Last week we listened to, and participated in, a program about the Drum Circle Foundation presented by Nancy Brauhn-Curnes. Although not a “music therapist” by her account, Nancy is a trainer of new members of the Drum Circle Facilitators Guild which is dedicated to arranging rhythm-based events to heal, empower and unite diverse populations.Nancy started by listing a number of observed values of drumming, including beneficial effects on the immune system, stress reduction, blending of right and left brain function, endorphin production, relaxation, decreased negative feelings and improved moment awareness. Many of these claims are backed by research. Benefits can be seen for those with various disorders including cancer, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and ADD, and, are seen across all age groups and disabilities. Settings such as school and business are perfect for drumming events and can lead to improved social behavior, focus, better motor skills and team building.
After watching a brief video made for marketing this approach to businesses we started the “hands on” portion. The benefits of Zoom allowed us to hide our individual “talents” (keep your mute button on). Next, a clearly talented Linda Emmerman played a meditative piece on the flute accompanied by the rhythm of the member’s heartbeats.
The first question was from our president – “what is the receptivity at these presentations” (we all are part on a spectrum of comfort with regard to participation and performance). Linda reported that after the beat starts there tends to be almost universal participation (to varying degrees) at her events.
One of the best parts of this session was the sharing of several personal stories about the benefits of drum circles (or perhaps music in general). Del summed up by suggesting that our participation in Rotary is like an individual drum beat that can be amplified and combined for maximum effect.