music has been used for ages to celebrate, motivate, sooth, heal and team bonding, änergy beat it! is a collaborative team building activity that is designed to let our participants have fun and enjoy while learning some simple truths on team work through group percussion.

collaborative team challenge

participants are given some background information on music, and introduced to the different items that are used to make our "home cooked noise".

they will then be trained on producing different tunes of increasing difficulty. other than playing the "instruments", they will also be required to perform the short musical piece.

performance on video

during the session, participants will usually be able to learn about 2 to 3 tunes. the performaces of the team will be video recorded and delievered to you about 2 weeks from the event date, the participants will usually gather round to look at the video again and this brings back fond memories.

below is a short write up on group percussion for your reading pleasure:

background on group percussion

a) Drum Circle
A drum circle is any group of people playing (usually) hand-drums and percussion in a circle. They can range in size from a handful of players to circles with thousands of participants.

They are distinct from a drumming group or troupe in that the drum circle is an end in itself rather than preparation for a performance.

b) Popularity of group percussion
Drumming is an ancient musical tradition that many cultures around the world use to energize, build unity, focus attention, relax and heighten creativity.

No matter what our age and ability, whenever we hear drumming, we all begin to move to those universal rhythms inside us
The following cultures have their own form of drum circles:
West Africa, Middle East, Japanese, Cuban, Brazilian, Native American, Mongolian, Spanish and many many more……

c) Power of group percussion
• Bringing people together
"THERE IS NO AUDIENCE"

"THERE IS NO REHEARSAL"

"THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG"

"THERE IS NO TEACHER"

• Solstice Drum Circles
The summer solstice is the day of the year with the longest daylight period and hence the shortest night. Summer Solstice Drum circles are growing throughout the world and many of the participants are of various faiths Winter Solstice drum circles are also growing in popularity. The day of the winter solstice is the shortest day and the longest night of the year.

• Rhythm as a tool for healing
Rhythm and pattern is all around us. I'm serious, it is really EVERYWHERE. In fact, there is rhythm even in the line you just read

In our BODY
Our bodies are multi-dimensional rhythm machines with everything pulsing in synchrony; from the digesting activity of our intestines to the firing of neurons in the brain. Within the body the main beat is laid down by the cardiovascular system, the
heart and the lungs. As we age, however, these rhythms can fall out of
synch. And then, suddenly, there is no more important or crucial issue than
regaining that lost rhythm.

the UNIVERSE
Everywhere we see rhythm, patterns moving through time. Rhythm is at the very center of our lives.
It is there in the cycles of the seasons, in the migration of the birds and animals, in the fruiting and withering of plants, and in birth.
how we WORK
From tool making to assembly lines to 1s and Os in computer programming. In order to create the tools that allowed us to move forward as a species, we learned to scrape, strike, rub, shake and swing in rhythm.

how we PLAY
As a species, we love to play with rhythm. We deal with it every second of our
lives, right to the end. (ed. note: This is not intentionally meant to be depressing)
According to the late ethnomusicologist John Blacking, music is a mirror that reflects a culture's deepest social and biological rhythms.
Blacking believed that a large part of music's power and pleasure comes from its ability to reconnect us with the deeper rhythms that we are not conscious of.

HEALING
using drum circles is used by many groups of people sharing similar problems as an activity to facilitate healing. Usually drummers each bring their own instruments and drum together for about a half hour. Afterward there is a discussion of issues of importance to the group.

How does drumming promote healing and sharing?
1. Forming a common bond
2. Breaking barriers
3. Communication

Lonely housewives, 12 step groups like AA, single moms, ex-prisoners and even aged folk have used drum circles to facilitate healing and sharing.

WHAT are some of the benefits of drum circles?
1. Immediate reduction in feelings of loneliness
2. Non-verbal communication
3. Reduction in stress

musical instruments used

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