{"id":745,"date":"2018-06-22T14:28:59","date_gmt":"2018-06-22T14:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/barbaragail.com\/?p=745"},"modified":"2019-12-26T03:08:18","modified_gmt":"2019-12-26T03:08:18","slug":"tuesdays-blog-why-drum-why-sing-why-dance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/barbaragail.com\/?p=745","title":{"rendered":"TUESDAY’S BLOG: WHY DRUM, WHY SING, WHY DANCE?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most folks experience two types of energy: tense & calm. Yet most of the time the default for so many of us is tension! We call this stress<\/em>, & the medical community agrees that it wreaks havoc on our health, creating imbalances physically, emotionally, & mentally, sometimes manifesting as acute or chronic illness or disease. Without argument, decreasing stress in our lives is considered key to vibrant health.<\/p>\n

But how? Stress seems to be something we\u2019ve come to accept as a part of everyday life. And those moments when we feel calm, are few & fleeting, at best.<\/p>\n

To drum, sing & dance, is nothing new. As folk arts \u2014 meaning participatory arts for everyday people \u2014 they\u2019ve been around for a while. In fact, they\u2019re activities that have been known about, enjoyed, & practiced for thousands of years, in the ceremonies & celebrations of temples, town halls, & town squares.<\/p>\n

Their health-promoting benefits are finally being recognized, studied & documented by modern medical science. They can be brain-stimulating, lung-strengthening, body-oxygenating, group-unifying, immune-boosting, nervous system-nourishing\u2026.<\/p>\n

cardio-pumping, nerve-calming, and for some, deeply healing.<\/p>\n

Drumming, singing, & dancing can help to quiet the busy mind, uplift the burdened spirit, restore the aching heart, & channel emotional energy in a healthy & productive way. Like any focused activity, they can root us in the present moment, enabling the mind\u2019s common pre-occupation with re-runs of our past & concerns about our future \u2014 which only serve to disconnect us from tasks, thoughts, & feelings happening now \u2014 to quiet. Dissipating that inner chatter & its weight on our psyches allows us to lighten up, reduce general stress, & allow for a greater sense of well-being, wholeness & connectedness.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a firm believer in & promoter of Participatory Music & Dance<\/em>, once a part of everyday human life, worldwide! There are some regions \u2014 Bahia, Brazil & Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, for instance, which happen to be 2 of our favorite places in the world to visit \u2014 where today people continue to enjoy multi-generational kitchen & backyard music-making, & even dancing in the streets, regularly. Imagine that! They seem to live by the credence, When times are good, make music & dance! When times are bad, make music & dance! <\/em><\/p>\n

These are typically regular folks, like you & me. Take the restaurant wait staff who gave us impromptu drum performances & lessons in Egypt. When they learned that all 20 or so Americans & Canadians in our group were percussionists, they were excited to play for us & teach us the folkloric frame drum styles of their Nubian culture.<\/p>\n

In our culture, however, most music & dance happen on a stage in a performance setting. We, the audience, enjoy listening & watching from our seats (with maybe a little toe-tapping, if that). This passive role can prevent us from seeing ourselves as natural musicians or dancers, when those musicians & dancers could instead be inspiring our own creative impulses to express ourselves & make music & dance.<\/p>\n

But we feel shy, inhibited, not good enough. Why? Well, look at who we\u2019re comparing ourselves to \u2014 the crafted performers on stage! Only those who\u2019ve been schooled & skilled in the arts are considered entitled to create & express. What a disservice we\u2019ve done to ourselves & each other.<\/p>\n

The creative process of the human spirit is as natural as breathing. Creativity is where learning takes place, what evolution depends on, & is the stuff of which a life is made. Every child learns by being curious, exploring their bodies & environment, making connections & discoveries, & creating their world. Every act of art & every act of science is a process, an inquiry \u2014 to question, explore, discover, & create. And from the moment we utter our first coo & wiggle our first jiggle, we\u2019re engaging in our inherent ability to sing & dance.<\/p>\n

Rhythm is our mother tongue. While in utero, you were rockin\u2019 \u2018n\u2019 rollin\u2019 to the pulse of your mother\u2019s blood. And as you did, all your sense perceptions developed to that rhythm. That means we all come into this world already with very intense rhythm training! Once born, we walk in rhythm, talk in rhythm, breathe in rhythm, & our own heartbeats are the little drums inside us.<\/p>\n

And the beauty of singing & dancing, the only instrument you need to bring, is you. The body was also the very first drum.<\/p>\n

For about 25 years, I\u2019ve been involved with & guiding people ages 9 months to 99 years, on their drum & dance paths. Time & again I\u2019ve witnessed the positive effects of rhythm in their lives. I\u2019ve heard testimony of their transformative experiences from these practices, allowing them to feel centered, fluid, focused, & free, able to make choices & take action from the deepest & wisest parts of themselves.<\/p>\n

And, to have fun!<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve seen children\u2019s awareness open when I introduce them to a drum that was made in a faraway land they primarily hear about in negative news stories. And when a child plays that drum, & other children are playing percussion instruments from other parts of the world, together they make music. Or at least a joyful noise! I\u2019d like to think that in that moment, on some level, there\u2019s global harmony.<\/p>\n

Students have told me, \u201cI have 2 left feet\u201d<\/em>, \u201cI have no sense of rhythm\u201d<\/em>, or \u201cI don\u2019t play music, the only thing I can play is the radio!\u201d<\/em>. Whether they\u2019re an 8 year-old-boy or a woman of a certain age, it\u2019s an honor to help shatter the false self-images that some people have assimilated into their beliefs. Maybe they were influenced a parent, or an irresponsible 3rd grade music teacher who told them many years ago to stand in the back & mouth the words. Or maybe it was just society in general that gave them the self-concept that singing, dancing, or making music, isn\u2019t something they can do, even if they want to.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t really matter what happened\u2026 Inhibitions were created from whatever outside sources that said, \u201cDon\u2019t do that, you\u2019re no good at it, so don\u2019t let anyone see or hear you doing it!\u201d<\/em> What matters is what\u2019s happening now, which instead says, \u201cHere\u2019s a joyful space we invite you to, where it\u2019s safe to express yourself in participatory music-making & dance.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

What an honor it is to witness people breaking free from those chains, reveling in their re-creation!<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been awed by the transformative magical mystery of The Drum, The Song, & The Dance. I\u2019ve seen firsthand how these arts bring people together. Strangers become new friends, delivered & restored in a state of unity, equality, empowerment, happiness, contentment, & peace.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s good ancient medicine for life in our modern world!<\/p>\n

The power of the pulse has profoundly affected my own life, & my heart beats to do this work! I\u2019m grateful for it, & to the people who over the decades have supported my path in it. I\u2019m happy to say I must\u2019ve been doing something right, as several former students, in both Maine & Florida, are teaching drumming to others.<\/p>\n

Teaching & facilitating circles of rhythm & movement based groups is my spiritual practice. I remain committed to making it my positive contribution toward your own blossoming inner light, & the healing of our planet.<\/p>\n

In honor of my teachers, my teacher\u2019s teachers, the teachers before them, & so on\u2026 One drum, one dance, one hum, one strum, one song, one breath, one om, one heart, & one everything,
\nBarbara Gail, born on a Tuesday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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