Show description
Place the drums on stands if possible. The drums should be similar size.
Arrange in a circle around a metre between each drum
Remove chairs - participants stand behind their drum.
BREAK & JUMP EXERCISE
Determine which direction you will move and practice the ‘break’
Play improvised music around a Bass pulse or the Heartbeat Rhythm together.
One at a time each person counts down to the break - 4,3,21,
The Break - you can get the participants to come up with a break prior to beginning or use the one below
B - O o, B - O o, B B B jump
Jump, Clap ( jump first and add the clap for extra coordination later)
So after playing the break together a s a group, each person jumps across to the drum on their left before returning to the Bass note and resuming improvised play.
After each person has had a turn finish with one final jump on their left spot and a shout of “Jump”
Dr Peter Levine looked at the way animals release trauma through the body, literally by shaking it off. Examples - bird caught by a cat or a deer by a leopard if they survive, they often send a shiver through their body before going about their business. Shaking can help release repressed feelings and the associated tension that is held in the body.
Shake in the Break
Practice shaking, starting with the hands and then extending though the whole body.
Divide the group in two - one half will shake while the other half play in double-time during the break.
Practice playing in double time - like a rumble on the Tone notes at around 300 bpm
The group play a foundation rhythm e.g., B O B O
And this is interrupted by a break (4,3,2,1) where:
· One side keeps playing (double time) while the rest shake
· Then come back together
· Then another break and reverse roles
Points for best shaking!
Also see - Parable of The Old Mule in the Well
A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying' -or-whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathised with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbours together and told them what had happened ...and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery. Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbours continued shovelling and the dirt hit his back ... a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, he should shake it off and step up! This he did, blow after blow. "Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" He repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
If we face our problems, respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity, the adversities that come along to bury us usually have within them the potential to benefit and bless us.
Arrange drums & chairs in a circle around a metre between each drum
BREAK & Move EXERCISE
Determine which direction you will move and practice the ‘break’
Play improvised music around a Bass pulse or the Heartbeat Rhythm together.
One at a time each person counts down to the break - 4,3,21, Move!
Everyone moves one chair in the same direction. There is a three count break in which to move (1,2,3) and then the improvisation starts on the bass.
The Break - you can get the participants to come up with a break prior to beginning or use the one below
B - O o, B - O o, B B B move
Adaption - replace a drum with a percussion instrument on every second chair.
This is really used to promote teamwork between the person who is blind-folded and the drummers supporting them.
Enlarge the circle if necessary - in larger circles have several people in the middle
Warning to the blindfolded individual not to swing their arms wildly.
One person is blindfolded and has to touch the remaining players in the circle while they must avoid being touched. The drummers support the blindfolded individual (or people) in the middle by rumbling whenever someone is sheltering near them - be alert to too much rumbling confusing the person in the middle and the need for the drummers to work together and only rumble when someone is right opposite them.
This exercise can be used to examine the way the drummers worked together, & the trust required by the blind-folded person in the drummers to guide him/her/them.
Adaption: Instead of rumbles the blindfolded person calls out "Marco" and the drummers closest to those hiding in the middle reply with two Tones (Polo).
The Lookout
Once you enter the ‘Speakers Chair’ you will answer this question- Name 3 things you are grateful for in your life?
Encourage use of the phrase “I’m grateful for” each time. Focus on the little things in life that people can take pleasure in. Discussion: How challenging is it to appreciate the positives in our lives? How can we change our focus away from needing more to accepting what we have? Does the company we keep influence our ability to do this? How is this related to balance?
What do Taylor Swift and Dr Peter Levine have in common?
Dr Levine looked at the way animals release trauma through the body, literally by shaking it off. Examples - bird caught by a cat or a deer by a leopard; if they survive, they often send a shudder through their body before going about their business. Often people feel that same shuddering release through their body when they have a near-death experience.
Dr Levine also postulated that talking about trauma risked ingraining it further.
Emphasise not everything can be shaken off, but some small things like resentments or disappointments can. This was the message in Taylor Swift’s song – ‘Shake it off’
SHAKE IT OFF
Write up two verses on the white board – then practice shaking the hands and encourage full body shaking
If you're feeling down
Turn your life around
Shake it Off, Shake it Off
If you wear a frown
Turn it upside down
Shake it off, Shake it off
Practice the rhythm 2 x OoOo BBBBBB followed by 2 x OoO BBBBBB until fluid.
Then divide each group in two and allocate one verse to each
One will sing & play while the other side shakes and then swap roles
Do this three times, and then finish by repeating the rhythm on its own twice more, just singing the chorus.
Note – start by shaking the hands and extend through the body if people are comfortable – many people are self-conscious when it comes to their bodies and movement, so be sensitive and encouraging.
Extension – Participants can be put in groups and come up with additional versus of their own that look at ‘Shaking off unnecessary negative thoughts or feelings’.
Balance is an important factor in life generally, and physical balance is a particular challenge for certain populations in relation to proprioception (our sensory awareness of the body). Many individuals with sensory integration issues, physical challenges, and the elderly face challenges related to proprioception. Additionally balance is closely associated with grounding and good balance often equates to a sense of physical and emotional stability.
Balance Me
Have a select number of your group enter the middle of the circle (3 or 4). On a specific signal from the drum they must change their stance (you may wish to write these on the white-board):
• One Bass note - stand on one leg
• Two Bass notes - swap from one leg to the other
• One Tone note – stand on one leg with the other at 90 degrees
• Two Tone notes – ‘Karate Kid’ Pose
• Three notes Bass or Tone – rest.
One at a time, each remaining member of the group plays one of the signals on their drum & the people in the middle respond. Adapt these movements to the capacity of your group members.
Once the exercise is completed note whether people used each other for balance or not. If not ask them to try the exercise again this time using each other for support.
Discuss the importance of balance to health, including both physical & psychological health. How do you know when your life is out of balance? How might friends help keep your life in balance? How does our need for independence impact the balance in our life?
Note – you can adapt the different postures to meet the physical capacity of your group members.
Musical Chairs - Version 2.
Showcase two methods of stopping the group – voice calling down from four and fingers held high doing the same. In this version the voice signals move in the silence as usual. But the hand signals no movement and drummers only stop (percussion keep playing). When you do the hand signal, listen to the percussion song for a while and then bring the drummers back in.
Questions – How easy was it to hear the percussion when the drums were playing? How easy is it to miss those with quieter voices in life? E.G. Minorities, shy people etc.
Musical Chairs
This is an exercise that traditionally is played taking a chair away each time (competition).
In R2R we avoid this and that allows us to avoid the frustrations of losing out, but also to examine the differences and applications of competition and collaboration. Where is competition useful and in what types of situations does it cause problems.
In particular, looking at how competition can undermine relationships.
The Speaker’s Chair – replace some drums with percussion if available
This exercise is used to foster participation in the reflective element of the program. Rather
than ask direct questions to individuals, putting them on the spot and potentially shaming
them or inducing panic, we ask a general question and each person answers it as part of a
rhythm game.
This game forms the basis of a range of questioning exercises, in fact you can use it as
often as necessary to foster participation in the discussion element of the model.
The first time we use this exercise is often when establishing group boundaries at the
beginning of a course of group work. Teach participants the two phrases and use the
drum to emphasise the beats on the ‘1, 2 Let’s all play’ phrase.
This game has everyone playing a foundation pattern or improvising together and the
facilitator counting down to stop and then each person moving one place (to a new chair) in
an anti-clockwise direction. One person will enter the ‘Speaker’s Chair’ each time. A specific
chair is marked out as the ‘Speakers Chair’ (In a school setting I sometimes use the
teachers chair) and each time someone sits there they must answer the question before
resuming the rhythm with the phrase "1, 2, let’s all play".
Once the group understand the routine have the person who has just vacated the chair do
the countdown to stop the rhythm rather than yourself as facilitator (4,3,2,1, STOP).
You can also play this game without moving if you have people who are physically compromised; instead of moving people the chair moves – a new chair each time becomes the ‘Speaker’s Chair’.
Dr Peter Levine looked at the way animals release trauma through the body, literally by shaking it off.
Examples - bird caught by a cat or a deer by a leopard if they survive they often send a shiver through their body before going about their business.
Dr Levine also postulated that talking about trauma risked ingraining it further.
2-Way Learning
Indigenous cultures around the world have used dance and movement in their healing rituals and ceremonies.
Rhythmic movement and dance releases tension in the body and is also good physical exercise.
Unfortunately western culture has often repressed issues related to the body and left people uncomfortable and self-conscious around their physical self.
Shake in the Break Exercise
In this exercise we introduce an eight count break in the rhythm where only a Bass pulse continues.
So we play together, then count down to stop (4,3,2,1 stop) and the facilitator continues to play a Bass rhythm through the break.
The rest of the group shake - note shaking is a more comfortable term than ‘dance’.
After the count the group rhythm resumes.
1st Break - shake your hands and arms
2nd Break - shake your legs and feet
3rd break - shake all over.
Pair people up and give them a set amount of time to come up with an interactive rhythm featuring:
1 x High Five, 1 x Fist Bump, 1 shared vocal - must be able to be repeated rhythmically and have flow.
Enlarge the circle if necessary - in larger circles have several people in the middle
Warning to the blindfolded individual not to swing their arms wildly.
The drummers support the person (or people) in the middle by rumbling whenever someone is sheltering near them - be alert to too much rumbling confusing the person in the middle and the need for the drummers to work together and only rumble when someone is right opposite them.
This exercise can be used to examine the way the drummers worked together, & the trust required by the blind-folded person in the drummers to guide him/her.
Adaption: Instead of rumbles the blindfolded person calls out "Marco" and the drummers closest to those hiding in the middle reply with two Tones (Polo).
Teach the rhythm break sequence where we stop the rhythm on a signal for a set number of beats and then resume playing. In the break participants have to freeze their body movement and facial expression until the resuming count. Silly faces are good!
Extension
Ask every second person in the group to enter the middle of the circle. Have them move randomly to the music but on a specific sound, for example a bell, their group must freeze.
Ask the group to walk in a circular route, in around the circle the same direction, in time to a slow Bass pulse played by yourself, and focus as much as possible on their walk, and the connection to the floor – “move slowly and in time to the pulse”.
“Start off by standing still & regaining that connection you had before”, “ Now walk slowly, and focus on your walk, how your feet touch the floor”, Notice the transference of weight between your feet” Notice the bend in your knees and the movement of your hips”, “If other thoughts come to mind, acknowledge them & bring your focus back to your feet”, Notice any sensations from their connection to the ground each time you step”, Notice the different pressure of each part of the foots connection”.
Each time the drums stops I want you to focus on being strongly connected to the floor.
Avoid turning this into a competitive exercise.
Usually we would have a small group of people in the middle. Remember you can change the postures depending on the needs and abilities of your group members.
Have a select number of your group enter the middle of the circle (3 or 4). On a specific signal from the drum they must change their stance (you may wish to write these on the white-board):
• One Bass note - stand on one leg
• Two Bass notes - swap from one leg to the other
• One Tone note – stand on one leg with the other at 90 degrees
• Two Tone notes – ‘Karate Kid’ Pose
• Three notes Bass or Tone – rest.
One at a time, each remaining member of the group plays one of the signals on their drum & the people in the middle respond. Adapt these movements to the capacity of your group members.
Once the exercise is completed note whether people used each other for balance or not. If not ask them to try the
Discuss the importance of balance to health, including both physical & psychological health. How do you know when your life is out of balance? How might friends help keep your life in balance? How does our need for independence impact the balance in our life?
Ask one person to play a slow, steady pulse on the Bass note of their drum (they are the co-facilitator).
Say: ‘In this game I am going to ask a series of questions and you are going to stand up if they are true about you and stay seated if not – try and stand and sit on the pulse of the Bass note, not in between the notes.’
Ask a series of questions relevant to your group that promote tolerance.[AQ]
• Stand if you have a friend who is different from you.
• Stand if you speak two languages.
• Stand if you like football.
• Stand if you ever get lonely.
• Stand if you live with one parent.
• Stand if you like ice cream.
• Stand if you like to win.
• Stand if you like to get your own way.
• Stand if you like music.
• Stand if you ever get angry.
Adapt the questions to participants’ age range and interests. Replace standing and sitting with other indicators, such as different drum responses, for those with physical difficulties that make standing difficult.
Have a discussion on the things that make us human, things that unite us and things that divide us. Did you notice how many of these questions we answered together? As people do you think we are more alike or less alike? Why do you think we sometimes focus more on the differences between us than on recognising our similarities?
Note: Amend the questions to suit the issues of the individual or group.
Showcase two similar signals on a bell for stopping:
13 three clear strikes of the bell
14 two clear strikes, a gap and then another strike.
Practise using these and stopping for a seven rest count.
Then explain that only number one means move from your seat, while number two means stop and stay in your chair.
See how well people can recognise the difference and respond correctly – moving seats on number one bell call and staying in the same place if you use number two.
Discuss how challenging it was to recognise the difference and respond correctly
Note: Use more challenging signals if these are too easy, for example different melodies on the bell.