Archive | April, 2010

28 Group Drumming Workshops Left in 2010

By on April 29, 2010 in Drumming, Music & Wellness

If you missed the 17th annual Seattle World Rhythm Festival this past weekend, don’t fret! DrumSTRONG 2010 is an event to raise money and support for cancer research. DrumSTRONG is worldwide, simultaneous group drumming, happening in 40+ cities around the globe on May 15-16. Find out where the nearest DrumSTRONG event is to you and go BEAT out cancer!

And, there is ample opportunity to get rhythmatized in 2010. You don’t have to be a musician or music therapist to go to any of these workshops! Check them out in order of date below. These are USA workshops and trainings only.


Training/Workshop Provider Location Date
Remo’s HealthRhythms Adolescent Orlando, Florida April 29 – May 1
Layne Redmond Lenox, Massachusetts April 30 – May 2
Village Music Circles Live Oak, Florida May 5-7
Up Beat Drum Circles Boulder, Colorado May-10
Up Beat Drum Circles Encinitas, California May-10
Up Beat Drum Circles San Francisco, California May 14-16
Layne Redmond New York, New York May 15-16
Rhythm Planet Baltimore, Maryland May 28-31
Music Therapy Drumming Gaithersburg, Maryland June 18-20
Developmental Community Music Chicago, Illinois July 7-11
Developmental Community Music New York, New York July 14-18
Music Therapy Drumming Dallas, Texas July 23-25
Developmental Community Music Los Angeles, California July 26-31
Village Music Circles Mokuleia, Hawaii August 9-15
Drumagination Atlanta, Georgia August-10
Layne Redmond Jackson Hole, Wyoming September 3-5
Up Beat Drum Circles Red Feather Lakes, Colorado September 3-5
Remo’s HealthRhythms Princeton, New Jersey September 10-12
Layne Redmond Los Angeles, California September 11-12
Rhythm Planet Atlanta, Georgia September 30-October 3
Layne Redmond Melbourne, Florida October 1-3
Layne Redmond Atlanta, Georgia October 23-24
Layne Redmond Lewes, Deleware October 29-31
Layne Redmond TBD, Texas November 5-7
Remo’s HealthRhythms Austin, Texas November 12-14
Layne Redmond Twin Lakes, Michigan November 19-21
Layne Redmond Lenox, Massachusetts November 26-28 and November 28-December 1
Village Music Circles Fredricksburg, Virginia December 3-5

PS Jim Donovan does too many to list, so go check his out if you’re in Pennsylvania or Italy!

PPS A Trance Drumming Workshop is going on in San Francisco starting June 1.

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How to Use the Voice for Self-Care

By on April 27, 2010 in Music & Wellness

In the People Inspire Me post a couple of weeks ago, The Crazy Music Lady asked me exactly what I do with the voice in self-care sessions for healthcare professionals. The Crazy Music Lady shares very funny stories from the front lines of mental health, (I LOVE her posts!) and when I read Threats on your Life, I understood why she may be interested in self-care. ;) Check it out~

The reason I write about using music for self-care is that I enjoy the challenge of experientially connecting everyday, regular people to the field of music therapy. Music therapists are highly qualified and trained to work with Alzheimer’s, oncology, and autism. But relating music therapy to your average Joe is just a bit outside the box. That’s why I like to attend extra conferences, continuing education opportunities, and workshops, apply new techniques to my practice, then pass on what I’ve learned. Many of my friends, family, and readers work in an office, so I wrote 9 Crazy Ideas for Playful Spontaneity during the Work Day in order to connect them to the idea that making music is good for your health. Toning goes a step further.

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Music is the harmonious voice of creation; an echo of the invisible world.
–Guiseppe Mazzini

Toning

I was first introduced to toning in my internship at Musicworx of California. Since then I’ve read a few books by Jonathan Goldman on the topic of toning. The basic idea of toning is to create a massage on the inside of your body with an elongated vowel sound. We get massages on the outside, but the voice is a simple way to loosen up muscles, organs, and tissues on the inside with your own vibrations. Makes sense, right?

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You know you’re a music therapist when…

By on April 22, 2010 in Business & Practice

This is the most fun, recent hashtag I’ve used on Twitter. Go to Twitter and type “youknowyoureamusictherapistwhen” into the search bar to see all of the entries. Here it goes in 140 characters or less!

1. you’re adapting lyrics to “Party in the USA” for a presentation. (via Excelsior72)

2. you have to put your groceries in your back seat because your trunk is full (via michelleerfurt)

3. you have at least a dozen stock phrases to convince participants that they CAN make music (via Rachelle881)

4. any two taps in succession by your infant with her spoon counts as a beat to immediately echo back to her (via timringgold)

5. you write songs to teach neuroscience! Love it KimberlySMoore

6. the bumps you hit on the road are emphasized with a jingle jingle ♫

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VIDEO: Drum with Older Adults

By on April 20, 2010 in Drumming, For Music Therapists, Older Adults

I wrote a description of this song intervention in No Worries, No Hurries, and No Wrong Notes. Now you can see it in action! I am using Blue Suede Shoes as a guided music-making experience with improvisation. Because Blue Suede Shoes is a standard 12-bar blues, you can use any song with the same form. Other songs I use include Rock Around the Clock, Hound Dog, Elvis selections, Eric Clapton selections, and more.

When drumming with older adults, remember that people take comfort in synchronicity and familiarity. With that in mind, I always start the group session with a greeting song that includes everyone’s names, check-in exercise, orientation to others in the group, movement, and breathing. Then I can assess whether or not the group is ready for drumming.

Once I hand out drums, I start out with some simple familiar exercises that you can watch in the post Make Music with Older Adults. Then, I invite all the participants turn to their neighbor and say “Wow! You’re a good drummer!” As soon as the participants are comfortable making some music on the drums, then I suggest using this guided experience with improvisation.

I also use Arthur Hull‘s bunny hop technique found in the Drum Circle Facilitation book: I start with big visual and vocal cues, then gradually taper down and disappear, providing the basic chordal and rhythmic supportive structure in the background of the players. The focus is on the players, not the therapist or facilitator.

After the session, I always document the group’s behavioral and psychosocial responses. Have fun!

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17 Musical Instruments You Can Find at Your Workplace

By on April 15, 2010 in Music & Wellness, Z

I’m always encouraging people to make music during the day as part of a regular wellness regime. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote 9 Crazy Ideas for Playful Spontaneity during the Work Day. This time, you can see how easy it is to jam with your office mates.

I dedicate this post to John Kozak, co-owner of Fulton & Kozak, CPAs. The full story of my inspiration can be found below. This post is also a gift to all of my CPA friends, my dad, my mom, my brother, my sister-in-law, and everyone at F&K in Morrow, Georgia for the end of tax season. Congratulations everybody! Now you can relax and start an office jam session!

A friend the other day told me about their 2 o’clock office gong break. Apparently, at 2PM every day, all the employees take a minute to reflect during the ringing of the gong. What a great idea to encourage checking in with yourself and/or a feeling of relaxation. Let’s take music & wellness in the workplace further now by jamming with your co-workers.

The first steps to an office jam session are just as important as the instruments you choose to play. A balance of good preparation and adapting in the moment will make for good rhythm at your place of employment.

Get started here:

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