Tag Archives | Music & Wellness

Drum for your wellness.

By on January 28, 2010 in Drumming, Music & Wellness

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I use this exercise with many groups. I encourage you to integrate music into your self-care routine. Every morning, I invite you to brush your teeth, wash your face, create your own relaxation drum beat to play with, and actively engage in this exercise! The peace and calmness you feel will last throughout the entire day.

Before playing, please remember that there is no judgment in drumming for health. This is all about the process, not at all about the product. There are no mistakes, there are only opportunities to be YOU, practice your freedom of expression, and share your spirit.

Prepare: If you have a small frame drum at home, hold it in your lap either face down or on its side. The face down position is directed toward the earth while the side position is directed toward the air and sky. If you don’t have a drum at home, feel free to engage in gentle body percussion instead. You can make up your own movement and rhythm in the process. Use your hands to gently pat different areas of your body, make sounds by stomping your feet, or use your voice and mouth for rhythm.

Center Yourself: Find a comfortable spot to sit or stand, and take a few deep breaths. Become aware of your feelings, thoughts, surroundings, desires, and let them go.

Be Present and Drum: When you are ready, play. Play anything. Bring your awareness to the rhythm while letting go of any self-judgment or criticism. Instead of imagining the rhythms coming from you, imagine the rhythms moving through you. Play. Your rhythms are an extension of you, your community, and our global community. Enjoy. Bring what you have to give to the drum, and take what you need. Play in the moment.

Savor: After your drumming excursion, take a few moments of silence to allow the rhythms to permeate through your body, mind, and spirit. Take this moment with you through the day, and remember that which you already know!

I provide regular workshops and classes on drumming for wellness. Contact me to drum with your group!

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We Got the Beat!

By on January 18, 2010 in Community, Drumming, Music & Wellness

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Photo courtesy of Max Vuong

I’m very excited to be on the team of instructors at San Dieguito Adult School for a class in February! This class is open to the public, so gather all your friends and come drum with us!

The description of the We Got the Beat! Group Drumming Class follows:

Rhythm surrounds us. The change of traffic light signals, the tick of the clock, the ring of your phone. Rhythm is also an inherent flow within our own bodies. Consider the steps of your feet, the blinks of your eyes, the beats of your heart. Rhythm is everywhere! Harness this omnipresent energy and apply it to your own life in our group drumming class!

Kat brings an assortment of drums and shakers from around the world, teaches simple world rhythms (Brazil, Japan, Africa, Cuba, and more), and facilitates group music-making in a perfect setting to expand your innate capacity for creativity. Expect to be elevated and inspired! Beginners are welcome, and no music experience is required. All drums and instruments are provided, and participants are welcome to bring personal instruments.

Tuesdays, 6:00PM – 7:00PM in Solana Beach
4 sessions starting February 2, 2010, ending February 23, 2010
Tuition: $30.00

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La Costa Glen drums for Glenbrook

By on January 14, 2010 in Community, Music & Wellness, Older Adults

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I do not know of a holiday moment as special as seeing drummers from anindependent living retirement community perform for a skilled nursing group. This was all made possible thanks to the La Costa Glen drumming class! We had been looking for the perfect performance venue for a while, when finally, it dawned on us that performing at the sister skilled nursing community for the holidays would be right up our alley! Our program follows:

Introductions sequenced into the drum groove (My name is Bill, Let’s all play!)
Kum Ba Ya with Drum Call – ending with Shave and a Haircut
Little Drummer Boy
O Come All Ye Faithful
God Rest Ye Merry with Joan playing the tone chimes
Twelve Days of Christmas with drum rumbles
Merritt’s Drum Call ~ Joy to the World
Do You Hear What I hear ~ Tone chimes
White Christmas, Claude, soloist
Silver Bells
We Wish You a Merry Christmas

It was amazing and fantastic! I’ve drummed with these drummers for at least 3 years, and wow ~ We’ve all come a long way. It is an honor to witness our group growth and evolution within the class. After the performance, and after the overwhelming applause, we continued with a program that engaged both performers and audience members  in making music. We sang and played Christmas, Hanukkah, and winter songs. We shared our family traditions. Doris and John mentioned that their tradition has always been to hang ice skates on the wall as a decoration. We debated whether Santa Claus actually exists. It is a fact that most residents at La Costa Glen actually DO believe in Santa Claus. We laughed and shared more memories.

Afterwards, I spent an hour with the assisted living group drumming, bell-ringing, and celebrating the holidays. One of my most favorite moments in life is to see someone pick up a drum with tilted eyebrows and skeptical words. Then after playing for 5 minutes, the tilted eyebrows turn to raised eyebrows, and the skeptical words turn to laughter and relaxed social interaction. Comments included “You have uplifted us and gotten us ready for the holiday season!” “Who knew that drumming could make me feel so good?” “You bring us so much joy with your music and drumming!”

Needs: Mood enhancement
Interventions: Active music-making sculpted into familiar songs via bells, drums, reminiscence in the context of music
Outcomes: Positive social interaction aeb eye contact, laughter, smiles; enhanced mood

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A Rhythm Ritual for the New Year

By on January 13, 2010 in Music & Wellness, Older Adults

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Drum Circle Participants (used with permission)

It might have been the celebration to surpass all other celebrations when we rang in the New Year with a GONG at my New Year’s Eve party. Today surprised me however, we celebrated New Years in a deep, meaningful way at La Costa Glen, an independent living retirement community. These community residents are inspiring! The drum class participants are full of life, always open to learning new things, and always teaching me new things. This is a very special community. Authenticity and being present with the raw human experience both resonate with this group.

So, needless to say in celebrating the New Year, there was excitement, there was fervor, but most importantly, there was intention.  We started the session with egg shakers.

You might be surprised to find out that the egg shaker possesses deep, strong, true power when infused with one’s most personal wishes and genuine intentions for the New Year. We all took a turn at shaking out our intentions. These included certain states of mind, people to attract into our lives, and resolutions. We did not share our intention verbally. We only played the rhythm of our intention. Each person took a turn, played his/her rhythm out loud for the group, the group joined in with that individual’s rhythm for validation and acknowledgment. And then we moved on to the next person in the circle.

Once we had all shared our New Years rhythm on the egg shakers, we spread out a big white canopy sheet. Everyone grabbed an edge of the soft cloth. When we were ready, we threw our egg shakers into the canopy, sang Auld Lang Syne, then swooped our shakers as high as possible into the sky! Our intentions had exploded into the cosmos.

Then we drummed. Thanks to Remo, Inc., we were equipped with plenty of drums for a grand New Year’s rhythm ritual. We used a drum call, we soloed, we shaped and sculpted out our lives ~ our new lives of 2010 ~ onto our drums. Yes, these inspiring, vibrant octogenarians begin new, rich lives in the new year! We sang together while resting our drum-beating hands in between grooves, and the group even taught me a “new” song: It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie.

We ended with a special celebratory circle. One by one, we shared our intention verbally in front of the group, then we rumbled them in for the New Year. Some personal intentions (or as I like to refer to them “words from the wise”) included:

Experience each moment
No matter what happens live contentedly
Feel happiness
Come to drumming class every time
Attract positive people into life
Nurture good relations with family members

At the end, we counted down New Years on the drums with BIG BEATS
10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1  Happy New Year!

Afterwards, one gentleman approached me and with a look of sincerity, he said “You know, Kat, you bring so much joy to so many people. You really do.” I was humbled and touched. Music is powerful.

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