cajonbox

About

Heidi Joubert is an internationally recognised Cajon player, known as a pioneer of the cajon and one of the world’s leading cajon educators. Her popular youtube channel focused on teaching people to play cajon, which currently sees over 125K subscribers with over 17 Million views on her video lessons. She regularly tours the world giving cajon clinics, workshops and performances for many established music organisations and companies as well as privately . Her website ‘cajonbox.com‘ covers everything about cajon and features a webshop which sells her own brand of handmade cajons, ‘Cruz Cajon’. In 2016 a video of her, Kiddotkat and Ozzy Lino jamming spontaneously on the s-Bahn in Germany went viral and gained over 100 Million views (that particular video is no longer available but there are hundreds of other uploads with millions of views online). This video resulted in her appearance on many TV shows internationally, including the Markus Lanz Show. Just shortly before this viral video she became Roland’s international percussion and Elcajon demo artist. Her list of clients include Roland, TedX, BeInspired, BBC London, BT Uk amongst others. Also recognised as a prominent singer-songwriter, she tours the world with her Solo project ‘Heidi Joubert Project’ and is currently preparing to record her debut solo album due to be out in 2022. She has worked with many great musicians, including having Stevie Wonder spontaneously jam with her onstage during her Demo at NAMM show in California in 2016 after she won ‘Best Show in Namm’ award, as well as giving a private demo to Sheila E. on the Roland EC10 cajon at the same event. She has also been invited to talk at various events as a ‘person of inspiration’, including TedX, Beinspired productions and the Roland Berger B50 festival. Heidi is currently not only about to record her first album but she has just released a series of video lessons, her own ‘Modern method for the cajon’ which is available online on her cajonbox website.

“I am passionate about music, arts, sharing ideas that inspire, laughing and different cultures from all over the globe and how music plays an important part in each language.
But most importantly, I love people and utilise any other form of passion I have to feed my main passion. People.’ – Heidi Joubert

Biography

Heidi Joubert was born in South Africa on 4th May 1987 in Pretoria. There was not a moment in life that Heidi recalls not having music as part of her life. Her mother is a pianist who used to practise classical pieces in the background while Heidi and her 4 siblings played legos or monopoly. Singing was the first instrument that Heidi could instantly reach and grab and as she grew up she never spent much time without singing (simply to herself). Having grown up without any TV, Heidi had to feed her own imagination with stories through her music and her love for composing and writing was also evident at an early age. She also danced ballet for a bit and loved acting.

At age 6 she started taking her first piano lessons with Maestro Usias van der Merwe (Head of the classical department of the Technician of Pretoria in those days, the same teacher her mother had). Her piano lessons with him continued for only a few months as she found classical piano to require more time and dedication than she could give, she had other instruments she was interested in learning too. She also started playing drum kit as her brothers had a band and turned the garage into a studio with a drum kit. They used to play Grunge, Rock and Metal. Heidi’s first beat on drumkit was played on a Nirvana song at age 4, but she only later really picked up the drums.

During high school Heidi also started taking up the Saxophone. She went on to do a 3 year Music Matric diploma (Kinda like Rockschool for Highschool instead of the standard subjects) which she completed in 2 years, graduating as top drummer, singer, composer and pianist of her class.
One week before Heidi’s 18th birthday she immigrated with her parents to the UK to London where a wild adventure awaited her.
She wanted to study at the Guildhall music school but she did not have the finances for it, and was not legally allowed to work as she was a ‘dependent’ on her father in the UK.

She then started busking to make some money. First on Saxophone, then she formed a duet with a guitarist she met during on the South bank in London during her early busking days. Heidi will say that busking was the best university she could have gone to! She busked professionally with her own group (Fernando’s Kitchen) that she formed with the guitarist all over London, Cambridge and the UK for over 8 years. During her very early busking years she got introduced to the cajon and Heidi taught herself to play the cajon through countless hours of busking on the cajon. From Busking she also built up the band where they actually recorded a number of albums and had numerous concerts, and finally a big tour in New York, after which the band broke up and the band went their seperate ways. It was during these years that she got very much exposed to Flamenco, latin and world music and she started to venture into these styles with a desire to learn more about the cajon, the music and the cultures.

She added a few video lessons on cajon and what she had taught herself on Youtube in the hopes of helping other people who found themselves in her position; no teachers and no material to learn cajon. She wanted to share what she had figured out about the cajon through a lot of trial and error over a number of years. Those videos started becoming popular as the cajon was also still on the rise to becoming popular. Heidi decided to start a blog page with more info on the cajon and more lessons to create more awareness of the cajon and share the wonders of this awesome new discord with the rest of the world. She also started up her own brand of Cajons that she sells on her website, and she runs the only cajon school in the UK based in London.

In 2016, Heidi was asked to become Roland’s international Elcajon and percussion artist, and was the face of the worlds first hybrid cajon, the Elcajon EC-10 by Roland. The Elcajon was launched at the NAMM show in California and it was Heidi’s first gig as Demo artist. She won ‘Show on NAMM’ award, gave a private demo to Sheila E and even had Stevie wonder join her onstage for a jam during one of her demo’s.

Then in 2016 a video of Heid Jamming on the Subway train in Frankfurt with Kiddokat and Ozzy Lino went viral, seeing over 70 million views in just 5 days on Facebook (it currently has over 100 Million views). This bought on a storm of public attention including multiple interviews, Appearances on TV shows in Germany, like the Markus Lanz show and also having the video covered and shown on multiple News shows throughout the world. There was many opportunities that opened due to this new sudden jump to Fame. In 2018 Heidi went to South Africa to film her ‘Modern Method for Cajon’, which has been something she has worked on since she started playing the cajon, a step by step cajon video course to teach people her very own method for learning to play the cajon. Although there was a pause in her work when she took a much needed personal break (to deal with some major things in her life, including some addictions and heartbreak from 2019 – 2021 which saw her to Rehab, change her country and almost every aspect of her life) she finally completed Part 1 of the Modern Method and has released it on her website in the summer of 2021. She is currently preparing to get back to creating new content and videos for her youtube channel and focusing on recording and filming her own songs and her singing, her greatest passion. She hopes to do tours from 2022 once she has recorded a number of her own songs.

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53 Comments

  1. Vic

    Hello Heidi,
    I’m a friend from China who was just searching for some information about Cajon drums and came across your video. I really admire your singing, your rhythm, and the nimbleness you exhibit while playing, like a graceful fish. I deeply appreciate how well you handle musical instruments, especially the Cajon drum. If you ever have the chance to come to China, you must visit our factory. We specialize in producing Cajon drums, and my boss is also a devoted Cajon enthusiast.

    Reply
    • heidijoubert

      Hello There!!! Thank you for the lovely comment! Big hugs from Europe to you guys!

      Reply
  2. ROnald Johnston

    Heidi,

    I have a song that I would like to change the electronic cajon. Would you be upto recording a track for it?

    Thank you

    Ron

    Reply
    • heidijoubert

      Hello Ron!

      Yes it is possible, I saw your email and will have a listen and get back to you very soon! Thanks for visiting my website!

      Heidi

      Reply
    • Matt

      Hi, I truly wanted to express my gratitude to you, I’ve bought a dual cajon in 2020 during the pandemic for a personal project that we have with my cousin, in those hard times, I was looking for some tutorials to learn how to play my cajon and watching your videos gave me the skills I have right now, they were the best thing that has happened to me, since then I subscribed to your channel and follow you, you are an amazing artist and teacher. I hope your career keeps going great and even more bc you deserve all the best. I wish I can take a real class with you some day. My best wishes to you!

      Reply
      • heidijoubert

        You are most welcome Matt! Thank you for your lovely words, means a lot! Also check out my Modern Method step-by-step video course if you want to go deeper into learning, getting a fantastic technique and becoming a excellent cajon player! Big hugs, Heidi

        Reply
  3. Ian Davies

    Hi! We live in the NL’s. Your music rocks. We enjoy your videos and would love to come and watch you play. Are you performing live? Do you have a concert schedule? Thanks! Ian

    Reply
    • heidijoubert

      Hello Ian! So good to hear from you! And thank you for your lovely words and compliments! I am indeed performing live and am currently sorting out my schedule! I am planning to Tour in the summer to many places after I have recorded my album, which I am just about to record!

      Best thing to do is to sign up to my newsletter to stay updated on my performances and tours and news, I would love it if you came to see me live!!!

      Sign up on my homepage cajonbox.com

      I send blessings and LOVE and look forward to sharing my journey with you!

      Heidi

      Reply
  4. Caroline Slattery

    Hello Heidi.

    Been watching your videos on and off the past couple of years. Purchased modern cajon method as an Xmas gift to myself. Getting stuck into it and really enjoying it.

    Thanks a million and happy new year to you

    Caroline

    Reply
    • heidijoubert

      Hi Caroline! Thank you for your beautiful words, it is awesome to hear you are really getting into the Cajon Method and I hope you will learn so so much! I actually would LOVE it if you added this same comment as a review on my shop page, it would totally make my day!
      Part 2 is due to be released in 2022 so there is more to keep learning. I send you much love and blessings for 2022 and your journey with the cajon!
      Big hug
      Heidi

      Reply
  5. Cathy Ann Marquette

    Hello Heidi,
    Thank you for sharing your music with us. I was just introduced to the cajon last weekend by a musician in North Carolina. I immediately fell in love with it and started to dance spontaneously. I am in the process of buying a cajon and looking forward to jamming with my new friend. Thank you! You bring joy to people. Cathy M.

    Reply
  6. Nobuyuki Mizukami

    Hello.I always enjoy your instagram and many lesson movies.
    I craft many cajons with hobby.
    I want that you use my travel cajon.

    Reply
    • heidijoubert

      Hello! It is great to hear from you! You created a travel Cajon? Where can I try it?

      Heidi

      Reply
      • Nobuyuki Mizukami

        Thank you for your grate message!!
        I craft many Cajons with hobby at Japan.
        If you can try my travel Cajon I can ship it to your studio!!

        Wao!!!

        Reply
  7. Fraliu

    Hello Heidi from Newport Rhode Island.
    My name is Frankie.I’m a bass player singer percussionist. I’ve become a fan of yours enjoy hearing and seeing your videos. I’ll be on the lookout for more. Thank you for what you do. ✌️😎

    Reply
    • heidijoubert

      Hello! So good to hear from another musician and singer and percussionist! I have a ton of new videos about to be launched, I really hope they will be useful to you! 🙂

      Hugs

      Heidi

      Reply

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