Drum Circles for All Occasions
“The drum circle is not a professional ensemble, nor is it really about music, but rather a group of friends having a rhythm party.”
–Mickey Hart
–Mickey Hart
Imagine a group of people with no previous musical experience surrounded by drums, bells, shakers and wood blocks. Within minutes the whole room is filled with smiles, cheers and the sounds of drumming! Within an hour, people who may have been strangers are now friends and the group is left with a deeper sense of community, cooperation, cultural awareness and accomplishment.
A community drum circle is a fun, interactive, family-friendly event, where people come together to celebrate community and life through rhythm and music. No experience is necessary and everyone has something to offer the circle. “Rhythm,” as Gabriel Roth says, “is the mother tongue.” It is a universal language that brings us closer together. Through co-operation and collaboration , the community drum circle is created “in the moment”, as Arthur Hull puts it, by everyone present. Whether you are standing outside the circle listening, clapping or tapping your toes, or drumming, you are contributing to the positive energy generated during these events. It is exciting to share this energy and people come away feeling energized, released from tension and SMILING!
Drum circles can also add energy to any type of celebration, from birthdays, through graduations, to get-togethers with an old group of friends or family. A drumming workshop will add fun to your festivity in a way that won't soon be forgotten.
Drum circles are an ideal way to add life and energy to youth groups and to complement any spiritual event where people come together to celebrate the cycle of life, accomplishments, friendships, unions and reunions. Participants engage each other in an activity that is fun, energizing, and uplifting, exploring group dynamics, and strengthening community bonds.
Because each drum circle is different, each experience is unique!
African Hand Drumming Classes and Workshops
“A good groove releases adrenaline in your body. You feel uplifted, you feel centered, you feel calm, you feel powerful. You feel that energy. That's what good drumming is all about.”
-Mickey Hart
Hand drumming classes for adults, which are offered on an ongoing basis for beginners and intermediate/advanced levels, focus on use of proper technique, becoming comfortable with more and more challenging rhythms, and allowing oneself to reap the benefits of drumming in a group setting.
Aside from adult classes, 6 week long workshops for students can be tailor-made to suit each school’s individual needs and style. During this 6 week long workshop, students will learn the basics of hand drumming and will make music with a variety of percussion instruments as well as drums from various cultures. They will have the opportunity to practice different rhythms and to jam together, creating their own soundscapes and rhythm orchestras. Students will come away with a sense of accomplishment and will have had the opportunity to let loose in a positive way, learning to cooperate and to appreciate the skills and accomplishments of others.
Attending these workshops not only gives the students the chance to explore their abilities in a safe and encouraging environment, but also gives them a mechanism for release of pent-up emotions, leaving them feeling more positive about themselves and their classmates.
Above all, it’s fun!
Corporate Team-Building Events
Though stress is prevalent everywhere in our society, it has been known to show itself very distinctly in the corporate realm. Some forward-looking companies/businesses are adding drum circles to their team-building programs in an effort to ease tension, increase morale and re-establish harmony among their employees. And it works!
A Corporate Team-Building Drum Circle is a group of people having fun creating simple rhythms on a variety of drums, percussion and musical instruments. Playing music together may appear to be a simple act, but it can have the profound effect of teaching participants how to work together as a community. In a very short time, people who perhaps do not work together confidently or regularly as a team find themselves being creative in a group setting and working together in a way which supports each and every member. Each individual becomes important and at the same time, everyone discovers that as a unified group, they can accomplish amazing things.
HealthRHYTHMS
HealthRHYTHMS is an internationally acclaimed, research-based, recreational music-making program that has demonstrated significant health benefits. For example, neurologist Barry Bittman, M.D. and his renowned research team discovered that this specific group drumming approach significantly increased the disease fighting activity of circulating white blood cells (Natural Killer cells) that seek out and destroy cancer cells and virally-infected cells.
The magic of group drumming lies in its ability to combine so many of the key elements that people need and want in a healthy lifestyle (such as exercise, nurturing and social support, intellectual stimulation, spirituality and stress reduction) in one activity which is accessible to all age groups and abilities. Drumming in a supportive and encouraging group environment tends to bring out the very best in people, and at the same time brings them closer together.
DRUMS ALIVE!
Using rhythm as the source of inspiration to discover a new group fitness experience, Drums Alive combines the benefits of a traditional physical fitness program with the benefits to the brain of music and rhythm. This program, which has participants drumming on large exercise balls while getting aerobic exercise, fosters a healthy balance physically, mentally, emotionally and socially! It improves memory and brainpower by using cross-coordianted movements and integration of memory-enhancing exercises and includes all aspects of traditional endurance training, which stimulates the cardiovascular system. It's a great combination of movement-therapy with music, sound and dance therapy and FUN!
DRUMS ALIVE!
Using rhythm as the source of inspiration to discover a new group fitness experience, Drums Alive combines the benefits of a traditional physical fitness program with the benefits to the brain of music and rhythm. This program, which has participants drumming on large exercise balls while getting aerobic exercise, fosters a healthy balance physically, mentally, emotionally and socially! It improves memory and brainpower by using cross-coordianted movements and integration of memory-enhancing exercises and includes all aspects of traditional endurance training, which stimulates the cardiovascular system. It's a great combination of movement-therapy with music, sound and dance therapy and FUN!
Women’s Drum Circle
“Throw down your 'have to be' and 'cannots' and lift up your drum. Play your heart's desire. Drum and dance into your place.” (Star Fire)
Common thinking is that throughout history it has been the men that drum and the women who dance! However, there is historical evidence that during the earliest cultures of the Mediterranean world women were spiritual leaders. Priestesses and other holy women played the frame drum in the rituals of their goddesses and they were powerful, wise, honoured and respected (see Layne Redmond, “When the Drummers Were Women”).
Drumming has the power to heal and transform. By drumming together, women are able to connect to each other. They are encouraged to find their inner voice, and to let it shine!
Women often find a deep sense of belonging when drumming in community and in a safe space where, with the development of basic drum techniques, they are able to explore and express their inner creativity. Women’s drum circles offer an experience that allows you to find your own rhythm, sense of worth and belonging in a world where increasingly we are in isolation from others.
By drumming we seem to be able to reconnect to things that truly matter, whether it be spiritually, emotionally or physically. Monica will help you to get over any inhibitions about getting into the groove that you may be carrying, and encourage you to experience the pure joy of drumming.
