of instructors and facilitators:
Cheri Bunker has always had a love for recreational music making and because of this has become a Remo HealthRHYTHMS facilitator. Cheri facilitates the Remo HealthRHYTHMS, evidence based wellness protocol, involving empowerment drumming to help people experience healing, stress relief and fun through percussion. Cheri has been practicing the healing arts for over 10 years and along with drum training she has received certifications as a Medical Technologist, Aromatherapist, and Reiki Master/Teacher. With these certifications and interests Cheri enjoys being a presenter or volunteering her services at health retreats and conferences such as the Banner Health Thriving and Surviving Retreat for cancer survivors and the Integrative Medicine Conferences. Cheri also founded her own company Scentsual Aromatherapy out of her love for aromatherapy and environment friendly products. She has combined this love with drumming in a class called DrumScents.
Deborah Cuneo is a drummer and facilitator/teacher at the WDC. She has performed with Drumheart since 1997 playing Surdo, Assiko and Dun Dun Drums as well as hand percussion. Deborah developed and taught MoonSong Drum Circle, a class on the creation of drumcircles. She also facilitates drumcircles, has lead the Ubaka Hill Drumsong group, currently is leading the Elder drumcircles and has done outreach work with girls through the WDC. The evolving women’s drum tradition in North America, the role of anchor drums in ensemble and the ceremonial/spiritual/community aspects of drumming have been an inspiration for her.
Marisa Cuneo-Linsly has been a part of the DrumHeart ensemble since 1995 performing on the snare, Conga, Djembe, and Kpanlogo drums and other percussion instruments. She has taken private lessons as well as attending several workshops including a weekend retreat, “Drum Happening”, in the Catskills. Marisa became the interim leader of DrumHeart in its 2008 and part of its 2009 seasons and coordinated, produced and co-led the WDC 2008 and 2009 spring concerts which featured DrumHeart. Her enthusiasm for drumming, dance and music led her to give back to the Women’s Drum Center community by helping others begin their journey with drums.
Bonnie Hering of the JuBo Duo received her Bachelor of Music degree in Percussion Performance from the College-Conservatory of Music(CCM) in Cincinnati, OH in 2004. She has performed all over the country with numerous artists and music groups including The Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps, Chix with Stix Percussion Ensemble - and most recently - world renowned marimba artist, and percussionist of Saturday Night Live fame, Valerie Dee Naranjo. A vast interest in music education, and a solid performance background, has lead her to great success in teaching privately and instructing all levels of independent, high school, and college percussion groups.
Currently residing in St. Paul, Ms. Hering teaches and performs with the Women's Drum Center where she facilitates a wide range of "western" and "world" percussion classes and workshops, including stick drumming, hand drumming, frame drumming, drum set and latin percussion techniques. She actively freelances with a variety of local musicians, ensembles, and theaters, including the Guthrie Theater where she performed on a Kevin Kling orginal in the fall of 2009. In addition to freelance performing, Ms. Hering writes and arranges music for independent projects, including her new original album, scheduled to come out this fall!
Lena Jones played with the Drumheart performance ensemble from 2002-2007 and is currently a board member of the Women's Drum Center. Her love of drumming has taken her to many places, including Havana, Cuba where she studied Afro-Cuban conga drumming and Salvador (Bahia), Brazil where she, along with other members of Drumheart, had the privilege of learning from and playing with Brazilian music legend Neguinho do Samba and members of the Dida Women's drumming ensemble. In 2004, she taught several drumming classes for girls at the Women's Drum Center and she is extremely happy to return to her role of introducing young women to the world of drumming and percussion! In her life outside of drumming, Lena is a political science instructor at Minneapolis Community and Technical College.
Nicole Radotich has performed as a drum set player and percussionist with various musical groups: jazz bands, wind ensembles, pit orchestras, choirs, combos, marching band and a batucada. Highlights of her drumming career include performing in local and national music educator conventions, the Eau Claire Jazz Festival, Eagan Summer Musical Productions, national choir tours and an international jazz ensemble tour. Nicole also played drum set in the jazz ensembles at Apple Valley High School and Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN. She began teaching privately in 2002 and finds a great amount of joy in sharing her passion for music and drumming with others. At the Women’s Drum Center, Nicole teaches rock drumming, introductory drum set workshops, stick drumming fundamentals and private drum set lessons.
