DRUM CIRCLE: Healing protocol for music therapy as YOUTH LEADERSHIP

Music is making choices. Leadership skills develop through drum circle group

empowerment session to grow confidence and mental focus.

Players build respectful relationships that practice social skills.

Health benefits: Drum circle group meets one hour a week on same day/ it time to keep

continuity for artistic growth; follow this drums protocol for therapeutic results.

Music activity therapy has positive effects on emotional physiology; in fact, this drum

protocol is researched with cancer patients, because it has proven to greatly

increase killer white blood cells with little fatigue on the body.

The ten-step protocol generally takes an hour to have positive outcome:

Step 1. Introduce program with inquiry to connect health benefits and leadership skills.

Ask group to suggest their own ideas of why music is good for us in many ways.

Step 2. Warm-up: do a series of stretching exercises and breathing routines to release

lactic acid from the extremities; stretch out muscular system in order to reduce

injury. This gets everyone moving as active, engaged learners. Let students lead.

Step 3. Break the Ice: action games are used to relax everyone and open our smiles.

Here are favorites. You may invent others…

Shaker Egg Pass: sit close to partners in the circle and pass egg shaker, rattle, or

gourd; simultaneously while receiving the egg from the other side, every time one

drops you just keep going, pretending to pass the dropped egg.

Body Slaps: create a rhythm by slapping different parts of your body.

Step 4. The A-B-C's of Drumming. Explain the assortment of instruments that you have

and how to play them. Address modifications needed in case of different abilities. Allow

everyone to select an instrument. YES, everyone will try to score the big drums; that is

OK because they can share/trade later. Emphasize the goal to play together. If leader is a

trained percussion artist, please help everyone to feel free to join the circle.

Step 5. Rhythmic Naming (say your name on the drum—example: Jus/tin Reyn/olds )--

boom-boom; boom-boom, use rhythm to match words and alternating stress on syllables.

Then have the class respond-beating it back to you; go around so everyone takes a turn.

Then ask if anyone would like to drum something else- a pattern call- and have the circle

respond on their drums-(Call & Response). Then if that person is comfortable to share

about or create an imaginative name for what it is they have drummed; encourage polite

response to other comments. Accomplish this self and peer evaluation by guided practice

modeling so this becomes a constructive habit of mind and action.

Step 6. Entrainment Building: This is the heart of the drum circle protocol--Start

entrainment by marking the mother beat (tempo) with deepest drum sound in the room.

Start very slow and allow the individuals to start layering the rhythm. Leadership role is

to facilitate- so, select an instrument that will allow you to move freely around the room.

Also be dancing or tapping the feet to mark the beat-to help everyone to stay on tempo.

Step 7. Inspirational Beats: After a 30 minute drums entrainment people are more likely

to share and open up. Then ask if anyone would like to drum what is on their mind, and

then ask for someone in the group to drum response to it, then ask the duo partners if

they would like to verbally share with the group what they drummed together.

Use creative license in order to flexibly adjust to the group size and age range.

Step 8. Guided Imagery Drumming: Storytelling to a beat. “Take a walk with me into a

forest,” or “What if we stroll barefoot by the lakeside or ocean beach?”

Create a model example while drumming a slow heart beat rhythm.

You must gain trust, to feel comfortable when we close our eyes.

In order to better visualize the images, you may want to show a visual cue- picture

prompt; poster, photograph, library book, or calendar image. Or read a poem.

Step 9. Wellness Exercise: This activity is slightly different from a warm-up, in that you

guide the stretching with imagery. The willow tree exercises works while playing Native

American flute music; or get a CD or tape recording like Carlos Nakia.

Willow Tree: we become the willow tree, moving and swaying in the wind to the music

Step 10. Closing Circle: Finale- everyone gathers to stand in a tight circle; then each

person thinks of just one word to describe how you feel right now. Close by saying,

“thanks for coming, we look forward to working with you again next week.”

*Ten Step Drum Circle Protocol Justin Reynolds, Fair Street International Baccalaureate Academy, Gainesville City

Schools, Georgia; authored, and recommends this arts infusion resource (2008).

Justin Reynolds has been a percussionist for 15 years and has been a drum circle

facilitator at Native American, Latino and African Music education/therapy conferences.

He is a group counselor and has used this protocol in mental health therapy with success.

The good news is that this resource helps to provide what beginners need: structured

guidance for meaningful outcomes. As a certified special education teacher, Reynolds

recommends the Ten Step Drum Circle Protocol for youth development needs in many

settings: summertime, weekend, and after school programs, family involvement, and the

general classroom. Drum percussion lessons teach character through the arts with

aspects of friendship/teamwork, moral courage, and global society cultural awareness.

Percussion activities are an intellectual challenge to connect the school curriculum.

Drum activities link pattern recognition in music and math, science sound vibrations,

visual arts images, dance movement, and language arts/theater speaking and listening.

Benefits of drum circles: enhanced student behavior management through self-

regulation, emotional awareness, artistic expression, social communication skills, and

positive peer group cooperation.

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