Drumming Circles
Our drumming circles will help enable participants to:
* Work as part of a team
* Enhance creativity and productivity
* Problem solve
* Reduce stress levels
* Express themselves
* Improve their health and feeling of well being
* Process information more effectively
Research on the Benefits of Drumming
The African hand drum has been used for thousands of years in celebrations, rituals and ceremonies. However, the merging of science with the healing qualities of the African hand drum is a relatively new development.
A study lead by neurologist Barry Bitman of the mind-body wellness centre in Meadville, Pa., found that patients who took part in group drumming, or drumming circles, experienced increased levels of disease-fighting immune system cells called natural killer cells. Bitman tested blood chemistry of 111 healthy people in a series of experiments. Participants in all groups experienced a drop in cortisol, an indicator of stress, Bitman says, but only the group of active drummers had a significant increase in natural killer cells. He attributes the change to the self-expression, camaraderie and the rhythmic drumming. Research has also shown that drumming induces an alpha brain state which is associated with stress release, mental clarity, enhanced productivity and creativity and the ability to process information more effectively.
The first controlled scientific investigation of its kind to document specific immune system effects of group drumming music therapy in normal subjects was published in the prestigious international journal, Alternative Therapies- Jan. 2001. The research team included Barry B Bitman, MD; Lee S Berk, DrPH, MPH; David L. Felton, MD and Melissa Ninehouser, BS.
A simple way to experience community
In this century, when we seem to be moving farther and farther away from ourselves and our deeper needs, the drum, through its simplicity, effortlessness and naturalism, offers us a link back to that which we knew before technology separated us from our soul. Through providing a channel back to our deeper nature, the drum concurrently provides those who use it with a link to others. The African drum seems to have the capacity to unite all individuals who choose to experience it together. Despite race, religion, color, creed, background, or ideology, all are joined together through this ancient instrument’s calling. The drum, therefore, becomes a vehicle for transporting all who utilize it, across all boundaries, to an experience of wholeness and community.
