San Jose employees get a taste of some good drumming medicine

Attendees of the City of San Jose's Wellness Conference and Fair thought they were coming to hear information about the latest trends and research in health and wellness. Little did they know that they were actually going to experience it first-hand on the drum during the afternoon Drummm Circle session...

Set on the West Plaza of San Jose City Hall, employees and passersby came upon the outdoor Drummm Circle. Having pre-set the drums and chairs, I was joined on bass drums by Violet Angell, with fellow facilitators Sue Malloy and Heather Holland lending a helping hand.

Having explained that drumming is an ancient communication technique for bringing people together in harmony, I demonstrated how the drums work. Participants quickly discovered how we can easily tap into our own innate sense of rhythm by simply listening and playing along, without fear of mistakes or failure.

Great grooves followed as I sculpted the music to bring out the dynamics, as in an orchestra. People took turns calling and responding, leading and following as we released stress and created big, beautiful music together in the moment.

Within minutes our drum circle grew to include not only managers and custodians, but also the parking attendant, a group of tourists, and a homeless man who introduced himself as Turtle. It didn't matter what language each of us spoke, our occupation, or lifestyle. We all shared in the rhythm and received its gifts that day.

Info: http://www.drummm.com/

Article: Jeni Swerdlow, MA, ATR

Photo: Sue Malloy

Seniors get in rhythm with DRUMMM!

Thanks to my 92-year-young grandmother, Evelyn Swerdlow, I recently had the pleasure of presenting a series of Drummm Circle programs at Southern California retirement community Laguna Woods. Presented as 90-minute "hands-on" wellness workshops for the residents, the programs began with a discussion of the goals and benefits of group drumming:

-To stimulate physical activity, circulation and coordination,

-To enhance brain functioning and creativity,

-To increase socialization and connection between participants,

-To improve immune system functioning and reduce stress.

Once we got the talking out of the way, it was time to play! We passed out drums to the 70+ participants and I did a brief introduction on the various types of sounds of the drums and how to play them. Joined by local drum circle facilitator Lee Kix on the bass drum, we started a simple pulse and people joined in. Before long the drum circle was in full force, then the magic kicked in--people were smiling, laughing, singing, soloing and dancing up a storm!

I was amazed by the spirit and energy these elders dispayed--the most rawkus being a group of ladies well into their nineties. I could barely keep up with them as they did the mambo, the cha-cha, the tango, and other dances from their hey-day. The drummers matched their tempo and steps with ease as the music and dance progressed to a great crescendo and slowly faded out.

As the circle came to a close, I asked people to share about their experiences in the drum circle. One woman said "This is the most alive I have felt in years." If that's not reason enough to continue doing what I do, I don't know what is.

Info: http://www.drummm.com/

Article: Jeni Swerdlow, MA, ATR
Photo: Richard Graling