Tag Archives | elderly

11 Reasons Why Drums Work: Activities for the Elderly

By on August 10, 2010 in Drumming, Older Adults

Singing, moving, dancing, song-writing, relaxing, caring for self, improvising, and playing an assortment of instruments are essential to a quality music therapy & wellness program for older adults. Music therapists use music as the medium for providing cognitive stimulation, gross/fine motor movement, socialization, agitation reduction, memory validation, reminiscence, and more… but here are a few practical reasons that drums stand out as a successful experience~

1. The drum speaks loudly. When the voice is weak, the drum is strong. When you hit a drum lightly, the drum responds with great resonance and volume. Older adults who may be hard-of-hearing may not be able to hear shakers, but drums are more audible.

2. The drum is easy to play. Frame drums, paddle drums, and shape drums are easy to hold with two hands in the lap. There are plenty of adaptive instruments to compensate for arthritis and other physical ailments. I use mallet cuffs at least twice per week in my groups. They allow drum playing when grasp is weak. Also, instrument mounts act as a drum stand for individuals who are wheelchair-bound.

3. The drum is versatile. Drums can be used in rehabilitation in several NMT (neurologic music therapy) techniques and/or regular exercise. Up high, down low, kick the drum, reach for the drum, reach for your neighbor’s drum. You can even surround an individual with hand drums to simulate a drum set. Then, design a drumming pattern that works on strengthening the trunk while the client reaches left, right, front, back, up, down, etc.

4. The drum is expressive. You can use drums in place of conversations. Oftentimes what better serves individuals in a drum circle is play without words. The drum can act as an emotional anchor with no words required.

5. The drum is the foundation of music. Consider the simplest elements of music: melody, harmony, and rhythm. Rhythm is the glue that sticks it all together.

6. The drum is cross-cultural. I recently provided a drum circle for the IRC: 35 refugees that spoke 7 different languages. Did anyone need to understand English in order to drum together successfully? No. Rhythm works. AND we all took turns singing in different languages, listening, and learning.

7. The drum is clearer and more definitive than small percussions. Many of the older adults with whom I work complain that the shakers aren’t loud enough. Then I give that individual a drum, and he/she is totally satisfied!

8. The research supports drumming with older adults to promote optimal health and wellness.

9. The drum is portable! Check out my post Schlepping Made Easy. Thanks to Remo, there are lots of portable drums out there. My favorite are the paddle drums.

10. The drum is peaceful. The drum can simulate a soft, relaxing, predictable, familiar heart beat. In addition, the drum can serve as gentle vibrational stimulation. We often do drum massages in wellness sessions. Face the drum mouth towards the core of your body, strike the drum, and notice the vibrational sensations that occur. With the right drum, timbre, and frequencies, this sensation can be very relaxing.

11. The drum is fun. When a comment like this is heard over and over, it must be a good sign: “Playing the drum makes me feel like a kid again!”

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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!

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?

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