Thanks to our people, our team really is greater than the sum of its parts

Bill Scheidt
Managing Partner

Before becoming the Managing Partner of Sewa Beats, Bill spent a total of one year and a half living, working, and studying music in Africa. One of his first trips to Africa was as the leader of an ecology research project he designed to study a population of giraffe in a national park. It was then that he first fell in love with Africa, its music, and its people.

Regularly returning to study music, Bill learned Swahili, volunteered to teach English in a rural school, and worked on local community outreach initiatives.  He later went on to become an instructor at the world’s first international academy of West African drumming, and a close personal student of legendary Master Drummer Mamady Keita.

With the help of Bill’s directorship, Sewa Beats has delivered corporate programs in 19 countries, 7 languages, and reached more than 300,000 participants around the world.  Sewa Beats’ clients include organizations such as BMW, Pfizer, Wells Fargo, Hewlett Packard, and Capital One.

Today, Bill is based in North Carolina, taking advantage of living between the mountains and the ocean to pursue his love of outdoor sports.  When he’s not mountain biking or hiking, he can be found spending quiet time with family.  For him, Sewa Beats is a way of paying forward the many gifts that have come out of his time in Africa and are an expression of his commitment to making a difference in the world.

What’s the most inspiring thing about Sewa Beats?
“It’s head and heart together – it’s research-backed and uplifting at the same time. It’s business-focused we’re making a global difference – the programs happen in the context of the business world but have a far-reaching personal and social impact”

What’s your personal mission?
“My mission is to have an impact on the organizations and people that make a difference in today’s world. My mission is to connect people to themselves, and to each other. I believe by changing the way companies approach success, we can change the way people think about themselves and others. Employees can start to understand their true purpose and reach their full potential – both at work and in their personal lives. I envision the world moving towards being a global human community.”

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned during your time at Sewa Beats?
“You can’t give what you don’t have. You have to live it and be it. It all comes from you. The external results we generate are a direct result of our internal growth.”

Hamisi Lee
Lead Facilitator

Through his work with Sewa Beats, Hamisi blends his decades of experience working for a Fortune 500 company with his lifelong passion for culture and history. Having enjoyed a successful career as a corporate professional, and with his rich knowledge of African music, Hamisi brings a perspective and depth to his facilitation that immediately resonates with audiences.

Hamisi’s early life was highlighted by a trip to Africa in 1965. This historical and cultural study helped fuel his love for the music of Africa and led to a long list of performing credits. He then went on to become a corporate Engineering Designer, where he saw first-hand that the skills needed for success in the business world mirror those needed for success in the musical world. His desire to learn more about Africa and its music led him to study under many of the great musicians and cultural curators of Africa and the Americas. These include Grand Master Drummer Mamady Keita, Babatunde Olatunji, Bill Summers, Sundiata Keita, and Baba Ishangi.

Despite his wealth of knowledge regarding African drumming, culture, history, and lifestyle, Hamisi remains a lifelong learner. He continues his study of African music, continually uncovering new ways to translate its metaphorical insights to corporate groups. The culmination of his Fortune 500 experience and his love for Africa shines through Hamisi’s work in a way that uplifts and inspires all those around him.

Michael Taylor
Lead Facilitator
Michael Taylor (aka “Taylor) came to Sewa Beats with years of experience in the corporate world, having worked as both an IT trainer and independent IT consultant. He has since facilitated programs for Sewa Beats throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Oceania. With his extensive corporate and musical background, he delivers impactful programs that are relevant and substantive, as well as energetic and engaging.

Concurrent with his time in the IT world, Taylor started his drumming path by studying music at the world’s first international academy of West African Drumming, with Grand Master Drummer Mamady Keita. In 2000, he left his IT career to focus solely on drumming as a passion and career.  After traveling to Africa a number of times, he achieved the degree of TTM Djembe Academy Senior Instructor. Since then he has performed, taught, or facilitated drumming programs on every continent except Antarctica.

Whether it is as a facilitator, educator, author, or performer, Taylor brings a unique perspective to his craft. With the combination of a unique ability to communicate, engage audiences and promote learning, combined with a broad range of life and professional experience, he focuses on the relationship between the individual and the metaphor of music. This has led to an overall philosophy that seeks to find where one’s own personal pulse lies in relation to the collective pulse. By way of traditional West African or non-traditional styles, Taylor demonstrates the metaphor of music in everything he does.

Glenn Gautier
Executive Producer
As Sewa Beats’ Executive Producer, Glenn works with clients to create experiences that drive business results. His style fosters collaboration and creates a “can-do” culture. He typically works with C-suite on strategic agenda design for global summits, product/business launches, sales, leadership and training events for multi-national corporations and associations. In addition to 30 years crafting experiential programs, Glenn produces media and directs audio visual equipment to deliver immersive experiences.