HIDE TO HOOP

The Drum Makers Apprenticeship 2027 – 2028

There is something ancient that happens when we begin making a drum from the body of a deer. Not simply crafting an instrument, but entering into relationship with rawhide, wood, tension, memory, sound, and the old conversation between human beings and the more than human world.

Hide to Hoop was born from my own longing to reclaim a slower, more intimate way of making. One rooted not only in technique, but in reverence. A way of working where the deer is not treated as material alone, but as teacher, threshold, and companion in the process.

Over the course of six immersive residential weekends, we will walk together through the full process of traditional frame drum making, beginning with raw deer hides and gradually deepening into the practical, ancestral, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of this work.

This is not fast craft, it is not production based or about perfection.

It is about learning to listen, to the hide, land, your hands and the subtle intelligence that begins to emerge when we slow down enough to truly make something with care.

Throughout the apprenticeship we will explore:

— Hide preparation and rawhide knowledge
— Hoop preparation and lacing techniques, making 3 drums over our time together, along with other creations
— Working with natural materials
— Relationship with deer and ethical sourcing
— Drum history and cultural context
— Ritual, deep imagery, and embodied practice
— The emotional and energetic process of making by hand
— Listening, intuition, and the reawakening of the maker body

The apprenticeship is held in small intimate groups to allow for depth of attention, community, and genuine connection to the process.

For 2027–2028, Hide to Hoop will take place at Wild Ways in Bridgnorth, within the quiet holding of the Shropshire landscape. Each weekend is fully residential and fully catered, allowing participants to step away from ordinary life and immerse fully in the work.

This apprenticeship is as much about remembering as it is about learning. Remembering the old relationship between body, land, craft, and sound.

Remembering what it means to make something slowly and remembering the part of ourselves that still knows how to sit beside a hide and listen.

DATES

2027
May 21st – 23rd
July 16th – 18th
September 10th – 12th
November 12th – 14th

2028
February 18th – 20th
April 6th – 8th

Held at Wild Ways, Bridgnorth
Fully catered & fully residential

Places are intentionally limited due to the intimate nature of the work.

Full Apprenticeship - £3350

Early Bird Investment - £2950 ( available for a limited number of places)

A non refundable deposit of £350 secures your place. Because this apprenticeship unfolds over the course of the year monthly payment plans are also available to support participants stepping into this work gradually and sustainable .

If you are interested in joining Hide to Hoop 2027 please email me at hello@weavingwonderment,com for further details and booking information.