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Djembe Group playin’ in the street
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Talking Drum Jam session… He makes it look so easy.
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Caution Teachers - Drum Circles Produce Human Rhythmic Energy And May Produce These Side Effects!
By Doug Sole
How many times over the last year have you looked at or read a warning label? The media reports mass recalls of products because the side effects were not thoroughly researched. We have also seen over the years that the process of manufacturing a product was tampered with to damage the product’s reputation. Sometimes they are not even stated on the product itself. Did you know that there are over 92 symptoms and side effects associated with the consumption of aspartame?!
Mass appeal in advertising a product or a story’s “Newsworthiness” seems to, more often than not, reflect the bad news, the sad news or the negative. It seems to me that this happens because people listen more intently as it hits our emotional buttons quicker. In the pharmaceutical industry drug manufacturers are required to list all known side effects of their products. When side effects of necessary medication are severe, sometimes a second medication or lifestyle change, dietary change, or other measures may help to minimize them.
We all need to stay informed, but we also need to make wiser choices about the consumables that we put into our bodies and our minds. In doing so, hopefully we will also stimulate others as to the proper use and benefits of some of our new products and progressive “new age therapies”. Many of these therapies seem to lack credibility and seem to only have limited anecdotal evidence to support them.
I have often stuck out my own neck in supporting the use of drum circles as one of those therapies. They are not a new technique but boast many beneficial results or ” side effects”. Drum circles have had a sustained presence throughout history. They have had valuable applications within societies all over the globe for hundreds of years, and they are not going to disappear anytime soon.
Over the past 16 years, I have presented drum circle events for a wide variety of applications ranging from teacher training in schools to training counselors and therapists in hospitals as well as team building programs at Professional Leadership Conferences. These drum circles have been described as “Medi-Rhythmical Therapy” and “Values-Centered Leadership” events. These experiences have equipped me with many great tools for integrating drum circles into our community.
Although the benefits of participating in a drum circle are well documented, an interesting challenge that often rears its head is the need to convince the client , the “stakeholders” or the media for that matter to actually offer this service to their team or community. It seems to be difficult in persuading them that there are definite favorable “side effects” for the group participating in the drum circle. The ones who are most openly thankful and comment positively about their personal “side effects” are actual users of the product, the participants, the staff, the children in the classroom. These are beneficial side affects and are all very different for each individual!
Here I share with you 10 positive human “Side Effects” of the professionally facilitated drum circle that I have experienced and integrated into my clients’ lives over the past 15 years. I hope they inspire you to go out and find yourself a drum circle to attend so you, too, can benefit from…….well read on……..
#1 - PERSONAL RELAXATION AND MEDITATION
Drumming in any form, whether it is solo or in a group, has been used for years for personal relaxation and meditation. Shamanic spiritual journeying has been in practice for hundreds of years. Therapists use drumming to relax the minds of patients as well as a tool for treating the sick and elderly for palliative care. Our minds are transported back to the original state of comfort that we all experienced in utero, in the comfort of our mother’s womb, surrounded in the rhythm of her body and heart.
#2 - MIND GROWTH THROUGH EDUCATION
When drumming is used in the classroom, it can assist us in teaching many art forms, from movement, drama and dance to all the elements of music. Curriculum requirements are always expanding, and teachers are constantly looking for ways to apply new knowledge. Universal Design Theories have an easy vehicle of delivery when used with the Drum Circle.
#3 - UNDERSTANDING OF OTHERS THROUGH METAPHORS
We all use metaphors to create ways to gain a new perspective when describing an event or a concept. The drum circle is a great place to experiment with many different metaphors, including visual, aural, tactile and physical. The current curriculum expectations in our education system ask for new ways to teach values and character enhancing principles. The drum circle naturally allows for these creative interpretations to come to life as participants enjoy exciting and innovative ways to learn!
#4 - SELF-CONFIDENCE
Participating in a well-facilitated drum circle gives the players a real sense of personal accomplishment. They feel like their voice is being heard. The challenge of trying something new in front of others, and truly succeeding in it, gives us all a tremendous boost of energy and confidence. It opens up our hearts to the needs and actions of others. Creating self worth in our youth is one of the biggest challenges in today’s busy world. Drum circles offer room for us all to grow.
#5 - RELATIONSHIP AND TEAM BUILDING
All teams benefit from setting and then working towards a goal. Feeling the power of group energy by using the element of Rhythm is an uplifting experience. The natural law of entrainment allows humans to fall into “Rhythm” quickly, but reaching their group’s potential when drumming can also be transformational. The drum circle allows for all levels of participants to come together in unity. The common pulse and its byproduct of “oneness” is something that allows us to appreciate the power of the group and its commitment to a goal.
#6 - IMPROVED HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Drumming has three direct health connections. It is good for the mind, body and the spirit. Our planet sustains itself with the principals of rhythm. Life evolves in rhythm, and learning how to “stay in rhythm” with others is one of the most important lessons we can teach each other. Doctors in all three of theses fields are already seeing the benefits and documenting the results of prescribing “Medi-Rhythmical Therapies” to help their patients. Pick up a drum today. It’s good for you!
#7 - ELEVATED HEART RATE (CELEBRATIONS)
The source of Rhythmic Energy is deep in our Soul. Celebrations during one’s life journeys are almost always accompanied by music making. Drumming and rhythm making have always elevated the spirit of society. As we celebrate through life, from birth to eulogy, human rhythmic energy has always transformed us as well as our planet. This was the goal that is depicted in historical images and photos in Mickey Hart’s and David Lieberman’s tremendous book “Planet Drum”.
#8 - PEACE IN COMMUNITY
Drums circles naturally bring people together into community. Drum circles are one of the easiest ways to celebrate each other. The Merriam-Webster’s dictionary uses the active terms “interacting” and “unified” to describe the individuals in a population. These are perfect descriptions of the exact energy that is alive inside the drum circle.
#9 - ETHNO-CULTURAL INTEGRATION
Every culture throughout the history of humankind has a relationship with rhythm. The instruments and their origins allow us to see the diversity in all cultures. Having these two themes come together through the music created inside the drum circle gives us an enhanced awareness and appreciation of our differences. I cannot think of a better place to demonstrate how different cultures learn to flourish together.
#10 - ENJOYMENT AND ENTERTAINMENT
Everyone loves to be entertained, but it is a huge rush to be a part of the entertaining! The thought of empowering yourself while having fun at the same time never seems to go together. And yet we experience the enthusiasm of one another’s spirit inside the drum circle. The basic act of just having fun takes us back to the energy we experienced in our youth. Give yourself permission to have fun, and your doctor will love you!
Recognized as one of North Americas Leading Corporate Drum Circle Facilitators and Trainers, DOUG
SOLE is also a successful ” Best Selling” Canadian author. He has facilitated drum circles nationally and internationally. Doug has designed courses for and trains teachers to help fulfill the new challenges in today’s educational curriculum, including Multi-Cultural Integration as well as character and principle based educational programs. Doug’s training programs are designed to inspire group synergy and positive conscious leadership behaviours.
Doug has had much success in the professional speaking industry. His platform of Community Building and Values Integration is much sought after by many companies. Considered as a pioneer in establishing benefits for the corporate client, his program has proven to produce a highly exciting and effective team-building environment. Clients have recently included The Auditor General of Canada, The Canadian School of Public Service , Canadian Cancer Society, and Health Canada. Contact Doug at http://www.souldrums.com or sales@souldrums.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Doug_Sole
http://EzineArticles.com/?Caution-Teachers—Drum-Circles-Produce-Human-Rhythmic-Energy-And-May-Produce-These-Side-Effects!&id=791410
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Join this awesome Drum Circle
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African Drumming
By James Ireland
Drumming is the “heartbeat of the world”, well, according to Education Group instructor Mathis Richet. The African drumming workshops offer primary school pupils the chance to learn basic African drumming techniques along with a brief contextual analysis to why it was important to create drum circles. Not only are the workshops important to give the children an insight to different cultures, but also gives them the opportunity to experience drumbeat and rhythm in unity. Furthermore, the drum beat is “good for the body and soul” according to Shonna Beckwith of Florence.
She believes that the drumming “is evocative, evoking the spirit and energy, and it nurtures self-esteem, listening and cooperation skills, eye-hand coordination and math skills.”
Within a normal African drumming session, certain outcomes are definite and connect to Shonna Beckworth’s statement. Firstly, the drumming will boost energy and receptivity of the pupils, as it will be a different experience within the same environment. Secondly, it sharpens listening and concentration skills and develops personal presence in a group. It is important for the children to work in a group as it teaches them how to share in responsibility and coexist. When you work as a team you show respect to others by accepting their input. The workshops require to children to for a sense of camaraderie as it is an important attribute to work in unison, to create their own uplifting composition, to meet the overall objective or creating something within a team.
In the workshops, the instructor provides each child with an instrument relevant to the chosen theme. In an African drumming workshop, the Djembe drum is the instrument of choice. The Djembe has a great cultural heritage in Africa. Although similar to other drums used within different tribes on the African continent, it has minute but significant differences.
The Djembe is the drum of the Mandinka people, and its origins dates back to the great Mali Empire of the 12th century. Of all the African drums, the djembe has become extremely sought after in the Western world and is regarded as the most popular.
It is also reported that drumming offers therapeutic benefits according to livingrhythms.com. Drumming has been made known to reduce stress and depression. Furthermore, drumming exercises the upper body, develops creativity, and elevates a person self esteem.
As African drumming raises morale, requires exercise and forms comradeship among peers, it is a great activity for a primary school, as it is within the early years where social skills can be adopted.
James Ireland
http://www.educationgroup.co.uk
The Old Stables
20 Bayes Street
Kettering
Northamptonshire
NN16 8EH
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Ireland
http://EzineArticles.com/?African-Drumming&id=1324354
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Buddy did it first!!!
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Famous Drum Set Battle… Two Great Drummers.
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How to Play Djembe - Book Review
By Lillian Brummet
As well as being an exceptional writing team, Alan Dworsky and Betsy Sansby are also husband and wife. To date, they have worked on eight books together. How To Play Djembe, a 96-page how-to book consisting of nine chapters, is printed on acid free paper using soy inks - you can consider this one of the environmentally conscious books on your reference shelf.
Equipped with a play-along CD in its own self-adhesive envelope, which is handy to stick to the back cover - simply peal off the paper. Readers can look forward to learning seven traditional West African rhythms: Kuku, Djole, Kassa, Madan, Suku, Sunguru Bani, and Tiriba.
The rhythm’s individual parts are found on either the left or right speaker channel, making it easy to isolate one rhythm or the other while learning. Each track lasts for 5-6 minutes with a soloist joining in for the last couple of minutes. All the drumming on the CD is performed by Master drummer, dancer, and choreographer from Mali, Sidi Mohamed “Joh” Camara.
Front cover art by Toni Pawlowsky is absolutely vibrant with color and eye-catching tribal and tropical imagery. It depicts a drummer sitting on the king of the jungle, a lion. Illustrations by Jay Kendell, and contributing illustrator Robert Jackson, are pencil sketched in a black and white format.
‘How to use the book’ is followed by detailed instructions on attaining different sounds out of the djembe drum including where to focus the weight on the hand - which is important when aiming for particular sounds. This book is a good guide for basic counting and playing techniques. It also gives tips on practicing, the space used to drum in, how to play comfortably and ergonomically correct, hearing protection, hand protection and what to do when players experience hand pain and more.
Intermediate to novice drummers will all enjoy the way in which the authors teach. Through gradual increments, they build up each part of the rhythm systematically. Phrasing and starting points are also discussed and clearly displayed on the charts. Some of the parts are also equipped with word games to help with proper phrasing.
The book introduces swing feels and ghost notes as well as breaks in four time. Flams, counting in six time, polyrhythmic playing, breaks in six time and the use of sixteenth notes are also explained in concise terms. In the ‘Tuning your djembe’ chapter visual drawings have made a once complicated task very easy to understand.
How To Play Djembe concludes with a glossary of terms and a list of study sources with websites, books, videos, CD’s and articles. The book includes blank charts for drummers to photocopy and use for charting their own rhythms.
This book has been well received in the drumming world, and has passed through the hands of drumming icons Mickey Hart and Arthur Hull, who have had good things to say about How to Play Djembe.
This book deserves the highest of ratings. My husband and I will certainly recommend this book to all our drum students and drummers we do repairs for in the future. Without a doubt we have learned quite a lot already and expect to enjoy the book for some time.
I would recommend How To Play Djembe to anyone trying to develop technique and discover new rhythms. The best aspect of this book is the multiple parts for each rhythm - allowing readers to get together with other drummers, even if they are of varying playing skills. Drummers will likely find that it will take some time and effort to really master each rhythm, expect to spend a couple of weeks for each one. Fortunately, the CD can always be referenced to ensure the players are keeping the feel and timing accurate. The book is comfortably teachable; group workshop facilitators would find this book especially useful.
~ Lillian Brummet: co-author of the books Trash Talk and Purple Snowflake Marketing, author of Towards Understanding; host of the Conscious Discussions radio show (http://www.brummet.ca)
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lillian_Brummet
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Play-Djembe—Book-Review&id=382215
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An Introduction to the Djembe
By Baz Waters
Among the group of membranophone instruments is the djembe. Typically made from wood it is shaped like a large goblet over which is stretched an animal skin. One of the most popular drums of West Africa, when struck properly it produces a deep bass sound thanks to its shell shaped body.
The drum’s history can be traced all the way back to the Mali Empire of the twelfth century and to the tribes of either the Mandinka or Susu (also known as Numu). When the blacksmiths of the Mandinka tribe crossed Africa the djembe, or sanbayi as the Susu call it, went with them and as a result it became widespread. The people of these tribes believe that the instrument contains three spirits, one of the person who makes the djembe, one from the tree from which the wood is taken, and one from the animal whose hide is used for the drum. Today, people prefer to use goatskin to cover the drum and they decorate it by carving designs into the wood and attaching braided rope to give each one a unique appearance and flair.
Interestingly, the word djembe is not African but French. The French colonised parts of Africa and studied the music styles of the people as well as their instruments. As they do not have a hard ‘j’ in their language they chose to use ‘dj’ and it is this spelling that has gained the greatest recognition. There are currently many accepted spellings of the drum including jembe, djimbe and yembe. In the 1950’s and 1960’s the djembe became well known in and around Paris primarily as it was used extensively by the ballet ensemble Les Ballet Africains. From then on the drum has grown in popularity around the world, especially amongst drummers who appreciate its unique sound.
In Africa the diansa, or drum rhythm, is traditionally used in celebrations such as at weddings and baptisms and to commemorate full moons as well as the changing seasons. Some have even suggested that African peoples have used the sound produced by the drum in order to send messages over long distances, making use of the different sounds to communicate different meanings like a type of musical code language.
The people of Africa also use other instruments to accompany the djembe, typically bells and dundun drums. The Wolof tribe from Senegal uses the djembe as part of an elaborate dance performed by their women. While the instrument is played the women dance the ‘Sabar’, a provocative dance meant to attract and entice their men.
There are three basic ways to create sound using a djembe. The first is by hitting the centre of the djembe with the palm of an open hand, creating the ‘bass’ note. Hitting the edge or rim of the drum with the fingers flat produces the second sound called a ‘tone’, and thirdly using a similar action on the rim of the drum but with fingers relaxed is called a ’slap’.
The djembe is now made by specialist drum makers all over the world and is sought after by students, tourists, professional musicians and hobbyists alike. Musically it is hard to resist moving to the driving beats of a well-played djembe, and even novices to drumming enjoy the primal energy of handling a djembe.
Baz Waters runs EthnicPercussion.co.uk, an online store providing high quality djembe, bougarabou and dundun drums in the UK.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Baz_Waters
http://EzineArticles.com/?An-Introduction-to-the-Djembe&id=2288169
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