Name: Rhythm, Presence & Play
Start: 2025-12-06T15:30:00-06:00
Location: Music Monastery : A Spiritual Home For Artists

Rhythm, Presence & Play is an evening of rhythm, listening, and community at the Music Monastery—featuring a contemplative rhythm class, an improvised guitar–percussion set with Shan Kenner & Clif Koufman, and a free community drum jam open to all.
3:30–5:00 PM — Class: Rhythm, Presence & Polyrhythm
Do we start at the beginning?
Often, real growth requires stepping back—listening, repeating, letting go, beginning again.
This session blends West African rhythmic traditions with the spirit of American improvised music.
Through sound, movement, and repetition, we’ll explore rhythm as active group meditation, guided by the African concept of polyrhythm—holding multiple patterns, perspectives, and emotions at once.
We’ll observe.
We’ll feel.
We’ll listen—without judgment.
All levels welcome.
Drums provided or bring your own.
6:30–7:45 PM — Improvised Duo Performance: Shan Kenner & Clif Koufman
Guitar and percussion in conversation.
This improvised set is a journey through texture, groove, and open expression.
The music is spontaneous, born in the moment, and shaped by trust, listening, and deep communication.
It’s not about perfection—it’s about finding something we couldn’t reach alone.
8:00 PM — Free Community Drum Jam
After learning and listening, we let it all go and simply play.
Bring a drum or use one of ours.
No experience needed—just a heartbeat.
Pricing
Community Drum Jam (8:00 PM)
• Free — open to all. Bring a drum or use one of ours. No experience needed.
Class (3:30–5:00 PM)
• $20 Early Bird (through December 1)
• $30 after December 1
Concert (6:30–7:45 PM)
• $10 Early Bird (through December 1)
• $15 day of event
Bundle — Class + Concert
• $25 Early Bird (through December 1)
• $35 after December 1
Scholarships available.
No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Please contact us if you’d like a scholarship—no questions asked.
Featured Artists
Shan Kenner
Shan Kenner is an American guitarist and composer known for his masterful blend of flamenco, Brazilian, classical, jazz, and world music influences. His playing combines technical depth with expressive nuance, bringing concert-level artistry to both intimate rooms and larger stages.
Clif Koufman
Clif Koufman is a Nashville-based percussionist, educator, and director, and the founder of Sound & Rhythm Studio. He has over two decades of experience in West African drumming, drum set, and improvised music, with intensive study under master drummers Mamady Keita, Famoudou Konaté, and Bolokada Condé, including recent work in Bolokada’s home village of Morowaya. Clif has recorded with artists such as Jeff Coffin, Danny Gottlieb, Jeff Sipe, and Ra Kalam Bob Moses, produced and filmed a collaborative New Orleans session featuring Johnny Vidacovich, Bill Summers, Tony Dagradi, and others, and is currently directing Living Music, an unscripted portrait of Ra Kalam Bob Moses now in post-production.