A PRIMARY school is bringing the exciting rhythm of the summer carnival season to Rotherham with their very own samba band which has proved to be a massive hit.
The St Thomas CofE Primary School samba band has become so popular the group have been holding workshops across the region to demonstrate their unique skills.
The pupils and teachers play a variety of drums and percussion instruments to produce an exciting sound which has seen the band play at a variety of shows in the borough.
Advertiser reporter CHERRY WILSON and photographer KERRIE BEDDOWS went along to the band's weekly practice session to find out why they have become so popular.
THE carnival tunes were pumping and I could not help but shake my hips along to the infectious beats of Kalashnikov which marked the start of my hour of samba.
Surrounded by agogos, kazoos, repeiques and surdo instruments, all decorated in Brazilian flags, the banging anthems filled the air bringing with it a party vibe.
The 20 performers - known collectively as the Tambores Ritmicos - were dressed in brightly coloured T-shirts and performed their routines with energy and rhythm.
No I wasn't partying at the Rio de Janeiro Carnival.
I was standing in the hall of Kilnhurst St Thomas CofE Primary School watching their popular samba band perform their latest tunes in the weekly rehearsal session.
The sound of wooden sticks beating down on the various drums and the party whistles, which were blown in time with the music, was fascinating and immediately I was hooked.
I could not help but get sucked in by the electrifying atmosphere and I decided to try out one of the huge drums which provided a powerful backdrop beat to the Hip Hop Groove.
The samba band - made up of around 20 pupils and a few teachers - made it look easy, but I found that keeping in time with every other instrument while taking instructions from the leader was a mind-boggling task.
Luckily I was being coached by 11-year-old Stacey Skirrow who guided me through the difficult beats and gave valuable instructions on when I had to start and stop the drumming.
"When you start up it takes about three or four weeks to get used to it," she told me. "Then you end up knowing the songs off by heart. You can pick it up quite quickly.
"I really enjoy it. If we didn't have this we would be stuck at home doing nothing. It gives me something to do after school and most of us really like the music."
Despite my hand and eye coordination being a little shaky I got into the groove and was tapping my feet to the beats of the drums while trying to keep in time with the party whistles and tambourines.
I watched the band as they started to learn the Samba Reggae and it was amazing to see how they easily picked up the difficult beats by simply listening to a CD of the song.
Student Chris Hall (12) was given the difficult task of leading the song and had to learn his own drumming routine before teaching the other band members the rhythm.
"It can be difficult but it's also fun being the leader," he said. "You can put in off-rhythms and create something new over the four beats to fit to the groove. You can play around with the song.
"The instruments we use are different to other bands and it creates a different sound and even though it's quite loud most people seem to enjoy it."
The school's samba band was formed four years ago and has since built up an impressive reputation which has seen them perform in street parades and galas across the region.
I could see why the band had been such a massive hit as each pupil brought passion and style to the performance which was thrilling to watch.
And the benefits of being part of the samba band has extended beyond simply just providing after-school fun, as the teachers have also noticed an improvement in pupil's work.
Deputy head teacher Karen Brammer said: "I've noticed that with the younger pupils their handwriting improved a lot after being in the band.
"It really helps with their coordination skills and it can be very therapeutic as well.
"I think the band has been so popular with pupils because they enjoy performing the songs. They get a real buzz from it."