DRUM CIRCLES

Today my two sons and I facilitated 2 drum circles for the participants of the DeKalb County 4-H clubs at their annual "Super Saturday" event. I hadn't done that for younger students (ages 8 to 12) in probably 7 or 8 years! It was a lot of fun to watch these children -- about 1/2 of whom said they had no prior drumming experience -- just having fun and paying attention and getting into the circle and rhythmic games we did.

And, it was the first time I did a gig with my sons! That was really great, watching them as both participants and leaders in the circles, a really proud and fun moment for me. They already said they're looking forward to doing it again next year!

If you've never participated in a drum circle, don't be shy! It's not really about the drumming, it's more about being a participant in a group/team activity, and there have been several studies conducted which demonstrate the health benefits of drumming. You can check out some resources online:

The great percussionist Kalani has a great deal of drum circle experience and some excellent resources on his site; Arthur Hull is a highly respected drum circle facilitator and "teacher of teachers"; and Bob Bloom has made a very successful career facilitating drum circles in many settings. For some great information about health and drumming, the website of the Remo company has tremendous information.