Drums For One and All - Press release page

MILFORD -- After a brief moment of silence, Dave Curry gently starts beating the drum he holds between his knees, and eventually, the large circle of approximately 20 other drummers joins in.

"I'll start a rhythm and we'll see where that rhythm takes us. Let the stresses of the day melt away," he said.

For 12 minutes, the thumping sound starts loudly, and the beat eventually reaches a soft, varying yet palpitating tone.

Mr. Curry, coordinator of the Milford Open Drum Circle, began the group about four years ago.

Using an African drum called a djembe, drummers beat for long periods of time and drift into a meditative state.

"Drumming is a wonderful way to stir some great emotions," Mr. Curry, of Uxbridge, tells the group at the conclusion of the first session. "What we had there was a wonderful spring rainstorm."

Originating from Africa, drumming circles are popping up all over the U.S., with at least six groups in the Worcester/Boston area. Schools and workshops such as the Djembe Institute at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, where master drummers from Africa come to teach, are becoming more commonplace.

"Drumming is a form of healing, and I tell groups to use it as a channel of energy," Mr. Curry tells the gathering in the sanctuary of the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Milford.

The circles are used to create a musical experience and to optimize listening and communication. The sustainable repetition of the rhythmic pulse results in a phenomenon called rhythmic entrainment.

Mr. Curry, an electrical engineer, joined drumming circles about seven years ago, and then started his group, which meets at the church the first Thursday of every month. Beginning with an attraction to rock music as a teenager, he started drumming about 12 years ago.

"I have always wanted to pursue the new age spirituality that the circles attract," he said.

The djembe drum dates back to the 13th century and has its origin in the empire of Mali, which is present day Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Gambia and Senegal. With the increased popularity of the drumming circles and interest in African music, Internet sites sell the drums from $200 to $600. Also, retail stores specializing in African art sell expertly carved wood drums and books about the history as well.

"You don't have to own a drum to participate. Just come and join in, we always have extra drums," Mr. Curry said. "Come and enjoy the sounds."

Traditionally, djembe music is played at different festivities or rituals, like baptisms and weddings, and is always combined with singing and dancing. The drummers often start playing, in order to announce the start of the festivities and gather the guests.

Alida Santandrea, a Blackstone resident and graduate of Clark University, said she only started participating in drum circles a few years ago.

"It is very relaxing and some people would think it is very chaotic, but it's not," she said.

Another group member, Bill Hatch of Sutton, entered the drumming circle as a way to enhance his spirituality and faith in "earth-based religion." A buyer with Staples, he said the hobby helps him on many levels.

"I've had a bear of a week at work and when I come here, after I drum for a while, the frustrations just go away. If you watch me, I can be as active as I want or get into it for a while, then stop. The process is meditative because you can detach your consciousness from it," Mr. Hatch explained.

Research has proven drum circles are valuable for a variety of therapies. Drumming has been used in medical treatments, anger management, increasing self-esteem, team building, substance abuse recovery and developing organizational leadership.

Mr. Curry said he knows someone who joined his drumming circle and received relief from Tourette's syndrome, a neurological disorder causing sudden, brief, involuntary movements and/or sounds.

"For me personally," Mr. Curry begins, "I've witnessed firsthand when she was drumming, the incidents of her tics subsided."

Mr. Curry admits growing up a shy teenager, and since he started the drum circle, he has had to interact more with groups. Knowing some of the benefits of drumming has given him firsthand, it has helped him develop as a more outgoing individual.

"It has played an important role in my life because this has been a big thing for me to be in a group leading and talking, but to do it in a way tha people feel comfortable. For some, it brings out a voice that they would not ordinarily use, and it has helped bring me out of my shell."