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I began playing drums at the age of 9 or 10 and played in bands throughout my teens. During my 20's I played guitar and sang
original songs. I did coffeehouses and later concerts and recorded two albums. After my most successful and well-attended
college concert I walked away satisfied with my local success. During my 30's, I composed electronic instrumental music on
synthesizers. Quite a different experience musically because it was all done by myself in a home recording studio. Fans of
this phase of my music waited for me to release a 90 minute cassette tape every few years. While in my 40's, a woman approached
me at church coffee hour one morning and said, "We're starting a drum circle. Would you be interested?" Confused, I asked
her, "How did you know that I was a drummer?" She replied, "I didn't. It's not a prerequisite."
And so began a long and satisfying relationship with community drum circles.
I was called the "unofficial leader" of that Massachusetts drum circle. For the first year there were only eight of us drumming
once per month. After our first year we were asked to provide music for our UU Church's Kwanzaa service. Then things got interesting.
We began to see a steady flow of new members... experienced drummers and novices alike. We also began getting requests to
perform at other venues. We were invited to perform in various parades, a jazz festival, a percussion festival, private parties,
and corporate events. We played for Pagans, Catholics, gay organizations, and veterans groups. Each time we performed in public,
our membership grew.
I began to notice many things happening in the drum circle. We were becoming more and more diverse and yet, since we didn't
spend any time discussing our differences, we only knew the commonality of creating music together. I began to see this as
building bridges between people. I also noticed that different people were drawn to our circle for different reasons, a phenomenon
I still find fascinating. Some people came because the group drumming gave them a heightened sense of spirituality. Others
found it relaxing and used it to unwind. Some found it a great way of connecting with others socially. Others saw it as a
very creative way of making great original music. People recovering from substance abuse problems found it a safe way of having
a good time with people without the use of substances. Some people described the healing properties of group drumming in
terms of boosting the immune system, balancing right and left brain hemispheres, aligning chakras, entraining brainwaves,
and resonating to the frequency of the earth. Others came because it was the most fun they had all week.
I saw people using drum circles as physical therapy. I saw shy people become less shy. I saw people who 'played it safe' begin
taking risks. I saw people who had nothing else in common becoming deeply connected with one another on a non-verbal level.
I knew then there was something very powerful going on in these drum circles.
I began seeking out and visiting other drum circles and discovered that it could be done wrong. Many drum circle leaders insisted
on doing things exclusively their way, starting each rhythm, imposing their own definition of the experience, requiring that
participants inhale and exhale upon command, publicly criticizing less-skilled drummers, positioning novices in an outer circle
facing the backs of the experienced drummers in the inner circle, creating a somber or morose mood in an attempt to synthesize
'spirituality', or charging a fee in an attempt to make a profit. I saw how frequently these circles failed from lack of interest
and participation. It was apparent to me that the best thing I could do was to provide a safe 'container', get out of the
way and allow a drum circle to evolve naturally.
When I started Different Drummers Drum Circle in Yarmouth, Maine in March, 2003, I was full of ideas about making it work.
The greatest challenge was relinquishing the leadership role that novices tended to thrust upon me in favor of what I call,
"shared leadership." My goal from the start was for participants to feel like it was their drum circle. I wanted them to feel
comfortable trying their own ideas.
As a drum circle, Different Drummers has surpassed my highest expectations. We drum accompaniment to incredible instrumentalists,
vocal, chanting and even poetry. Martin Steingesser, Poet Laureate of Portland, Maine regularly recites original pieces with
our drumming in the background. Daryne Rocket, the harpist, drives to Yarmouth from Orono every four to six weeks to join
us. Margaret Williams is one of our drummers. On evenings when she attends, she will sing a Scottish-Gaelic song while our
drummers play in the background. On any particular evening you may hear Native American flute, vocals, didgeridoo, blues harmonica,
mountain dulcimer, saxophone, electric bass... the list is long. Dancers feel perfectly comfortable getting out from behind
their drum and dancing. My point is that I couldn't make this happen alone. This is the direct result of shared leadership.
Thanks to our participants, we have evolved into this wonderfully creative and deeply connected community that continues to
amaze me.
Different Drummers gets asked to perform also. We have a performance troupe called "Different Drummers Joyful Hearts Club
Band" in which a dozen of us attempts to recreate our most memorable drum circle moments onstage. We have performed for Women
In God's annual conference, the Pagan Pride Festival, Yarmouth Clam Festival, coffeehouses, guest churches, etc. Last month,
we were so well-received by the capacity audience at the Whole Life Tent at the Common Ground Fair that they have asked us
to perform in their amphitheater next year!
One of the most important things I've learned about community drum circles is to keep them welcoming to novices. Having two
to eight first-timers at each drum circle is a good indicator of our circle's health and growth. Novices must be made to feel
welcome, free to ask questions, and free to experiment without judgment. Of the 300+ people on our email list, I estimate
that 250 have actually drummed with us. There are still list members who feel they lack the talent or training to drum. They
think it's about the music. They imagine that we judge one another solely in terms of experience and technique. Only our participants
understand that there is much more going on.
Speaking of community and bridge-building, we have had members and guests from Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Japan, Peru, Guatemala,
Puerto Rico, Cuba, France, England, Germany, and Iran. We have singles, couples and families who drum with us... Children,
teens and senior citizens. What's missing is the myriad of things that normally separate us. Differences in socio-economics,
sexual orientation, age, race and nationality are irrelevant when a group of people are engaged in creating a piece of music
together. When we all laugh at the end of a piece there is a deep connectedness between us. It is my hope that we might carry
that connectedness... that sense of commonality... into our larger communities and into the world.
When I look at everything I've done in my life musically, I realize that Different Drummers Drum Circle is, by far, the most
important.
...And, ultimately, it's not even about the music.
Rick Cormier
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Ranting About Bad Circles...
In an effort to initiate some discussion, I'm going to play the
"Percussive Curmudgeon" here and rant about some drum circle practices I disagree with.
Much of what I've learned (so
far) about running a successful freestyle drum circle has been from observing mistakes.
I once attended a drum circle
that required participants to bring $5. and some food to share. It was in someone's home. We were asked to gather in front
of a blazing fireplace...in early July. Our host proceeded to tap out a slow and somber rhythm on a drum with a broken head
using the back end of a butter knife. Six to eight drummers were present. Our host began every beat. Each was more morose
than the last.
At one point it was announced that it was time to 'snack'. We all sat around the kitchen table feasting
on our potluck offerings. For me, it was the most enjoyable part of the evening. I enjoyed the people there. Then it was declared
time to drum again. Back to the furnace ...the sweat shop ...to drum up some more depression. Before the fall arrived that
circle was history. People just stopped coming.
That circle taught me to make people as comfortable as possible. Bring
and encourage positive energy. Let the drummers have a say in how you do things. Shared Leadership. Let the drummers start
the beats. And don't ask people to pay you when you're clearly getting as much out of the circle as they are. If you have
to pay for your space, by all means charge a fee to cover it.
I have seen circles where the experienced drummers segregate
themselves from the novices. Big mistake however you justify it. I've seen a circle coordinator approach a drummer
in the middle of a piece and criticize his/her playing in front of everyone. Some freestyle circles will become "teaching
circles" without checking to see if everyone is interested in learning something.
Facilitated drum circles aren't
the only ones that can suffer from control issues. Freestyle circles can be over-controlled, too. It's why I believe in shared
leadership and establishing a limited structure using guidelines.
I've seen people try to define everyone's drum circle
experience. A great groove will end and, while everyone is basking in the afterglow of the experience, someone will say something
like, "Isn't it great when our auras combine and align with the earth's resonant frequency like that? You can just feel the
Karmic healing going on at a cellular level."
"Huh?"
The thing is, though we all come to drum, not everyone
drums for the same reasons. One of the beauties of freestyle drum circles for me has always been the diversity of purpose.
One person is having a spiritual experience, another is unwinding from a challenging week, another enjoys feeling so deeply
connected with others. While some of us are focused inward, others are focused outward and still others are simply having
the most fun they've had all week. We may drum for the physical healing, the emotional healing, or the spiritual healing.
We may drum for the community-building. We may be aligning our chakras... balancing our brain hemispheres... raising energies
or entraining our brainwaves. We may be re-connecting with Mother Earth or mother's womb. Or making cool music. It's all valid.
It's all who we are.
It's very powerful to have so much diversity of purpose within our community. It's part of the
bridge-building that's going on in freestyle drum circles. A mistake some people make is to play 'guru' and impose their personal
definition of the experience on everyone else. We alienate people when we fail to consider their own experience. An important
lesson I've learned is to not impose my beliefs about the drum circle experience on others in the circle. I want everyone
to have the experience they came to have...even if it differs from mine.
Rick Cormier
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Earlier, I posted a blurb about what DOESN'T work in drum circles. So lets talk about what DOES work...
In
my opinion, I think that positive, upbeat energy is the key. You can go to the quiet, introspective and meditative places
as long as the overall energy of the circle is positive.
For novices, a welcoming, non-judgemental atmosphere is essential. A community
drum circle must feel SAFE enough for people to learn to drum and safe enough for them to express
themselves creatively.
It is vital that participants feel the atmosphere safe to experiment. We have drummed as a
backdrop to voice, flute, guitar, mandolin, upright bass, marimba, oboe, clarinet, berimbau, blues harmonica, singing bowl,
didgeridoo, piano and poetry. People should feel free to get up and dance at any time.
I
think that variety is an important ingredient. Drumming piece after piece can get stale and repetitive some nights. The rule
that says that anyone can start a beat often saves us. It makes it more likely that the starter beats have variety. Some weeks,
one of our drummers will suggest a 'game' which involves three adjacent drummers drumming in a trio. One drops out and the
next drummer joins in so that there are always three drummers playing. The music changes each time someone drops in or out.
We go around the circle a few times and then all join in.
Since Ed Rooney took over the New Bedford group, he has introduced
some wonderfully creative approaches to drumming. They have done "Stomp Night" where everyone drums on non-musical items.
They have drummed using only their voices. They have drummed using only percussive instruments other than drums. I think this
would help keep drumming fresh and creative and fun.
Rick
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On one of the many Yahoo drum circle groups I belong to someone
posted an opinion about how drum
circle novices should take lessons
and not consider themselves "drummers". Here was my response:
"...I think that
this issue depends on the intention of the circle. If the purpose of the circle is to play great traditional African (or Middle
Eastern or Latin, etc) music, then by all means the drummers should be trained so that they have a clue as to what they are
doing.
On the other hand, if it's a freestyle community drum circle like mine the intention is different. We drum to
create an atmosphere of spirituality or healing or sociality or creativity or fun... whatever the participant comes to get.
Most of our newbies drum quietly and don't disrupt the circle. They soon develop the ability to hear the improvised music
and interact effectively with it. They learn by doing, by watching. They ask questions. They develop their sense of tempo.
They learn to hold down the beat while a more experienced drummer plays lead. They learn to embellish effectively. They learn
when to step into the foreground and when to recede into the background. They intuitively learn what's best for the music.
All that's required of me is patience... and the relinquishing of control.
As recorded music first became accessible...
people stopped singing in their homes and while they worked. People who sang for its own sake... for their own enjoyment...
heard voices like Caruso's and became embarrassed at the sound of their own voices. How sad. That kind of thinking has
become ingrained in our culture. Our society makes it very clear to our children who should be playing music or sports...
who should be drawing or dancing... We're here to achieve not to enjoy.
Our drum circle gets asked to perform a lot.
When I ask for volunteers I include novices. The way I see it, we're not Planet Drum or Inanna. We're a community drum circle.
When an audience sees us onstage, I want them to see that this very cool and diverse music is coming from a diverse group
of people of all skill levels. I want people to understand that we are a drumming community and not a band and, as such, are
open to everyone. We pick up an average of 6 new participants each time we perform.
Creating a community where it is safe to express oneself without words... Where one can grow in
so many ways, connect with others, learn, make mistakes and laugh...That's our intent."
Rick
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"There is spirituality in Joy."
~Rev. Carol Karlson
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