POST FALLS - Marilyn Griffitts is beating the drum of expanding her musical boundaries.

And the way the Hayden Meadows Elementary teacher is doing it comes with the lively sounds of the Caribbean and South Africa.

Griffitts is among 40 educators participating in two World Music Drumming workshops this week at Post Falls High with the intent of taking their experience back to their classrooms.

"It's so cultural," Griffitts said of the workshop. "We're having such a blast."

Students representing nine different countries are playing the marimba, bongo and tubano drums, rattles and other instruments. Many are learning the to play the instruments for the first time.

Singing, dancing and cultural exchanges are also peppered into the workshops.

"You can learn so much just from the other students," Griffitts said. "We teach at different levels, but we have so much in common to start with."

Griffitts heard about the opportunity while attending a professional development conference in St. Louis in November.

"I couldn't believe that one of them was going to be held in Post Falls, Idaho," she said. "So I jumped on this one."

She said she wants to broaden her students' music experience and share her excitement.

"It's so good for the kids to think outside the box," she said. "We do so much with European and American music."

Paul Radford, who teaches at the only Quaker school in Australia, made the trip to Post Falls to attend the workshop because instructor Walt Hampton's music and the marimba is included in his school's curriculum. Hampton, from the Tri-Cities in Washington, is a marimba teacher at the workshop.

"Walt's music is quite challenging, very clever and very engaging," Radford said.

Radford said he enjoys the opportunity to play music at the workshop because his focus has mainly been on teaching it.

"This way I can reflect on what my students go through," he said.

Instructor Paul Corbiere said this is the World Music Drumming's first workshops in this area and it's been a joy watching students' enthusiasm.

"It gives them the opportunity to learn something about another part of the world," he said. "They also can create their own music. It's called community music making, and they're really into it."

Radford is thrilled about not only collaborating with fellow music teachers from other parts of the world, but the style of music he'll bring back to his classroom.

"It's groove-based and makes people want to dance," he said of marimba music. "It also makes people feel happy."

Free concerts

High school students who play the marimba will put on a free concert today at Post Falls High at 4 p.m. Students in the World Music Drumming workshops at PFHS this week will perform on Friday at 10:30 a.m.