Rhythm Sisters "Summer Release" Playshop! (August 2015)

NEW! Rhythm Sisters "Summer Release" Playshop!
Sunday August 23rd at 1-5pm in Vallejo, CA

Join us for a special half-day rhythm intensive to honor and celebrate our individual and collective struggles, perseverance, resilience, and healing as a community. We will spend the day exploring a specific West African rhythm that's played to celebrate when a woman has overcome a personal hardship or challenge. The session will focus on:
 

- Learning all the drum (djembe and dunun) and bell parts.
- Playing the introductory break and an "inside the rhythm" call and response break.

- Specific solo phrases.

- The story and song for this rhythm.JUST ADDED The delightfully talented Francesca Genco of Lilac Music will be teaching the song that accompanies the rhythm we're playing! 

- Rhythm notation for all the parts (handouts will be provided).

This special program is open to women and girls age 12 and older. Appropriate for drummers of ALL levels, Drums are available if needed.

Location: IntegriTea, 717 Marin St, Vallejo. Plenty of street parking available. Accessible by Ferry from S.F. or BART/Bus from elsewhere. Rideshare opportunities will be arranged.

Cost: Sliding scale, $45-75. Space is limited. Contact jeni@drummm.com to register or for more info.

Don't miss this special opportunity to go deep into the rhythmic experience!

www.DRUMMM.com 

Community Drummm Events Calendar (Feb-May 2013)

Join us in these "hands-on" drumming events - engaging, accessible, meaningful and fun for ALL skill levels!

Sat 2/1 Closing Drum Circle Ceremony with Arthur Hull @ MacWorld/iWorld 2013, Moscone Center, S.F.
3:30-4:30pm

Sat 2/16 Monthly East Bay Community Drummm Circle @ Ashkenaz, Berkeley CA
4-5:30pm

Fri 2/22-Sun 2/24 8th Annual Drum Circle Facilitators Conference (with presentation by DRUMMM founder Jeni Swerdlow) @ Pasaro Dunes Resort, Watsonville CA

Sat 3/16 Monthly East Bay Community Drummm Circle @ Ashkenaz, Berkeley CA

4-5:30pm

Fri 4/5-Sun 4/7 Embodying Perspehone: Women's Spring Renewal Retreat with Drum, Yoga, + Song @ Black Mountain Retreat Center, Cazadero CA. Facilitated by Jeni Swerdlow + Francesca Genco

Fri 4/19 Imagining Nonviolence: Healing from Violence @ Ashkenaz, Berkeley CA
Non-Violence Workshops @ 6:30pm; Kids' Drum Circle @ 7:30pm; Healing Drummm Circle with Jeni Swerdlow @ 8:30pm; Followed by live music with SambaDa + Cosmos Percussion Orchestra.

Sat 4/20 Monthly East Bay Community Drummm Circle @ Ashkenaz, Berkeley CA

4-5:30pm - Dinner nearby immediately afterwards, followed by Baba Olatunji Birthday Celebration @ Ashkenaz

Sat 5/18 drumSTRONG "drumming to BEAT cancer" Annual Drummm Circle at Monthly East Bay Community Drummm Circle @ Ashkenaz, Berkeley CA. $10-25 Suggested donation. Proceeds to benefit S.F. Bay Area Cancer Support Community.
4-5:30pm

Fri 5/24 Full Moon Drummm Circle Celebration @ UCSF Saunders Court, Parnassus Campus, San Francisco CA. FREE!
12-1pm

Tue 5/28 DRUMMM OneBEAT @ Sebastopol Library, Sebastopool CA (Free + All ages!)
4-4:45pm

For more info, visit www.DRUMMM.com. Check back often - events are being added all the time!

DRUMMM JoyBEAT Brings the Holiday Beat to YOU!

Looking for something fun, innovative, and interactive to do with your colleagues, family, or guests this holiday season?

DRUMMM JoyBEAT™ is a sure-fire way to beat the holiday blahs and spice up any celebration.

A hands-on DRUMMM event will raise the roof and bring your holiday celebration to the next level. Guests will leave feeling refreshed, energized, and connected with each other and the holiday spirit. The experience will leave a lasting impression that people will not soon forget.

Dates are still available. Contact info@drummm.com or 510.316.2850 to inquire about your DRUMMM JoyBEAT event NOW!

www.DRUMMM.com

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