Our Drum Circle Memory Café program on Saturday hosted a party of nearly 30. One third of the group were individuals and dementia-care duos, 1/3 were L’Arche community members, and 1/3 was our team of eight (facilitators & program assistants/volunteers).
The 60-minute facilitated therapeutic program included playing a Theme and Variations on the tune “Little Drummer Boy.” We played through seven energy chakras:
- 1 – Reconnecting with Breath and Body/Body Percussion Practice
- 2 – Chanting a Welcome, affirming each member’s name and body percussion play
- 3 – Choosing Instruments and Playing in Similar Timbre Groups
- 4 – Partnering-up to Practice Matching and Echoing Patterns
- 5 – Letting Loose with a Favorite Instrument or Dancing Prop
- 6 – Quieting Down, returning to a Breathing Sound Scape
- 7 – Resting and Receiving Affirmations, Absorbing Benefits while Listening to Quiet Choral Music
Our drumming program included a great choice of percussion instruments and dancing props to choose from thanks to our MA DDS Memory Cafe funding! This is what some folks liked best – a great choice of instruments!
One of our volunteers was a retired physical therapist. What impressed her most was the level of group members participation.
The best outcome was that we all had a great time and no one got hurt (well… the plastic coat rack did fall apart due to the weight of the coats and hats!).
As a third-generation music educator and music minister, It was very meaningful for me to dedicate this facilitation in memory of my mom, Margaret, an elementary music educator for 36 years, who we lost on Christmas Eve, 2008.
Thanks to Laura Proctor, Music Director at Trinity Church, for co-facilitating, and to Paula Burke and Sue Quinn for helping as program assistants.
Moving forward with a listening heart,
vision, inquiry, and action,
Mary
