IZZO Junior samba pack for 15 players

Introducing the IZZO Junior samba pack for 15 players

The Junior Samba Pack for 15 Players is a comprehensive, classroom-ready percussion solution designed to introduce students to the vibrant rhythms and collaborative energy of samba music. Ideal for primary and lower secondary education settings, this carefully curated set provides everything needed to engage up to 15 participants in structured group performance and creative exploration.

The pack includes a varied selection of high-quality samba percussion instruments, such as hand drums, shakers, agogos, tamborims, beaters, and other essential rhythmic components. This balanced mix allows students to explore different instrumental roles within a samba ensemble, from maintaining steady foundational grooves to performing syncopated accents and call-and-response patterns.

Each instrument has been chosen for its durability, ease of handling, and authentic sound, making them suitable for younger players while still delivering a rich and engaging musical experience. The range of timbres and playing techniques supports the teaching of key musical concepts including pulse, rhythm, coordination, and ensemble awareness.

This pack is particularly well-suited for:

• Whole-class ensemble work
• Curriculum-based world music studies
• Extracurricular percussion groups
• Workshops and performance projects

Designed to withstand regular classroom use, the Junior Samba Pack encourages inclusive participation and helps develop confidence, teamwork, and rhythmic proficiency. It offers educators a reliable, all-in-one resource for delivering dynamic and culturally enriching music lessons with minimal preparation required.

What’s in the pack?

1x 14in and 2x 16in Izzo Junior surdo

The surdo is the biggest, deepest drum and plays the heartbeat of samba music. Each drum comes fully assembled and all the hardware is painted with protective black paint. Both durable synthetic skins can be tightened using the supplied tuning key.

We are proud to be the sole importers for Izzo who have been manufacturing top quality instruments in Brazil for more than 60 years. Their new Junior series are built using thinner aluminium making them lighter and cheaper - perfect for younger players. An ingenious ridged design makes them just as strong (and loud!) as the standard range, meaning they'll easily survive the everyday perils of the classroom.

2x Izzo Junior 10in repinique

The repinique or repique is a large and extremely loud high-pitched drum, used to play lead rhythms and to signify changes in samba music. It normally has a skin on both ends (this junior model only features skin at one end), and its pitch sits between the deep surdos and the various smaller high-pitched drums.

This model has a single 10" head on one end of the 30cm shell, held in place by a strong aluminium counter hoop and rods. Each drum comes fully assembled and all the hardware is painted with protective black paint. A tuning key for tightening the synthetic skin is also included in the box.

We are proud to be the sole importers for Izzo who have been manufacturing top quality instruments in Brazil for more than 60 years.

3x Izzo ABS 6in tamborim - Various colours

The shallow tamborim is traditionally hit with a double or triple pronged plastic stick and plays the distinctive high pitched syncopated rhythms in a samba band. As it's quite small, you’ll probably need more than one to cut through the texture.

This model has a single 6" white synthetic skin that can be tightened by using the supplied key to adjust the hook tuners. Unlike most larger samba drums which are traditionally made of aluminium, these tamborims are made from ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) a hard rubber also used to make Lego and clarinets among many other things.

We are proud to be the sole importers for Izzo who have been manufacturing top quality instruments in Brazil for more than 60 years.

Izzo are particularly well known for their smaller drums - the pandeiros and tamborims - and even these colourful ABS models are made to an extremely high standard.

2x Percussion Plus medium double agogo bells

These traditional agogo bells from Percussion Plus are a great addition to any existing samba outfit and are also good for developing rhythm in primary or secondary education. Their sturdy construction means that they will withstand use in the classroom.

This instrument consists of two tonally matched bells which are constructed in the traditional U shape design. They produce clear and bright sounds which are similar to two different sized cowbells. Play by hitting the bells with the supplied beater, or with any other beater to explore different sounds and tones.

1x Acme 475 tri-tone samba whistle with cord

Ideal for percussionists in Latin music groups to give cues to other musicians, the ever-popular Acme samba whistle makes a loud, high-pitched sound. This tri-tone whistle is made from solid plastic and features a neck lanyard to help keep it secure.

3x Percussion Plus metal shaker - Silver

The Percussion Plus metal ganza shaker is simple in design and of a good build quality. It produces a wonderfully crisp sound when shaken and is lots of fun to play.

The instrument is made of durable metal which allows it to withstand use in the classroom. It is ideal for samba music but would also fit a range of percussion settings.

3x Liverpool wooden bass drum beater - Red

This beater has a long wooden handle with a plush head, making it ideal for striking bass drums in orchestras and bands. With a hanging cord for added convenience, the mallet is a great option for symphonic bass drums, surdo drums and gongs, making it a versatile tool for your school orchestra or marching band.

The soft fluffy beater head provides a very deep thudding sound, opposed to the sharp crack of a plastic beater head, making these mallets great for creating the core heartbeat of samba music.

3x Izzo Samba Nylon belt

This nylon samba belt is ideal for supporting a bass drum. It is strong and sturdy, and the adjusters allow the player to fit it for maximum comfort and ease of playing.

3x Izzo double plastic samba stick

These double pronged plastic samba sticks are particularly suited to the smaller tamborims and pandeiros but can be used for most samba drums in general. Their shape and the light flexible material are used to ensure a fast-whipping action that produces a crisp attack and loud clear tone. These are durable and effective sticks and make playing even easier and more fun!

Important: Colours supplied at random unless specified

1x The Beatlife Book - Playing and Teaching Samba

This book is primarily an educational resource for teachers and workshop leaders. However it is full of advanced rhythms which are useful to drummers and musicians looking to learn more about Brazilian grooves, playing styles and instrumentation. Split into 4 sections - this book covers the different samba instruments, rhythms and arrangements, how to deliver a workshop and appendices which contains a teachers' guide, glossary and pages to make your own rhythms. The audio download contains recordings of each highlighted instruments: ganza, tamborim, agogos, caixa, repinique and surdo reposta. There are also 6 different samba rhythms broken down into basic and advanced versions, with step by step recorded examples.

Please note: this book was previously supplied with a CD, however the 2021 edition is instead supplied with free access to MP3 downloads:

Download MP3s

Before and after playing

We recommend wiping the drums and beaters down with a damp cloth, as well as inspecting the tuning adjusters on each drum to check for any loose nuts. As a part of this process, you can also monitor the tension of the heads. If you find that an adjuster has come loose or a head seems slack, loosen off the entire head to thumb-tight and then re-tune using the included mini spanner. The best way to do this evenly is to tune opposite pairs, and the following diagram will give you the correct order in which to tune various sizes of surdo, caixa, repinique and tamborim:

The schematic above demonstrates the correct order for tightening the nuts onto the hooks of a Surdo. This way the tension is spread most evenly. Start with all the nuts just finger tight and then tighten each nut in turn by half a turn starting with nut number 1, then 2, then 3 etc. When you've tightened all the nuts, check the tuning. If a higher pitch is needed, repeat the process again starting with nut number 1 by a quarter turn at a time and carry on until you're happy with the sound.

When tuning a set of three surdos 14", 16" and 18" start with the 18" and tighten it until the sound is nicely resonant not flat. Then tune the 16" until the pitch is higher than the 18". Finally tune the 14", again to a higher pitch than the 16".

If you're tuning more than one surdo of each size, tune all the 18" first, then all the 16" etc. Use the same order for tightening the nuts on the Caxia, Repeniques and Tamborims.