Editor’s note: this is a follow up on a previous post entitled Are Children Starting to Drum at A Younger Age?

I have been contacted by several parents who have asked me what I feel would be the best way for them to support their young child’s desire to drum. These parents were speaking of toddlers to 6 years of age, and the children have already shown a clear and strong like for rhythm making and drumming.
Some of the ways to recognize this in a child are that the child…

• enjoys tapping and banging on things
• enjoys moving to music
• appears to be mesmerized whenever they watch a drummer in person or on TV
• can’t stop talking about drumming
• can’t stop talking about drumming!!!

Below are my thoughts, suggestions, and tips for parents who have found themselves wanting to help their child with drumming.

First off, find the help of a good teacher.
This will be the subject of a future blog post as it is obviously an important topic. But for now, the ideas below are a few that you can follow before you even find a teacher.

Buy some drum sticks.
Start there. I suggest a light to medium weight stick, like 5A. Encourage your child to play on a bed or carpeted floor with the sticks. Make it clear to them that they should not play with too much aggression, but encourage them to hit pillows and other surfaces to experiment with sound. They can hold the drum sticks using a “matched grip”, which is basically the natural way you would grab any stick, and do the same thing in both hands. For a more in depth and complicated description of matched grip, watch what this guy has to say.

Encourage dancing and moving in rhythm.
Like the song says…”Everybody dance now”…put on some music and encourage dancing. Movement and dancing are directly connected to drumming and rhythm making. It will benefit the child when they begin drumming if they develop their sense of rhythm in their physical body. Rhythm moves through us, dancing is a part of it, and it is fun!

Buy a hand drum.
Hand drumming is another easy way to access the joy of drumming. There are many drums made specifically for children. Synthetic drums can be more durable than wooden drums with natural skins. Although I prefer the sound of a wooden drum, I like this synthetic drum for use with young children. Another  product combines the concept of  drumming and modular Lego style building, check it out here.

Put on some music and encourage your child to drum along.
This is an effective way to help develop a sense of rhythm and develop the skill of keeping a steady beat. Yet another fun way to enjoy listening to music. And be creative, choose music that you like to listen to also.

Video games and drumming…
Personally, I am in favor of video games that incorporate a play along aspect as part of the game. Guitar Hero, and Rockband have exposed many children to music making and I have had many students who were inspired to study a “real instrument” after they tried these video games. I encourage you to unplug the video game, and let your child experiment with playing the plastic instrument on their own and improvising without the game. These games have a “stand alone” or “jam” mode, in which the instrument can still be played and heard, but the game is deactivated. The goal here is to have the child be able to play on their own and not be co-dependent on the video game in order to create.

Positive Reinforcement
By supporting your child’s musical interest and desire to drum, you are giving them the gift and blessing to follow their call to create and explore their own unique path to rhythm. Good luck!

Feel free to email me or find me on Twitter @pathtorhythm

There has been much debate and discussion recently in the Camp community over some of the proposed ideas of the Obama Administration and it’s initiatives for Education Reform.  One of the main concerns is the idea of extending the school year calender to continue through the summer in an effort to offer a more thorough and consistent learning schedule for students.

If the Education Reform were passed to adopt a year-round school year calendar, what effect would this have on summer camps?

The American Camp Association  has developed “A Case for Camp“. In it, Peg Smith, CEO of the ACA, makes many valid points. Smith states, “It’s just possible that our children are beginning to lag behind other nations in academic achievement because we are focusing on the wrong things. Teaching children to pass standardized tests doesn’t necessarily teach them to think for themselves. Education is about more than teaching answers; it’s about equipping our kids with the ability to develop the art of seeing the possibilities.” I agree with Smith, and I support the American Camp Association’s position that that the organized camp experience is a vital component in the development and education of the whole child.

Personally, I would not be who I am today if I had not gone to camp. In a story that I wrote about my camp experience as a child, I talk about how I developed my passion for drumming at an early age at summer camp. Although I did have opportunities to perform in school, it was the experiences that I had at camp that gave me the confidence and courage to pursue my dreams.

Summer camps are not endangered and if anything, I see their role in childhood education being even more acknowledged and recognized in the future.

Click here to learn more about spreading the message of the ACA’s initiative.

What do you think, are camps endangered by year round education reform?

Drumming with my niece Morgan

At the music school where I teach, there is a pre-school program. There is an art class for five year olds that meets in the afternoon. Every week I have the pleasure of seeing young faces peer through the window and smile as they watch and listen to me and my students playing the drums.

Rhythm is contagious… the sound of the drum calls people. It is more than a sound, it is a deeper vibration. This vibration is healing and can reach us in a subconscious way.

Many children have begun playing drums as young as three years old. It raises the question that I am frequently asked by parents, “when is the right age to start formal lessons?”

Jaiden is always ready to play some drums

Every circumstance is different and requires a unique approach. I am in favor of starting children at a young age, and drumming is a great introduction to rhythm and musicality. The right age is when the child expresses an interest in drumming. There is no “right age”. From my experiences with students, I know that the child will ask several times to begin playing drums. Several times. Several times.

Get started… I would suggest having a hand drum in the home for children to play. Find a drum circle near you that is open to young children. This is a great way for children (and adults!) to experience rhythm making. Hand drumming is an important foundation. I find that most children that come to me for lessons want to play the drum set. I teach a drum circle class that serves as an introduction to drumming and functions as a segue to individual drum set lessons. This video shows how enthusiastic the children are about drumming, and in fact, over half of the students continued on to take drum set lessons with me.

So just get started, and most importantly, let’s encourage children, no matter what age, to drum!

I honor all of the parents who have encouraged and supported their children in discovering their path to rhythm.

The end of the summer brought Path To Rhythm to Harlem to work with the campers of the Booker T. Washington Beacon Program held at MS 54. The day was a day of celebrating community. First in the morning, the school yard was transformed into a street fair with many activities for the children including face painting, Yoga, a DJ, various sports, and drumming circles facilitated by Path To Rhythm. (see the video below)

In the afternoon, thousands of children and families gathered for HCZ’s 15th Annual Peace March to call for an end to violence in their neighborhood.
I suggest reading this page to learn more about the model that HCZ is providing, and why President Obama has chosen to replicate the HCZ model in communities through out the country!

It was an honor for me to participate in this day and to be a part of the positive work that the Harlem Children’s Zone is accomplishing. A special thanks and shout out to Hector Cabrera for all of his help with this event.

Click here to learn more about the programs that Path To Rhythm has to offer.

Contact us now to book your special event!

CSI High School Part II

Today I returned to the College of Staten Island High School for International Studies as part of a  Teaching Artist in Residence that I was awarded this year.

The music teacher, Mrs. Packowski had me work with three of her music classes. The students had already been working on hand drumming and percussion this semester. I was able to come in and show them some South American clave rhythms, and work on solidifying the arrangements of the pieces that they already had in place. All three classes sounded excellent and are going to rock their Spring Concert on May 21!

This was also a special evening for CSI as it was their first Community Drum Circle. The drum circle format is an effective community building tool, and the activity completely supports the school’s mission.

“The mission of The College of Staten Island (CSI) High School for International Studies is to prepare students for college and, ultimately, success in an interconnected world. All students will study world history, languages and affairs; all classes focus on developing student literacy and critical thinking skills. When students graduate from this innovative, small school, they will have the necessary knowledge and skills to build a strong foundation for a career in an internationally oriented profession and to participate responsibly and ethically as a global citizen.”

Over forty participants came out to play in rhythm together as a community. There were students, teachers, parents, and siblings. People were smiling and having fun. The positive energy of the circle was dedicated to healing the earth in honor of Earth Day.

It is an honor for me to be a part of this innovative school and I look forward to returning again.