LEF GRANT – Channeling energy into drumming – September 15, 2005
By Helene Newberg/Correspondent/Lexington Minuteman
Endless tapping. Fidgeting. Hands and pencils drumming desks. More a teacher’s nightmare than a practice to encourage, though a Lexington Education Foundation grant awarded for the coming school year may change at least some of that perception.
Or channel it.

“There’s a time and a place for everything. If you give kids the opportunity to drum, I think they will be very excited about that. I am not saying that they should drum on their desks all the time, but I think you might see less of it, when they’re not supposed to be doing”, said Deborah Side, 10-year veteran music specialist at the Bridge School.

Side and Irene Gilbridge were awarded an $8,387 grant from the Lexington Education Foundation to train classroom teachers and other school personnel to lead drum circles in classrooms and the community. In a drum circle, participants use drums, percussion instruments, and other materials at hand to contribute to a group rhythm.

With the grant, Side plans to bring internationally known master drum teacher Kalani to do a workshop for the Lexington school community. “I would like it to be open to anyone: classroom teachers and music teachers, administrators, special ed teachers,” said Side.

In choosing a facilitator, she sought someone with experience with new and experienced drummers and someone who went beyond simply demonstrating rhythms from various traditions. “My main concern was finding someone experienced in working with children. I wanted someone who really understood and worked a lot with children,” she said. Side will also purchase four sets of six nesting drums to be housed at the Bridge school and 30 copies of Kalani’s book. In Side’s vision, after being trained in leading drum circles, classroom teachers can sign out the drums for use during class time.

"I’m hoping that drumming is incorporated into the classroom on a regular basis. Teachers can sign out the drums, but students can also use their desks. There are all kinds of things that can happen in drum circles: kids can use sticks or pencils to participate. You don’t need anything special. Students have their bodies as instruments too. The workshop will train teachers in how to organize the drum circle so that it doesn’t feel out of control and it actually feels productive,” explained Side.

Drumming circles are becoming more widely utilized for both stress management and team building objectives. Side emphasized the stress reduction benefits for students.

“Maybe the fidgeting is a natural reaction to some kind of stress the student is having. If the child is stressed or bored the body says, “I need to do something’. The teacher can take that as an indication the student needs some attention. Drum Circles relieve stress, and I am hoping it leads to greater understanding of what kids need too,” she said.

Studies have shown drumming to reverse hormonal stress response. “I am really impressed with that. I thought it might be worthwhile for students and teachers to do on a regular basis, to see if it might make a difference,” said Side.

Drumming has also been used with patients who have depression, chronic pain, Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions. While the five-day workshop won’t take place till next summer, Side is already thinking about offering drumming circles for parents and other community members after school and in the evenings.

“I‘ve done some drumming but I’m not a really good drummer and I’ve never been a leader for drum circles. But, I think they’re fun and I want to figure out how to do them in a classroom. I think it will useful to help other teachers figure out how to use drum circles,” said Side.