Noa Vax

percussion artist and creator of unique body percussion and rhythm workshops

I have been a percussion artist ever since I started playing drums at the age of 9. I made history as the first female percussion artist in the IDF and for the past two decades I have been creating music, as a solo artist or as part of ensembles performing in Israel and abroad. 

Among my performances: 

“Grandma Memi” – three generations of women in my family performing modern versions of Ladino songs

“Quartetoukan” – a Jewish-Arab musical encounter

“Arba’atenu – the Four of Us” – an all-female quartet performing modern Israeli songs

“Oriental Kids’ Groove” – Mediterreanean flavored versions of children’s music.

In 2015 I was sent by the Israeli Ministry of Culture to Paris, for a residency at the at the Cité internationale des arts. There, I developed a performance titled “My Journey”, fusing street sounds from Tel Aviv and Paris with singing, percussion and electronic music. 

My specialty is in Middle Eastern and South Indian percussion. After years of playing as a backing artist to prominent Israeli singers and performing in various international music festivals, I have developed a unique body percussion workshop. 

I believe body percussion can bridge any gap between people due to language, religion or culture barriers. No prior knowledge or special ability is necessary – body percussion is right for any person, at any age.

Our body forms the base for initial communication, within ourselves as well as to the outside world. While still in the womb, we feel our mother’s heartbeat – this rhythmic sensation accompanies us and is present within our daily life throughout our days.

After leading hundreds of body percussion workshops all over the world, I have perfected a 45 minute workshop that is modular and can be adapted to various audiences:

Adults – either as a team-building office activity or as an extra-curricular seminary for educators

Children – from workshops for preschoolers to teenagers

Parent-child workshops – strengthening the bond between children and parents through joined activity.

The workshop entails incorporating body percussion in music and creation. Together we practice social communication, develop motor skills, implement movement control and listening abilities, while improvising and attempting to free ourselves from emotional setbacks, in order to fully appreciate the experience of connecting to ourselves and to others.

In addition, we will become acquainted with the South Indian Konnakol rhythmic language and will practice vocal-rhythmic improvisation.

In my workshops for children, I also incorporate a short performance of percussive instruments from around the world (African udu, Pakistani doumbek, etc.) and construction of percussive instruments from recycled material.

Using music games and improvisation, children practice their rhythmic abilities, flex their gross and fine motor skills, their movement control, symbolization and language abilities, develop social communication skills and enjoy an unforgettable experience of rhythm, music and performance.

See my TEDx talk about body percussion here