Marching to the beat of my own drum

So there I was, sitting in the First Nation Centre. I had walked in with my nose in a book and didn't look until after I had sat down, so I didn't notice it. When I looked up, I couldn't believe that I had missed it. There, in the middle of the room, was a giant drum. It was easily the size of myself if I were to curl up into a ball.

Pow-Wow Drum

This drum, which I later learned to be a Pow-Wow drum due to its larger size and the ability for multiple people to sit around it and play, drew me into it. I sat down, tentatively picked up a drum stick, and after a furtive look around to see if I would offend anybody through my actions, I began to play. It was noting fancy; just a simple repeating beat. I don't know how long I sat there, playing the same beat over and over again. After what seemed like a long time someone sat down across from me, picked up a second drum stick and began to play the same beat with me, adding their power to my own. Then a third person sat down and did the same. After a few moments the tempo began to increase and the volume with it. I was hypnotized by the steady, throbbing pulses that were echoing around the room. Even in my distracted state I noticed someone close the door, as by this time the sonorousness tones emanating from the drum ceased to be the sound of three separate drummers; it was now as though there was a giant with one stick producing a sound that no mere mortal could ever hope to make. Then finally, after our speed had increased to a point that it was almost no longer manageable, and without a single word or glance to each other, we all struck the drum will one final blow that reverberated throughout the room.

It was quite the intense experience, and I can understand how drums are often used in many cultures' spiritual practices. I wonder if there is a way that I can incorporate this into the classroom and have the students feel the same oneness that I felt with my other drummers. I can imagine having the students connecting with each other through this raw and primal style of music; nothing but a basic beat.

As a final note, merging into visual arts, here is a picture of a drum that I made last year. I cut and stretched the hide, created the strips to tie it down, sanded the frame and sewed the leather drum head. And of course I painted it. Tradition dictates that one gives their first drum away, so I gifted it to my step-father.

My first drum