Our Story

How it all began

I found myself at a crossroads in life– searching for a new direction.  While I was looking for meaning and purpose, I took a job as a waiter in a local retirement facility to earn extra income. A few months went by and my manager, upon discovering my background as a drummer, approached me. “The retirement facility is in need of activities to engage our residents, and we want you to teach them a drumming class”. Intrigued by the idea, I agreed to give it a shot.  I had taught lessons before, but not seniors specifically. 

The sign-up sheet in the activities room listed 10 participants for the class.  I felt I was prepared, since I had enough instruments to go around. As I walked into the performance room where the drums were set up, my eyes widened at the sight before me – a gathering of over 75 residents eagerly awaiting the start of the session.
 
I had to pause in that moment and connect with my intention for the class – to create a fun and engaging drumming session. That is exactly what we did. I began with a 5-minute introduction, talking about how my drumming journey began and how it has helped me through the years.  I could see the seniors becoming more interested as I kept talking.  I then moved to a drum and told the residents to do some stretches and take 3 slow deep breaths. Inhale…..exhale……..
“I would like to show you an interesting rhythm,” I explained “this is a specific rhythm  which I designed to help you with your concentration.”
I continued “Drumming is like a meditation; you chose one thing (in this case a rhythm exercise) and focus on that only.
I told the residents to place their hands comfortably on the drum which I had passed out to each of them

”As you navigate through this exercise, let the rhythm guide your focus. Allow each beat to draw you deeper into the experience, building your concentration muscle.”

After a few more exercises, I told the residents we were going to play to some music.  I had preselected around 20 songs I thought they would enjoy. This is where the real magic happened.  Drumming is wonderful, but when you add the element of music – things start to happen.

As we started with Begin the Beguine, I noticed something else happening.  The residents were singing the song little by little, the feet were starting to move more and the overall energy of the room was changing!
The combination of drums AND music is what I realized is the magic answer to ‘engaging’.  Maybe it was because of the felt sensation of the hand movements on the drums coupled with the nostalgia of the music or something else……but one thing is for sure, they were responding to it.
  
Respectful Beats Begins