When veteran percussionist William “Willie” Stewart talks about a drum, the lesson goes beyond how to play it.

There is history in the instrument, ceremony behind its use and, Stewart says, even healing in its sound.

Those were among the lessons the Jamaican musician brought to young Cayman Islands drummers as the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage’s Beat of Our Heart Drumming Summer Camp culminated in a showcase at the Intergenerational Hub on Saturday night.

The event gave participants an opportunity to demonstrate what they had learnt during the camp and celebrate the cultural traditions explored throughout the programme.

Teresa Echenique, Chief Officer in the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage, said the week had combined enthusiasm with lessons that extended beyond music.

“It has been an awesome week, never a dull moment,” Echenique said. “The group that you see here today, we have been learning so much. We have had passion in the room, we have learnt discipline. If we came on a low, we definitely left on a high.”

Echenique introduced Stewart as “a legend all by himself”.

Stewart, spent twenty-one years as a drummer with reggae fusion band Third World, but his relationship with percussion began much earlier.

“I was six when I started,” he said.

Cayman is familiar ground for Stewart, who said he has visited the islands four times. His connection stretches back more than four decades.

“I came to your beautiful islands in the 1980s with my group Third World,” Stewart said. “I really love the islands.”

He said the welcome he received on his latest visit made him feel at home.

“Big up the treatment I got here, I feel at home,” Stewart said.

Drumming history and traditions

Saturday night was the culmination of a camp in which Stewart shared his experience with the young drummers, teaching them both performance skills and the traditions behind the instruments. The showcase gave participants an opportunity to put those lessons into practice before an audience.

Before a musical demonstration, Stewart gave the audience a brief history of different drums and their uses.

“So, I want to give a little history quick before we move on, about the different drums,” he said.

Among the instruments he introduced was the djembe, which he described as “a ceremonial drum”.

“This is a drum that brings healing,” Stewart said.

His explanation illustrated an important part of the camp. Participants were learning not only how to play and maintain a rhythm, but also about the history, purpose and cultural significance of the instruments.

Stewart also discussed the craftsmanship behind the drums, describing one of the instruments as “a masterpiece”.

The programme brought together youth development and cultural heritage by giving young people practical experience of drumming while introducing them to the traditions associated with the music.

Echenique credited government support with making the camp possible. As she addressed the audience before the performance, Isaac Rankine MP, Minister for Social Development and Innovation and Minister for Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage, arrived at the venue. Echenique paused her remarks to welcome him and acknowledge his backing for the programme.

“This summer camp would not have been possible if we didn't have Minister's support, Minister's vision to make this possible,” she said. “Big up my Ministry.”

The showcase then gave the young drummers a chance to move from lessons and rehearsals to performing before an audience.

Stewart’s presence connected that experience with a wider Caribbean musical tradition. After more than two decades performing with Third World, his role in Cayman placed him in front of young musicians as a teacher as well as a performer.

His lessons placed their performance in a broader cultural context. The drums were not simply instruments for keeping time. They were connected to traditions surrounding how they were made, the occasions on which they were played and the knowledge passed from one drummer to another.

For the young participants, Saturday night marked the culmination of a week of learning, discipline and performance.

For Stewart, returning to Cayman more than four decades after first visiting with Third World, it was another opportunity to use the drums to connect generations - one beat at a time.