First, there is the pulse. In the womb,
the regular beat of the mother’s heart is the soundtrack of a baby’s
liquid world, a vibrational constant that governs reality. No wonder
drums are an instrumental constant in every culture. No wonder children
(and the child in all of us) respond instantly and automatically to the
rhythmic beat of the drum.
The drum embodies all the power of a language intuitively understood
by every living thing. This eternal beat is the song of who we are. It
is the song of our home, the song of creation. Through the drum, all
age, gender and race are woven by a common thread – the rhythmic beat
of life. The drum’s magic to create an instant sense of community and
harmony is simple. Through the drumbeat, we speak directly heart to
heart.
In Mickey Hart’s book, Drumming at the Edge of Magic, Nigerian
Master drummer Babatunde Olatunji describes the inherent healing power
of the drum. “Where I come from, we say that rhythm is the soul of
life because the whole universe revolves around rhythm, and when we get
out of rhythm, that’s when we get into trouble. For this reason the
drum, next to the human voice, is our most important instrument. It is
special.”
It is no wonder that children naturally gravitate towards the drum as
the earliest voice of the source of life, for it is the very sound of
home.
A 1996 Newsweek cover story entitled “Your Child’s Brain”
presented strong evidence on the brain’s fundamental need for rhythm
and the stress that is produced when the brain is deprived of this need.
Many recent studies have shown drumming naturally alters brain waves to
bring children into deep states of relaxation and gives us a strong
sense of connection, grounding and well being.
A new study by Barry Quinn, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist
specializing in neuro-biofeedback for stress management, indicates that
drumming for brief periods can actually change brain wave patterns,
dramatically reducing stress. Dr. Quinn has been working for over eight
years with how a variety of techniques affect brainwaves. He calls the
results of 30 - 40 minutes of drumming on the highest stress clients,
“by far the most amazing results I’ve encountered thus far in my
research.” Until drumming, in fact, no other technique used in all
eight years of Dr. Quinn’s research had been able to bring a
significant return of the Alpha relaxation brainwave in any client. (The
Alpha brainwave is a mental relaxation state missing in nearly 40% of
the population.)
The seven-foot diameter GrandMother Drum was built by the Alaskan
community in 2000 and is the largest crystal-inlaid healing drum in the
world. It is traveling internationally as a living, beating symbol of
the universal heartbeat of all races, cultures and religions. During our
extensive world tour, we saw how children of all cultures were
immediately drawn to the drum. Native American Elders share a prophecy
that notes, “When children bring the drum back to the villages, the
cultures will be restored.”
In 2000, the GrandMother Drum International Peace Project gave birth
to the Baby Drum Project. Since then, over 500 Baby Drums have been made
by our family around the world.* Baby Drums are small replicas of the
GrandMother Drum and give children (and adults) a hands-on experience
with the ceremonial art of drum making, and playing with the rhythms
within and around them through group drumming, dancing and singing. The
joy is evident by the look on every child’s face!
*Proceeds from the sale of Baby Drums support the
travels of the GrandMother Drum International Peace Project. The next
Baby Drum Making Playshop will be held July 10, 2004, from 10 am to 6 pm
at the Whirling Rainbow Center in Anchorage. Call 336-7439.
