“You Own Your Own Beat”
Hand Drumming Lesson – Play from the Heart, not the Head
We recently held a Rhythm Care™ session with a great group of veterans and their spouses at a support group in Dallas Texas at Metrocare.
The experience was great because we had a small group and sometimes less is more.
While setting up the room and un-bagging the gear, I heard from some participants, “I have absolutely ZERO rhythm and I don’t know if I can do this”.
I just smiled and offered a simple reply; You never know until you try. Then added, I truly believe that you will become a hand drummer after you leave today.
We started the session with a Wellness element and right into the ABC’s of hand drumming so everyone felt more comfortable with the basic 3 drum strikes. With the new knowledge you could see confidence elevating. During this little piece of instruction, I noticed some “natural drummers” in the group. Some of them were the same people who told me they had no clue what they were doing. I just smiled and encouraged them to keep playing!
There is always something to be said for just giving it a try, you never know until you open the door and walk through it! Words of simple INSPIRATION to OVERCOME!!
One thing I told everyone; All of you own your own beat. I re-enforced this throughout the session, and it always elevates self-confidence, empowerment, and self-determination.
As we moved through the session some participants were struggling a bit, but as we kept moving the beat in the room, everyone began to forget about what was going on elsewhere in their life and they began to Get their Drum On.
It is an amazing feeling when you see a group of people elevating themselves using rhythm and movement.
At one point during the session, I slowed everything down and asked the participants to close their eyes, breathe deep and imagine a flowing stream. Added more: Please use this image to let your Heart flow the beat to your hands, not your Head.
We started back up and the those struggling visibly released fear of “messing up” and they began to feel and flow the beat from their heart.
As the session progressed, we paused again. They were all drumming so well and I had to throw in another image into the group, it went like this:
As you feel the beat flow from your heart to your hands, focus on just surrendering your hands to your heart and do not overthink the beat, simply
Feel The Beat.
Drumming is from the Heart
With that image in their head, they all stepped up a notch in their release of making a mistake, and you could hear improved synchronicity in the beat with the group. Some even went out and did a solo!
And to think most if not all were afraid of playing when they arrived.
The feeling of empowerment through rhythm and movement using drums has been clinically proven to create a therapeutic healing effect for Veterans who have any type of PTSD. And as a bonus for the session: our Rhythm Care programs are designed to improve quality of life and well-being in all of the participants, including spouses and all family members the gift of healing from stress and anxiety.
As the session ended, we all had smiles on our faces, a glow was coming from everyone in the room and feedback comments we collected are below.
- Love the Rhythm and being in the moment
- Enjoying the people around me
- I was very relaxed from the rhythm and vibrations
- It was a very calming experience
- Working with others to accomplish something
- I experienced inner peace through breathing and staying on beat
CALL US TODAY to find out more about it. 682-730-6101
Visit our website www.rhythm4you.org to learn a bit more and please find it in your heart to Donate.
Drumming is from the Heart
All funds are directed to operational costs incurred in serving and growing our cause in the counties of Tarrant and Dallas here in the great state of Texas.
Have a Wonderful Day.
Todd McCann Executive Director “Chief Rhythm Officer”
Texas Non-Profit 501(c)(3)