Can I participate in your
programs if I don’t have any musical experience?
You do not need any prior musical or drumming experience
to participate in our programs. All human beings have their own unique
rhythms which can be discovered and explored through drumming. Drumming
is fun, accessible and quickly mastered. First-time drummers play with
commitment, speed, and power.
“Although this was new to me, I ended up getting a
lot from it. I really enjoyed this unique experience. Drumming is very
powerful medicine.”
Alexis H. (Student, Crossroads School)
Why do you think this
program has been so successful with teachers and students?
Instead of suppressing student energy, we are expanding,
focusing and creating “a container” for it. Through the use of rhythm, students and teachers are able to develop what we refer to as, an ‘educational intimacy’, which moves the learning process forward.
“I was amazed by what I saw in my students. Steven’s
work helped me to see something new in every one of them.”
Sheila Bloch (Teacher, Crossroads School)
“I get relaxed and focused. When we are done,
I feel like doing it again. I feel it inside. I keep the beat in my
head and in my heart. It is so cool doing it.”
Andy (Student, Westminster School)
Are addicts open to trying this
program?
Some are skeptical, but they quickly begin to appreciate
the value of the program as they feel an emotional shift take place.
“It was amazing to see you transform this group, ranging
from purely cynical to mildly apathetic alcoholics. I kept thinking
about how quickly you were able to help us drop our guard and really
get into it. We were really surprised at how much we got out of it.”
Lance Porter (Program Director, Genesis House Rehabilitation
Facility)
Do at-risk juveniles take this seriously?
At first, some juveniles are skeptical and hesitant,
but once they start playing they begin to feel the excitement and energy
of the drums. Soon, angry young men become playful and focused, and
through this process, they learn to heal their past.
“When I was drumming I started to think about a time
when I was happy, before all the trouble. I was thinking about how good
it felt and how I want to be happy like that again.”
O.M. 17 year-old incarcerated youth
“This program encouraged communication, and decreased
impulsive tendencies. Each and every minor benefited. This program has
been one of empowerment, raising self-awareness and increasing the
ability to link behaviors to emotions.”
Michael Barth (MSW, DPO, LA Probation)
“I really enjoy the healing drumming because it involves
the whole person. For the first time I am able to hear what my emotions
sound like.”
Robin McMurray (cancer patient)
“It was as though we were coming out of ourselves,
in touch with muscles and pulses we didn’t know we had.”
Anne Antletz (cancer patient)
Why music, rhythm and
drumming?
Music is the “village glue” that’s been holding
people together since the earliest civilizations. It permeates all cultures.
Drums are extremely powerful tools for generating healing and creating
community.
Rhythm can be found in every aspect of life.
It is a fundamental organizing principle of living systems, and social
rhythms play a major role in human behavior.
Group drumming connects people in a primal,
kinesthetic way. This experience is called entrainment. It is a naturally
occurring phenomenon which causes simultaneous, but independent rhythms
to become synchronized.
