T
he pounding of a drum isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of peace and relaxation, but a recently adopted activity in Windsor is giving locals a chance to relax while making music. Story and Photos By Sean Previl
The Beat Goes On
Drums are one of the oldest musical instruments on Earth Windsorites are finding drum circles an interesting and enlightening experience because it brings together a variety of people and stories. Zoe Germain often goes to drum circles because of the sense of family it produces. “I love the positive energy between the participants. It’s amazing to think that we can get strangers of any age, gender, race, religion, etc. to sit and share one beautiful experience and come out of it as friends,” says Germain. “Everyone is comfortable throughout the entire session and it is very relaxing. It’s also just really fun to let go.” Drums are one of the oldest musical instruments on Earth. Global Drum Circles in California details the history of drum circles as far back as 6,000 B.C. in Mesopotamia. The circles were a part of various global cultures, including harvest rituals, solstice gatherings, fertility and manhood rituals, marriage ceremonies and other celebrations. In the past few years, Windsor-Essex has picked up on the drum circle trend with new places to play popping up often. With the cultural diversity of our area, it’s no surprise these circles cater to many groups of people, including families and seniors. However, one thing is constant among the gatherings: everyone is welcome. Tracey Rogers, owner of White Feather Holistic Arts in Windsor, says there are several types of drum circles. “There are drum circles that are sacred circles and they’re totally all prayer. That’s very much along the lines of traditional Native circles and some other circles like that. The other kind of circle is like a jam circle, where everyone just sits around and jams and plays
rhythms,” says Rogers. “I’ve kind of done a mash-up between the two. I’ve got the sacred part of the circle and then we move into some more rhythmic music that people can dance to if they want to...it’s taking the sacred and the fun and putting them together.” Drum circles are organized in two different ways: one as a community and the other as a facilitator-led group. According to drumhead maker Remo, community drum circles are “where people empower each other in the act of celebrating community and life through rhythm and music.” Remo stresses these types of circles are not drum classes and are not lead by anyone but are conducted by cooperation amongst participants. The other type of circle has a facilitator to lead the circle. As REMO describes it, a facilitator’s job is “to make [the circle] east.” It’s this brand of circle that Rogers follows, giving her freedom on when to hold meetings and who can attend. Rogers holds her drum sessions based on the phases of the moon, with a men’s and women’s group on the new moon and a women’s-only group on the full moon. “You get different energy with the moon cycles. New moon brings the energy of setting intentions, planting ideas, starting a new cycle,” says Rogers. “As the moon grows and grows and comes to the full moon, that’s when we’re actually taking action, doing, and we should be seeing the fruits of our labour or we should see things happening from our prayers and intentions that we set at the new moon.”
Tracey Rogers (centre in green) and going clockwise: Maddy Layne, Zoe Germain, Judie Acton, Alice Wynnyk, Hedy Halpern, Paul Abbott (in the cowboy hat), Allie Hayes, Sabrine LeMire and Kyle Glassford. September 2013 - The HUB 33
Top: Sabrina LeMire and Kyle Glassford Bottom:Tracey Rogers and Maddy Layne
Several facilitators highlight the aspect of community that drum circles create and how they can help participants develop friendships. “Prior to the drum circles we do a community potluck. So before we get to the drumming everybody has already started to spark that relationship over food and everybody’s sharing,” says Tea Jai Travis of Bloomfield House, an outreach centre in Olde Sandwich Towne that provides community programs. “So there’s already a good vibe that’s been established, so we can move naturally into the drum circle.” Drum circles promote communication through the drum. “The drum has always been used as an instrument of communication. So this supercedes the need to use words. They can sit together and without the threat of having to intellectualize conversation, they can just simply beat the drum together,” says Travis. Germain’s friend Maddy Layne joined her at a drum circle this summer at White Feather and reiterated her friend’s statement of relaxation. “I thought the circle was lovely. It was my first time going, so it was a good experience,” says Layne. “I think they appeal to people who are looking to find stress relief and peace of mind.” Drum circles have added benefits aside from creating communication between people; they can also help with mental illness. An article last year in Psychology Today by Kimberly Moore, a music therapist, says drumming can help children with special needs by improving their social, communication, emotional and cognitive needs as well as their fine and gross motor skills. But according to Rogers, it can also help with a lot of addictions teenagers and adults face. “Drumming can be totally just for fun. Most of the people I know who do it just for
Want to see a drum circle in action? Check out this YouTube video!
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jamming though, it’s still a spiritual experience for them,” says Rogers. “People who just jam usually play in the same beat for about 45 minutes or an hour or so, you really get into that rhythm and it’s very soothing and relaxing. You can kind of go off into another place and you don’t have to drink any alcohol or do any drugs.” Rogers is in recovery and has been using drumming as a way to substitute the feelings she used to get by using drugs. “Drumming is one of the ways I can get a really natural high because I can get into it and I can get into almost a trance-type state, but it’s so much more beautiful than what I used to do when I used drugs and alcohol.” Travis says the drumming and being with other people can also help people with mental and emotional issues. “It’s a connection between the vibrations and the relationships between people. When you sit with a drum or any
small percussion instrument and you’re communicating with the person next to you and the person sitting across from you, there’s an opening relationship that automatically happens.” says Travis. Germain, who is also a musician herself, thinks drumming circles are helpful because there are times people just cannot communicate their feelings through words. “We all have things hidden inside of us that need to get out and sometimes...you just want to feel them,” says Germain. “I think making music is one of the best things in the world. It’s a form of expression and I think by expressing yourself in that way really helps you feel well. It’s like taking a load off of your back.” Germain says a drum circle changes a person’s attitude. “You all share this positive energy and the relaxation radiates. It’s magical.”
To The Beat Of Your Own Drum Tracey Rogers of White Feather Holistic Arts in Windsor says it is best to learn from others first before making your own and is holding a drum-making workshop Sept. 14 and 15 for Windsorites. Tea Jai Travis of the Bloomfield House says people often find emotional fulfillment by the sounds certain drums give, which can result in them wanting to make their own. But he also says the connection to drumming is less about the drum and more about the feeling people get from playing it. “It doesn’t matter what the drum is, it doesn’t matter what the instrument is. The most important thing is you’re reaching people and through reaching people you find out more about yourself.”
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September 2013 - The HUB 35