Rhythm For Good

Tag Archives | active music-making

Say it so you can play it.

By Kat Fulton on May 11, 2010 in Drumming, Kids, Music & Wellness

Arthur Hull always says “If you can say it, then you can play it.” It makes perfect sense. If you can say the rhythm with your voice, or if you can move the rhythm with your body, then you have embodied the rhythm.

None of my nuclear family members would admit that they are musicians. However, I started saying rhythms out loud as a young girl, thanks to my dad. When I was in 5th grade, my older brother Geoff went to fight in the Persian Gulf War. When he returned, my dad, my little brother and I had prepared a Welcome Home Beat Box Piece just for Geoff. Some of our influences included The Fat Boys (the Human Beat Box and Wipeout feat. the Beach Boys), Dogs Barking Jingle Bells, and chickens singing In The Mood. But we really wanted this original beat box piece to be just for Geoff. We rehearsed a lot, and it paid off because Geoff was in tears when he heard our live performance.

Our performance for Geoff sounded like this: Boom-che-Boom, BoomBoom-che-Boom, Boom-che-Boom-Boom-che, BoomBoom-che-Boom.

I recommend “liking” DrumCircles.net on Facebook by Shannon Ratigan. You get a new rhythm to say every week! I’m taking these to my two drum classes today for my students to say out loud. Some of my favorites include:

♫ Boom, sha-La-Ka-Boom-Boom (pause) Boom, sha-La-Ka-Boom-Boom ♫

Drum circle rhythm WaaHida in 4/4: 1+2+3+4+ ♫♫ Doum-tekkatekkaTek-tekkatekkaTek-ka-, Doum-tekkatekkaTek-tekkatekkaTek-ka-, ♫♫

♫♫ Boom – che-boom_che-boom-a-choc_o_late__choc_o_late, (dramatic pause) Boom – che-boom_che-boom-a-choc_o_late__choc_o_late ♫♫♫

Word association is a great way to get a 6/8 drum circle rhythm going. ♫♫♫ Fol-low-the-yel-low-brick-road-go-do-pa-ta-pa ♫♫♫

Special thanks to Shannon for sharing his rhythmic talents online!

There are examples of saying it and playing it in classical and jazz music. Because I am a classically-trained pianist, I’m especially moved by piano music. Here are some world-famous pianist examples of “saying it and playing it:”

*Classical example. Glenn Gould plays Goldberg Variations. Listen closely to #3. What’s that buzzing in the background? No, that’s not your home heater creaking or birds chirping outside your window. That is Glenn Gould himself. He was often criticized for his vocalizations during recordings, but somehow he managed to become one of the most famous and highest-acclaimed interpreters of keyboard music by J.S. Bach.

*Jazz example. Keith Jarrett plays the Paris Concert. Listen closely to the Blues excerpt. The recording engineers actually do a stellar job of covering up the voice, but, oh, it’s there. When I saw Keith Jarret play live in Philadelphia five years ago, he might as well have had a body double humming along up at the vocal mic.

What’s the last rhythm you said out loud? Share your ideas and comments below.

Comments { 3 }

28 Group Drumming Workshops Left in 2010

By Kat Fulton 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.

Let me know if I may have left yours out~ And have fun drumming!

Thanks to Lucas Lee for the image above.

Comments { 5 }

VIDEO: Drum with Older Adults

By Kat Fulton 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!

PS There are a million and one variations to the directions that I lay out in this example, so be sure to to adapt, change, and transform for your own groups.

What do you think? Is this similar to your drumming experiences with older adults?

Comments { 5 }

6 Reasons to Attend Arthur Hull’s Trainings and Playshops

By Kat Fulton on April 4, 2010 in Drumming, For Music Therapists

I have been lucky enough to attend a couple of Arthur Hull’s Rhythmic Alchemy Playshops (RAPs) and the 2008 Hawaii Drum Circle Facilitation Training. I remember at my first RAP just a year after my internship, we did a clapping circle, passed out parts, had everyone make up their own, then rumbled to a stop. I was in love. Here are some of my favorite reasons to attend his trainings and playshops:

1. You learn how to empower people through rhythm. Arthur teaches facilitating without over-facilitating. He teaches to listen for space in the music that lends itself to transition. Then and only then does the facilitator step in. Drumming is about the drummers. It’s not a facilitator’s performance.

2. You don’t have to be a formally trained musician to participate.

3. You get to practice with a supportive group. Everyone at the training is in the same boat and wanting to improve skills, so you can push the envelope and try things that you might not try with clients.

4. You learn how to get rhythm going with or without drums. We practiced all sorts of body percussion (clapping, snapping, tapping, and rapping) with Arthur. I had experienced drumming with groups before his training, but to get rhythm going without drums? Beautiful. Now I know that if I ever forget to bring drums, I can always get people going with body percussion and vocal expressions instead!

5. You return to your practice rejuvenated. Arthur’s training inspired me to take his effective, fun techniques and apply them to various settings for both adults and kids (self-care, team-building, community-building, festivals). Even when I facilitate a medical bedside 1:1 session and use no drum circle techniques, I still feel refreshed. I am able to incorporate abstract ideas from the training and apply them to the session.

6. You’ll connect with some amazing people. I remember Jeni Swerdlow of Drummm showing the group how to keep a steady beat by stomping bells around the ankles. Cameron Tummel taught us some very clever techniques to use with kids for gaining immediate rapport. I learned of Scott Swimmer’s drumSTRONG organization that holds drumming events to raise funds and beat out cancer.

Because of the connection to Arthur and other facilitators, I recently ran into an awesome blog by Jim Donovan, award winning facilitator, teacher, and performer and founding member of the multi-platinum selling band Rusted Root from 1990-2005. Read some of Jim’s latest articles on Why Drumming Builds Good Teams and Why Everyone Should be Drumming.

If you get a chance, check out Arthur’s calendar and go to Hawaii for the training! Or at least attend a playshop. Also, Arthur’s most recent book Drum Circle Facilitation is an excellent addition to a drummer’s or music therapist’s library.

Arthur Hull always says “If you can say it, then you can play it.” If that’s true, then I wonder how Lori Cotler would sound on a drum:

Have you ever attended Arthur Hull’s trainings? If so, how was it for you?

Comments { 0 }

Drum Circle Facilitation and Music Therapy

By Kat Fulton on March 30, 2010 in Business & Practice, Drumming

After a meal and an evening of music-making with three amazing women drummers last weekend, I was inspired to write about drum circle facilitation and a program that connects all four of us: Remo’s HealthRHYTHMS®.

Mary Tolena and Jú Linares of ZaBoomBala Drumming Works stayed with me in San Diego for 2 days and told me stories of their recent Drum-About across the United States and through Brazil. Christine Stevens of UpBeat Drum Circles joined us over the weekend, and we four shared music and touching stories about our experiences in our work.

The following paragraphs should clarify the difference between a music therapist (MT) and a drum circle facilitator (DCF). There are MTs, there are DCFs, and sometimes people are both MTs and DCFs (like myself and Christine Stevens). DCFs are not considered therapists, but facilitators, coaches, teachers, and/or mentors. Music therapy is an allied healthcare profession established in the 1940s, while drum circle facilitation is a relatively new field. DCFs come with diverse backgrounds: professional drummers, social workers, music therapists, healthcare professionals, wellness consultants, corporate trainers, and more.

Music therapists ~

Use evidence-based music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship (American Music Therapy Association, 2010)
Are required to obtain a degree (bachelors, masters, PhD), attend a 6-month internship, and pass a board-certification exam.
May be members of the American Music Therapy Association in the US.
Are all formally trained musicians.

Drum circle facilitators ~

Utilize a variety of techniques to make an interactive music experience easy, fun, and meaningful for participants (Drum Circle Facilitators Guild, 2010)
May attend a training program. They vary between 4 days and 2 weeks. HealthRHYTHMS is one such training program. I’ll be writing about more DCF training programs soon.
May be members of the Drum Circle Facilitation Guild in the US.
Are not necessarily formally trained musicians, but some are world-renowned musicians.

MT is an awesome path if you are a formally trained musician and would like to work in the medical, psychiatric, educational, or wellness fields. DCF is a wonderful opportunity for people interested in empowering others to make music in a recreational setting, without having to obtain a degree or become proficient on an instrument. DCF is also great for those already on a healthcare or corporate career path, looking to supplement their current services.

For those interested in continuing education with regards to wellness, the HealthRHYTHMS® training program is a good option because the program focuses specifically on health and wellness through group drumming. The HealthRHYTHMS® research over the past ten years has helped to bridge the gap between the ancient art of healing and modern science.

The body of music therapy literature is prolific, spanning 5 decades of quantitative research that focuses on a variety of techniques with a variety of populations. For instance, I have posted a snapshot of the MT research on infants in a NICU here. MTs are formally trained with regards to the importance of the therapist-client relationship, how to build rapport with the client, how to follow systematic steps for successful client transformation, how to apply these steps with a variety of populations using an enormous variety of music interventions.

Although I was never lucky enough to meet legendary music therapist, Bongo Barry Bernstein, MT-BC, he left his mark in the music & wellness world through his years of service, creative rhythmic interaction, and creating the bridge between music and science. In this video, you may notice that the spirit of Bongo Barry lives on in both the music therapy field and drum circle facilitation.