DRUM CIRCLES AS CULTURAL PROGRAMMING

Written by Greg Whitt Monday, 23 November 2009 00:00

Jamming with the Duke Afro-Cuban Ensemble reminds me how important it is to honor the traditions of drumming cultures around the globe.  It’s also a serious workout!

Last Friday was the culmination of weeks of rehearsals with the Duke Afro-Cuban Ensemble under the direction of Bradley Simmons. I have been sitting in with the group most Monday evenings throughout the semester. Each Fall Brad throws a recital for his Beginning Djembe Class, the Djembe Ensemble, and the Afro-Cuban Ensemble. Each semester he brings in a guest artist who really takes the group to a new level and who introduces the community to a wealth of information and some truly wonderful performances. I’ve seen a number of great names at these events over the past several years, and this one was no different. The featured artist this year was Michael Spiro from San Francisco, a gifted teacher and great resource on Cuban music. In addition to Ben, Charlie, Andrea, and Brad, and myself from the class, Michael, Atiba Rorie and Gregory Ince joined us on stage AND we did a special Congolese number with Pline Mounzeo and Ken Wilson. I had to laugh at the wonderful photos Annelies shot: in most of them I was scowling with concentration because I was working so hard! As a player, I was way out of my league! Thankfully all were patient and gracious just like everyone else I meet in the drumming community. The experience emphasizes for me the importance of honoring the traditions of the drums I use in community drum circles and school programs. I came away energized to share this information and the exhilaration of playing this hot, fast, melodic, purposeful, beautiful percussive music from around the world. It renews for me the love of helping people of all ages to access their own musicality. I get jazzed about drumming with lots of people! My mentor Jana Broder once told me her goal every day was to drum with more people, and I’m all for that, too. Please tell your friends, bosses, and teachers about how wonderful you feel when you drum. Indigenous cultures learned long ago what we’re just now generating scientific evidence to support - that drumming is, in fact, good for you! Do your employers know that drumming is a powerful metaphor for communication and cooperation? The Raleigh Chamber of Commerce now does; we did a program for their staff two weeks ago. Do your churches know that drumming promotes peace and unity and that it is used in ancient cultures as well as contemporary worship services as a means of communing with the divine? Wake Forest Baptist does; I did a program for them a while back. Do your teachers know that drumming together demonstrates unity, diversity, and cultural awareness AND that it meets many of the national education standards for art, music, social studies, math, and science? Magellan Charter School does; they booked me in December. Would you like your friends and family to share the same feelings you have when you drum? Yeah, I thought you might! Mine do, too. In fact, due to popular demand from friends and family, Annelies and I are doing a Thanksgiving drum circle down in Charlotte this year. Next month I’m doing a “Twelve Drummers Drumming” theme for a senior living center. Special events are loads of fun! In fact, special events will be the new focus to replace the monthly drum circles at Ten Thousand Villages in 2010. The possibilities for celebration through recreational music-making are endless! Tying them to global traditions is of huge educational value. Using them to understand and improve how we relate to others is priceless.

I hope to see, and hear, you in the circle soon!