Drum Circles
When I attended ASU, we had a class called HealthRhythms that took place every Thursday from 6pm – 9pm once a week. In this class, we learned a protocol (sponsored by REMO) that taught us techniques and exercises we could use in drum circles. When I first got my class schedule, my Thursdays were packed. Yoga class started at 8:00 am and my day would end with HealthRhythms at 9pm. The day ahead always seemed a bit daunting – but no matter what, when 6 pm rolled around and we’d get to that building inTempe where HealthRhythms was I’d find myself feeling refreshed, even energized when the class was over. It was like a cup of coffee. This wasn’t ideal since I wanted to be winding down and going to bed, but it did teach me was that there was something very special about drum circles.
During the course of that class I had fallen so much in love with drumming that I had purchased my own rope djembe and spent many hours on YouTube as well as asking my professor how I can tune it. I practiced many of the protocols we worked on in that class and still to this day find myself using these protocols in drum circles and sessions with clients during my internship. Some quick asides about the HealthRhythms protocol:
1. It takes about 2 days to become certified.
2. You do not have to be a music therapist to become certified.
3. You get a cool book with all the techniques you learned and more!
As professionals in the field of music therapy, HealthRhythms can offer the ability to engage with the clients in ways that can absolutely up your drum circle game. However whether you are HealthRhythms certified or not, there are so many benefits to drum circles:
- Drumming is a form of communication. By reducing your verbal instructions and focusing on instructing and communicating through drumming you can empower your clients to work on listening and responding which can in turn create greater group cohesion and allow clients who may not be as vocal/verbal as other clients to still communicate with their peers.
- Drumming is a form of exercise and movement. When we are working with clients with sensory needs or kiddos with boundless energy, drumming can be a form of regulation. It can help output that energy into a focused activity. It can give the client an opportunity to find regulation within the rhythms.
- Drumming is a cognitive exercise. When we are learning a new rhythm or technique, we must train our brain to learn the new concept. Our bodies will entrain to the rhythm, but we do have to mindfully practice and engage our minds to embody the new technique.
- Drumming is grounding. When we are tired or distracted drumming can bring us back to the present moment. We can focus on entraining to the beat. We can focus on the people around us as they are drumming a pattern. We are a part of a community at that moment. We are connected.
Drum circles are a great tool to add to your toolbelt to help out with clients and especially groups. If you are interested in the HealthRhythms protocol feel free to check out their website at:
https://support.remo.com/hc/en-us/articles/17336510943124-HealthRhythms-Become-A-Trained-Facilitator-
I am not sponsored or affiliated with the HealthRhythms protocol and do encourage you to seek out which techniques and rhythms work best with your own personal strengths even outside of HealthRhythms.
Pictured: My co-intern (Alec) and I co-leading a drum circle at our weekly Jam Sessions!
Be well and keep on drumming!
Music Therapy Intern
Eric
