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> April, 2005 Newsletter
Happy April Fool's Day!
This
issue includes:
1. A Strong and Capable YOU
We
all face challenges and situations in which we feel powerless
and afraid. It’s easy to let fear of the unknown send
you into a tailspin. The "what if" can become so
overwhelming that you find yourself thinking you’re
weak and incapable of facing challenge.
I’ve
seen it countless times; men and women come into my workshop
completely convinced that they’re incapable of making
music. They’re so full of doubt and negative self talk
that even a simple request, like clapping out a rhythm with
their hands, overwhelms them. They really believe they can’t
clap or contribute to a group in even the smallest way! Negative
self-talk is debilitating.
Time
to refocus! You do have the strength within you take on any
challenge. We are all as strong as we imagine ourselves to
be. With the help of effective positive mental imagery you
can become strong and capable. When we act with strength,
we move towards becoming the powerful person we want to be.
You
are worth it! Have the courage to see yourself as strong,
capable and wise. Next time you’re in a position to
try something new, believe in yourself so that you can move
creatively through your fears.
"Self-confidence
is the first requisite to great undertakings."
- Samuel Johnson
"As
soon as you trust yourself you will know how to live."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
April’s
Affirmation for Strength and Courage
I
am strong and capable.
I can do whatever I set my mind to.
I will not be denied.
I am filled with strength and confidence.
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2. Invest in Yourself
There
are many great instruction books, DVD’s and videos to
get you started drumming and learning new rhythms in the comfort
of your own home. Although these will never replace the need
for a skilled and inspiring teacher, they can be very beneficial
to you and a lot of fun to learn from. If you are a beginner
drummer, I recommend checking into these products to help
you learn more.
DancingHands.com
Offers
a full selection of conga and djembe drumming instruction
books, CD’s and videos. I have personally ordered and
used practically every single product this company has to
offer. The reason this company is at the top of my recommended
list is because they’ve gone out of their way to make
products that are in clear, easy to follow, step-by-step format…which
is perfect for a beginner! If you are at the beginner or intermediate
level, I recommend checking out their products.
KalaniMusic.com
Kalani
has a solid reputation and I would recommend any of his products.
I have a few of his videos and I have found them really easy
to follow with some good basic rhythms for you to enjoy learning
from.
Kalani
has authored several books for Alfred Publishing, including
"All About Congas," "All About Djembe,"
"All About Bongos," "Together In Rhythm,"
and "The Amazing Jamnasium." He has produced over
15 instructional videos for a variety of instruments including
congas, bongos, djembe, hand percussion and drum set. All
are available through MVP Home Video. He is the founder and
director of DrumLesson.com (http://www.DrumLessons.com),
an educational drumming Web site that has been featured in
the New York Times and on CNN Live. He is also a contributing
writer for "Percussive Notes," "Modern Drummer"
and "DRUM!" magazines. http://www.KalaniMusic.com
Note:
See information about Kalani’s DrumCamp.com workshops
in the section called "Summertime Fun - Drum Camps and
Workshops" below.
CongaJoy.com
Bill
Mathews offers popular educational material for hand drummers
that includes "The New Conga Joy," "Drum Talk:
33 Hand Drum Dialogues for Two Players," and also "Drum
Stories" (each is available as a book, CD, and video).
"The
New Conga Joy" book has over 200 rhythms for one drum,
two drums, and full ensemble. This is a great product if you’re
a beginner. There are many great easy rhythms to learn, improvise,
and have fun with. http://www.CongaJoy.com
Brad
Dutz
Brad
has a series of eight instructional videos and eleven CD’s
that are all worth checking out. This unique series is designed
for people of all ages, from 7 years old up. Drumming for
the whole family! http://www.RhythmWeb.com/dutz
Others
Resources
http://www.InterworldMusic.com
http://www.VintageDrum.com
http://www.RhythmTraders.com
http://www.Amazon.com
http://www.Chapters.ca
All
of these Web sites offer a great selection of products on
many different styles of drumming. In my opinion, if you learn
a few great things from ANY video, you’re one step ahead
and therefore it’s worth the money. Treat yourself!
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3. Summertime Fun - Drum Camps and Workshops
There
are so many fantastic camps and workshops available this summer!
Personally, I can’t imagine a holiday that doesn’t
include drumming. What could be more fun than making music
and drumming in the sun? If you’re thinking of investing
in something special just for you, check out these camps.
DrumCamp.com
World
Rhythms Drum and Dance Programs
-
Jembe & Dundun Drumming with Ryan Camara
- Conga Drumming with Kalani (http://www.KalaniMusic.com)
- Dance Classes with Djibril Camara
Aug
16-21/2005 - Camp
Latgawa (Southern Oregon)
DrumCamp.com
offers camps in California and Oregon that feature West African,
Caribbean, and Brazilian drumming, as well as dance and drum
circle facilitation. http://www.DrumCamp.com
Eighth
Annual California Brazil Summer Camp
Session
One: Aug. 21-27, 2005
Session Two: Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2005
Although
I have not had the opportunity to attend this camp I’ve
heard really great reviews about it. Anyone I’ve talked
to says it’s an amazing camp and the instructors are
world class. If you’re interested in learning more about
the Brazilian style of drumming, this camp should be your
first choice. http://www.Mameluco.com/cbc/
Afro-Cuban
Dance & Drum
July
24-30, 2005
This
camp offers an extraordinary assembly of Afro Cuban percussion
and dance masters for you to learn from. http://www.humboldt.edu/~extended/afrocuban/
Note:
This style of drumming is completely TRADITIONAL and offers
a very INTENSE style of learning. It’s not for someone
wanting to freestyle, but you can learn a lot from these master
drummers and dancers.
Chuck
Silverman
Chuck
Silverman offers study programs in Cuba and Brazil. If I could
go to any camp this summer, I would choose one of these. Just
the thought of drumming in Cuba or Brazil makes me dreamy.
Chuck Silverman is one of the best in his field. Check out
his Web site for more information on what he has to offer.
http://www.ChuckSilverman.com
Cuba:
June 14- July 2, 2005
Brazil:
July 31-August 14, 2005
Hollyhock
Hollyhock
is Canada’s leading educational retreat centre. It is
located on Cortes Island in British Columbia. http://www.Hollyhock.bc.ca
"Song
of the Drum, Dance of Life"
Gordy Ryan, Zoe Ryan and Bruce Langhorn
Aug. 5-10 2005
Gordy
Ryan performed for 30 years with the "Olatunji Drums
of Passion." Zoe Ryan apprenticed with Gabrielle Roth,
then toured with Olatunji, dancing with the masters. Bruce
Langhorne is a legendary recording artist and film composer.
He was the inspiration for Bob Dylan’s "Mr. Tambourine
Man."
This
workshop should prove to be amazing and enlightening. http://www.Hollyhock.ca/program_details.cfm?Group_ID=3332
"Greatness
lies not in being strong,
but in the right use of strength."
- Henry Ward Beecher
4. Announcements
April
Free Groove is Now Online!
Pamela's
video is now available! Pamela Lynn is proud
to announce her first music video with Shawn Fostvelt -- "Sister."
Check
it out today!
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5. Upcoming Events
A.
New!! Women’s Drumming Circle
Pamela
Lynn will now be offering a monthly women’s community
drum circle. Come and join in the fun!
Drums
have an incredible way of making women feel powerful! Now
you can boost your self -esteem, release stress and build
community! This is a facilitated women’s community drum
circle with the goal of helping women come together to connect
through rhythm. No musical experience needed. Drums and percussion
instruments provided.
- Date:
Saturday, May 14, 2005 (not confirmed)
- Time:
7:00 - 8:30 PM
- Location:
Swara Inspiritations, #130 - 12031 First Ave., Richmond,
B.C.
- Cost:
$10.00
Contact
Pamela Lynn
Web site: www.FreestyleDrumming.com
Email: Pamela@FreestyleDrumming.com
Phone: 604-505-2249
B.
Empowerment Drumming: Rhythms for Wellness
Note:
This is a Richmond Women's Resource Centre program.
Women:
group drumming is exciting, uplifting and empowering. It's
also good for your health! Now you can empower your life AND
improve your health with a fun activity that takes no musical
talent or know-how and will leave you laughing, energized
and filled with a sense of well-being.
In her "Empowerment Drumming: Rhythms for Wellness"
program, Pamela uses the Remo
HealthRHYTHMS® group empowerment drumming protocol.
This unique approach to group drumming has been used successfully
in programs for people facing serious and chronic diseases.
Just think what it can do for you!
- This
is a six-week program.
- Time:
Monday evenings, 7:00 - 8:00 PM
- Dates:
April 4/11/18, 2005
- Place:
Women's Resource Centre, #110-7000 Minoru Blvd., Richmond,
B.C.
- Cost:
FREE (Richmond Women's Resource Centre membership required)
Call
now! Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Contact
Pamela Lynn at 604-505-2249 or the Women's Resource Centre
at 604-279-7060.
Contact
Pamela Lynn
Web site: www.PamelaLynnMusic.com
Email: Pamela@PamelaLynnMusic.com
Phone: 604-505-2249
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6. Voices of Eden - Healing Lullaby Music
I
would like to share with you a remarkable find that I came
upon this month.
First
of all I must explain to you how I came across this music
in the first place. One of my daughters had been having a
difficult time falling asleep at bedtime for the last few
months. I have always played lullaby music for my children
to help them fall asleep peacefully, but this time nothing
seemed to help. That’s when I discovered Eliana Gilad
and the Voices of Eden’s incredible healing music.
Eliana
Gilad is the founder of Voices of Eden. She is recognized
as an expert in the field of healing music through the conscious
use of voice and rhythm. She uses a unique blend of eastern
percussion to ground the body and western melody to release
tension.
I
went to her Web site and ordered her CD entitled "Noam"
(healing lullaby music). And I’m so glad that I did!
Ever since the very first night I played that CD for my daughter,
she has never had a problem falling asleep. I’m so grateful
to have found Eliana Gilad’s peaceful music. When I
asked my daughter her why she liked it so much she said, "I
love that music because it makes me have good dreams!"
Music
has the ability to affect our thoughts and our lives in a
positive and beautiful way. It can heal you, energize you,
and soothe your soul. If you would like more information on
Eliana Gilad’s work, please visit her Web site. http://www.VoicesOfEden.com
Note:
Here is an article about Eliana’s work that I hope you’ll
find interesting.
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7. Music against the Madness
-
by Judy Siegel-Itzkovich, Oct. 5, 2003
There's
nothing really new about using music to relieve anxiety and
stress: After all, we are told in the Book of Samuel that
as a young man, David relieved King Saul's violent outbreaks
and banished his "evil spirit" by playing the lyre.
The
Voices of Eden ensemble, which is playing its unusual synthesis
of Eastern and Western music at the neonatal unit in Meir
Hospital in Kfar Sava to calm premature babies does not use
a lyre. But the members do sing and play the Celtic harp,
frame drum, Moroccan bongos, Indian ankle bells and violin.
"The
healing use of voice and rhythm by women is a 3,000-year-old
tradition," says Eliana Gilad, founder and head of the
group. "From the beginning of time, infants have been
soothed by the soft, crooning quality of the human voice.
Both babies and adults are reassured and calmed by rhythmic,
repetitive sounds that remind them of things they heard in
the womb."
Born
in Hollywood as Lynn Horowitz, Gilad worked as the manager
of language services for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles,
pursued Near Eastern Studies at the University of California
at Berkeley, moved to France, and then came on aliya in 1994.
Moving to Tel Mond in the Sharon, she studied classical eastern
music at Bar-Ilan University, became a composer, and founded
her group a few years ago. While the ensemble performed at
concerts and made CDs, Gilad noted the soothing effect the
music had on adults and children.
"If
someone felt unwell during the time of [the great Jewish sage
and physician of the Middle Ages] Maimonides, he would prescribe
music as a natural healer, as he had few medications,"
she says.
Gilad
offered to perform at the neonatal ward of the Kfar Sava hospital,
not far from her moshav.
"I
decided on Meir not only because of the proximity," Gilad
told the Jerusalem Post, but also because the young patients
were evenly divided between Jews and Arabs. "The vocals
are intentionally wordless to bypass the intellect and to
appeal to people of any language and background."
Conventional
music tapes for babies had little or no effect, recalls Gilad.
"I awaited instructions as to where to sing first. My
colleague was soon to arrive with her accompanying harp, but
in the meantime, it was time to begin with the Turkish frame
drum and voice. In the open room, amidst the machinery noise,
the monitors and bassinets, a young Arab mother held her pre-term
baby, named Mohammed, to her bosom, the taupe-colored fabric
of her head covering brushing gently against his tiny body.
The baby squirmed and raged in discomfort, his mother uneasy
and seeming unsure of how to calm him down. She welcomed me
to sit with them." Gilad began playing Usul Semai, an
Arabic rhythm measured in 10/8. "The baby immediately
opened his eyes and focused his gaze upon me. A little while
later I added Lama Bada, a traditional tune in the eastern
scale called ‘Nahawand.’ He released his tight
grip and his mom relaxed her embrace as well. She began to
coo and cradle him gently. He smiled and she laughed. As the
music continued, his body rocked gently to and fro, from side
to side."
Then
another mother entered and joined Gilad and the first mother.
"Her
baby was even smaller than Mohammed. He was tightly clasped
to her
bosom.
It was at this point that I noticed the harpist sitting by
my side. I had been so absorbed in my singing that I hadn't
noticed her enter the room. Effortlessly, the harp joined
in, and then more mothers came, and a few moments later, the
doctors and nurses as well. All had fallen into a quiet lull.
Even the machinery seemed to lower its electronic hum. I wished
I had a camera to capture the intimacy of those two mothers,
sitting side by side, cradling their babies. Here in the neonatal
ward, doctors and nurses attended to the sick infants, Arab
and Jewish alike, while their parents nursed and coddled them
and the musicians created a healing environment with conscious
voice, quiet rhythms and healing harp... Even the doctors
and nurses quieted their voices and began to speak in whispered
tones," she said.
"We,
the entire neonatal staff would like to thank you for the
lovely experience we shared together in the neonatal ward,"
Dr. Shmuel Arnon, deputy director of the neonatal department,
told her. "When you came with the idea of Voices of Eden
music for the babies, we were a little bit worried, as it
didn't seem 'scientific' to introduce something to a tiny
baby of 750 grams. But I must admit that we were wrong. You
both sat near a pre-term baby who suffers from respiratory
disease; one with whom we as an entire team can hardly communicate.
Yet with your singing, suddenly the infant became calm and
virtually started to move in accordance to the rhythm! This
means that he can hear; a part of his brain is functioning
very well; and he enjoys this type of music [the Eastern 10/8
rhythm]. In addition, the music infused a more humane dimension
to our staff. We all became calmer and talked to each other
nicely and quietly."
Arnon
continued that he hoped her playing hour would become a routine
in the ward, bringing benefit to all babies, whatever their
origin.
After
the department deputy director suggested that the method be
tested scientifically to verify its physical influence on
newborns, $10,000 was donated by the Herson-Stirman Family
Foundation in the US for a clinical study conducted last year,
and headed by Dr. Tzipora Dolphin. Ten veteran residents of
the premature baby unit were exposed to the Voice of Eden
music for 20 minutes at a time, and their reactions were recorded.
The findings, coordinated by Arnon, are soon to be published,
but according to preliminary reports, the music had a significantly
beneficial effect.
Dolphin
said her doctors and nurses enjoyed the music sessions very
much. "In our department, which was very noisy, we realized
how the cacophony of the medical equipment was very disturbing
to the premature babies. We try to reduce noise as much as
possible. We removed the phones from the nursery, close the
incubator tops gently and speak with low voices, which is
not easy for Israelis to do."
Gilad
says that Meir Hospital's pediatric surgery unit is also interested
in implementing a musical relaxation program for pre- and
post- surgical patients, and is looking for funding.
The
ensemble doesn't have to perform on site. Voices of Eden's
fifth CD, called Noam ("pleasantness" in Hebrew),
is intended specifically for therapeutic uses.
"There
are lots of tapes and disks with music to accompany meditation
and relaxation, but they are all based on nature sounds, such
as whales in the water. Our music is not synthetic. It is
consciously made. I've composed all of the music; I sing and
play the percussion pieces, while the harp is played by Sunita
Staneslow and the violin by Bar-Ilan University Prof. Samir
Makhoul - an Arab composer from Peki'in who directs the youth
orchestra at Jerusalem's Jewish-Arab Beit Hamusica."
The
one-hour "Noam" disk (available from the ensemble's
website at http://www.CDBaby.com/cd/gilad2
or http://www.VoicesOfEden.com
for NIS 70; the site offers samples) includes seven pieces
of music. The exotic pieces are distinct "healing lullabies"
that Gilad says have proven effective for calming nerves and
focusing awareness.
The
voice and rhythm have a strong effect by relaxing older children
and adults; most Israelis have suffered a great deal of anxiety
and tension as a result of the three years of ongoing violence.
"And
some of the biggest victims are parents, doctors, psychologists,
teachers and nurses suffering from post-traumatic stress.
We hope the ‘Noam’ CD will be useful for relieving
stress in both healthy and sick people."
"Everything
you are against weakens you.
Everything you are for empowers you."
- Wayne Dyer
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8. Readers Recommend "Inspirational Drummers"
Last
month I shared with you my top picks for favourite "Inspirational
Drummers." Whenever I listen to them, they inspire me
to enhance my own skills.
I
would love to know who inspires YOU. Who would you recommend
listening to or learning from? Please post me with your views,
so that I can share them with others.
Here
are a few names my readers recommended:
I
hope you've enjoyed this month’s newsletter. If you'd
like to contribute any insights or if you have an inspirational
story to share please contact me at Pamela@FreestyleDrumming.com.
I’d love to hear from you.
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