“Making Music Together”
“You cannot imagine. Our lives in Mosul are terrible; this is like a dream for us. We have come together to share and learn". These were the words of a 23-year old student of English from Mosul, Iraq. The student was one of 38 hand-picked participants from seven different governances in Kurdish Iraq who participated in a five-day conflict-resolution and leadership training program using recreational music making in the form of drum circles. The five-day drum circle leadership training program was hosted by Kurdistan Save the Children (KSC) marking the first time an international relief organization had used music making for conflict-resolution, economic development, youth empowerment, therapy, and peace-making. The American training team was led by
author and music therapist, Christine Stevens, who has been leading drum circles for disaster recovery work and corporate team building worldwide for over fifteen years. The participants shared their comments at the end of the training. "I never realized the power of people making music together. Everyone can make music! This program has
been the best five days of my life."
I recently had the opportunity to attend a drum circle that was led by Ms. Stevens and I quickly realized that the above statement was true. I realized that although I was participating with a group of approximately 100 people who were mostly strangers, everyone was making music together and there was a feeling of power that continued to expand as the sounds became more and more rhythmic and in unison. But the power that I was feeling was not divisive power; it was unifying power. It was the unifying power of togetherness, the unifying power of being a team and the unifying power of community.
Monthly and weekly, drum circles gather in thousands of locations all around the world. They are being held sometimes just as an expression to bring joy to those in attendance as well as are currently being used as a tool for team building and leadership training in large companies and organizations around the world. A close friend of mine, who is a vice president with a nationally known company, recently shared with me that his company had hired a professional to facilitate a drum circle with their executive team. He said they used it as a team building exercise to show that the more that they were aligned and working together in the drum circle, the better it sounded. It was an exercise to help them realize that it was the same principle they were hoping to apply to their management team.
After attending a few other drum circles in the past year or two, I felt inspired to bring this expression into alignment with One Planet United. A drum circle so much expresses our mission of bringing unity and understanding to ALL people through experiential and educational programs projects and resources. So we are proud to let you know that we recently held our inaugural “Drum Circle for Peace” at the International Peace Garden in the City of Coral Springs. Despite threatening weather which is a
constant in South Florida at this time of year, approximately 70 people joined in with drums, flutes, tambourines, shakers, cowbells and even some homemade instruments. From babies in strollers to grandparents and all ages in between, people of different races, cultures and religions joined together to show that we indeed can make beautiful music together and at the same time, build a community of unity and love.
Going forward, One Planet United will host a monthly “Drum Circle for Peace”on the first Saturday of every month beginning November 7th at 7pm. If you live in the area of Southeast Florida, we hope you will be able to join us in this celebration of community. If you live elsewhere, why not consider getting a drum circle started and start making music together in your community. For more information, visit our website at www.opunited.org
Note: To learn more about the transformational work of Christine Stevens, visit www.ubdrumcircles.com
One Planet United’s mission statement is: “To bring unity and understanding to all people through experiential and educational programs, projects and resources.”
Jack Bloomfield is the co-founder and executive director of One Planet United, Inc., a non
profit 501(c)3 organization.
One Planet United's mission statement is: To bring unity and understanding to all people through
experiential and educational programs, projects and resources.
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