Urban Drummers: The Experience of Playing, Being and Feeling in Community

Abstract

Marching percussion groups are recurrent elements in urban festivities in Brazil and Portugal. Associated with a diversity of traditions, the groups mobilise dozens of players and modify the soundscape of the cities. This article proposes a theoretical discussion about this type of practice, focusing on the meanings its participants give to this musical. Aligned with the perspective of cultural studies, from a bibliographic review and a mapping of percussion groups activity in the cities of Fortaleza and Braga, we discuss some definitions related to the group’s practice and organisation. Some of the topics discussed include the appeal to the notion of community (Amit, 2002; Anderson, 1983/2008; Hall, 1993; Mocellim, 2010) and traditional practices in contemporary times (Giddens, 1990/1996); the informal teaching model based on musical practice and classified under the concept of “community music” (Higgins, 2012; McKay & Higham, 2012; Veblen, 2008); and issues related to sociality (Bauman, 2000/2001; Fernandes, 2005; Maffesoli, 1988/1998), identity (Hall, 1992/2006) and performance (Schechner, 2013) in postmodernity. Focused on the percussion groups, we defined a form of organisation — as a group of teaching and collective mu sical practice, with a master, a reference in tradition and a strong appeal to the sense of community. We also defined a practice — as hybrid perfor mances, which articulates sacred and secular ritual elements with leisure activities, artistic expressions and the cultural industry.