A Hands-on Drumming Experience
by Lolly Nicol, Development Assistant
It is often said that meditation and mindfulness practices make a positive impact on mental state and well-being. Our clients recently had the opportunity to try a unique iteration of this concept. Craig Norton of Hands on Drumming visited through a program with Toivo to facilitate a drum circle and to educate our clients about drumming and its benefits.
The benefits of drumming are extensive – a quick web search will demonstrate this easily; there is a reason that drums are found in nearly every culture in the world and have existed since before 6000 B.C. In general, creative ventures are excellent for pain management as the brain is often distracted by the activity, and studies have shown that the part of the brain that signals depression and feeling down is turned off when someone participates in creative activities. Drumming specifically can also be used as an active meditation if you’re drumming yourself, or as a sound meditation for someone listening and feeling the beats. During the hands-on class, participants experienced some of these benefits.
Group drumming is also an excellent community builder and an analogy for life; each drum has its own voice and doesn’t have to be doing what the others are to be symbiotic, a group of drummers expressing differing beats creates a greater whole when joined together. Expressing an individual’s rhythm ultimately makes a more lush and diverse sound. Our group experienced this firsthand; a diverse group of people gathered to drum together, and everyone came out of the experience having laughed, learned, and reported feeling more upbeat. The sounds floating through the building even drew people to come see what was going on and listen. Drums are known for bringing people together.
During the workshop Craig spoke about some of his experiences traveling to West Africa and about how moved he was by the generosity, kindness, and joy of the villagers he met. He works to spread this welcoming and generosity through the world with his work. This theme, as well as the idea of “together we are greater,” are both extremely pertinent to ImmaCare’s work and we are delighted that Craig was able to explore these ideas with our clients in a unique, interactive, and memorable way.