Circle of Rhythm, Presence Studio, May 12th
It was a bright and sunny Saturday. The Mother’s Day Peace March was earlier in the day with lots of drumming for peace, so there was a pretty good drum vibe already in the air. The studio was warm and vibrant. Folks started to arrive promptly and we had to add more chairs a couple of times to accommodate everyone that showed up.
We started out on the mellow side with the Chant Rhythm. Joining in we had Nora and Jahnis, Sabrina, Jake brought Jordan for his first time, Old John, Ryan, Ashly and Brian, Roger, Kristen, and Holly. Denny, who caught the last Beginning Drum Lesson, brought Vicky, first timer Bill brought his conga, and Steve brought his family, Brandy, Dillon, and Jasper. Jasper turned out to be the star of the evening.
We eased into the rhythm and hit a great pocket that just kept going. You could hear congas and bongos darting in and out of the rhythm. Shakers and bells brightened the sound. Air blowing in the windows swirled the air, wafting incense around the circle. We were all in the groove. It took over forty minutes to let it all out.
We then kicked it up with Kuku. Joe started it out and everyone jumped in. Drum energy swirled all around the room as the beat pulsed. The slap of the drum head cut through. The drummers were pouring themselves into the rhythm. Individuals evaporated into the sweet, driving song. After about 30 minutes we were spent and had to stop.
After a short break, we went for a cool down so Lee started in on a slow 4/4 Heartbeat. The double bass got folks locked in for a nice 10 minute groove. Then as we played, Joe slowly replaced the drum with shakers, bells, and chimes until we had a percussion circle going. It was so nice to hear the mystery flowing in and out and around the circle. And witnessing people get it is the greatest gift of all…
Check out these videos of Kuku from Presence Studio.
See you next circle. Drum love to you all!
Joe and Lee
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Mother’s Day Peace March 2012
Saturday was warm and sunny. The market was bustling with activity. The brass goat was minding its own business when people started to gather. Colorful flags began to appear as well as colorful people. Then the drums started and more people gathered around…
They were waiting for the reading of the Mother’s Day Peace Proclamation. The drums came to a stop and the crowd closed. For several minutes Janet spoke the words leading the crowd with power and compassion .
With the crowd fired up and full of intent for peace the drums started back in and the march began. We had Joe and Lee on duns and low end, Janet on dumbek, and Mehdi and Ethan rocking out on djembe. We marched from the market up Railroad ave to Holly street, up to the COOP where we kicked up the volume, then down Forest street.
We ended at the YWCA where marchers got to walk between the rows of drummers then head inside for a reception and more music. The drummers finished up out on the front lawn of the YWCA to crank up the love and peace then send it off to the universe…
Back at the market the brass goat was still doing its thing.
May there be Peace, Love, and Compassion for Everyone Everyday!
Joe and Lee
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Circle of Rhythm, Metta Center, May 5th
The sun had come out and it was a very nice afternoon. We were a little worried folks might like the sun more than a drum circle. We, of course, were wrong. People started to stream in and before we knew it we had to make the circle bigger to fit everyone in. There was [...]
Beginning drum lessons a success!
Our latest offering of beginning drum lessons was a success. We had two students attend the once again warm and sunny class. Denny arrived first. He is a drum circler and has been attending the Birch Bay drum circle and was just wanting to learn some more drum stuff. Linda arrived next. She had never touched a [...]
Beltaine 2012 Community Drum Circle
We had a great time at the Beltaine 2012 community drum circle on Saturday night April 28th. It was a wonderful gathering of friends and family to celebrate Beltaine and the spring season of fertility. The day started at 10 am with people showing up and getting ready for the day. The kitchen was humming with [...]
Saturday April 14th at Presence Studio
We got another warm Saturday, not as sunny as the last, but totally nice to be out in. The studio was warm and bright when we got there and invited us in for a gathering of community magic. Everybody kind of straggled in so the energy was slow to build at the beginning, but after [...]
Beltaine 2012 Community Drum Circle
The Circle of Rhythm is proud to announce that we have been invited to provide a community drum circle for this year’s local Beltaine celebration. The day is Saturday, April 28th, and the time is 9-10pm. It will be like the Ostara community drum circle and oh so totally sweet. The Beltaine 2012 celebration in an all [...]
Saturday April 7th at the Metta Center
It was one of the first sunny and somewhat warm days we have had in a long time. Everyone was getting outside in the sun and surprisingly we had a nice turnout for the circle anyway. We went through the normal beginning niceties then jumped right into Kuku. Joe filled everyone in on the rhythms [...]
Beginning drum lessons a hit!
Our first offering of beginning drum lessons was a hit. We had four students attend the warm sunny class. We started with the basics of getting sound out of a drum, then went on to some basic patterns. Once we got the hang of that, we learned a couple more drum circle rhythms then practiced recovering from getting lost and finding the [...]
Beginning Hand Drumming Lessons
The Circle of Rhythm is now offering beginning hand drumming lessons! Lee will be teaching them spring quarter through the Whatcom Folk School. If you are interested in a solid drumming foundation for yourself, please attend. Beginning Hand Drumming Humans have been drumming from the beginning, expressing their experiences, hopes, and dreams through rhythm. It [...]
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