BEAMINSTER school pulsed to the sounds of Zimbabwe as pupils celebrated Black History Month.

Drumbeats resonated through the school as youngsters learned about the rhythms of traditional music.

Millicent Chapanda, from the Afrikan Fusion Zimbabwean performance group, came to Beaminster for a day-long workshop with 35 music GCSE students.

She brought with her a huge array of percussion instruments for the students to try.

The unusual instruments included 30 Djembe drums, homemade Hosho – a type of shaker made from a dried gourd and a Mbira thumb piano.

Students learned to play complex rhythmic patterns, and how the drums were often used for communication between villages.

Millicent instructed the students in singing a capella in Shona, a language commonly used in her native Zimbabwe.

Nick Wardle, head of music at Beaminster School said: “It was a fun-packed day of hands-on learning for all the students.

“Millicent taught them not just about music, but about Zimbabwean culture, society and the spiritual significance of music and dance in Zimbabwe.

“I am sure that the day will live in the memory of those who took part for a very long time.”