The Healing Drum Kit
Christine Stevens
(Reviewer - Rebecca Brown)
2005 Sounds True
ISBN: 1591792789

Get in touch with the beat of your heart, spirit & health.

We live in a world of constant, rapidly changing rhythms -- clickety-clack of trains, whizz-whoosh-gurgle of espresso machines, thunk-thunk-thwack of nail guns & kitchen platters, rumble-dumble-thump of potholes. Life is all about speed, fast food, fast lanes, fast dating, fast appointments, emails, text messages, speed dial, quick this & rapid that. & our health & consciousness suffers with this breakneck speed. We cope with the tempo changes as best we can, increasing our stress load, loading ourselves up on toxins, & paying the price with healthcare costs.

How can we change any of that? What can we do to ease all the ragged rhythms in our lives, the stop & go of our commutes, the whizz-bang of home life, the demanding tempo of 24x7 news & drama &... find a simple, solitary practice that helps us access our joy again, creates a space in our lives to get in touch with the beat of our heart.

Welcome to Your Rhythm -- internationally acclaimed music therapist Christine Stevens & Sounds True have created The Healing Drum Kit that comes in a sturdy box & contains a 10" Remo frame drum, a deck of 30 Rhythm Cards (playing cards) featuring beats from Africa to Japan, 2 CDs of music for solo play & “drum circle jams”, a spiral-bound study guide with notes about scientific evidence about drumming for wellness, drum blessings from various traditions, playing tips, resources for starting a drum circle. With these tools, & by following Christine's lead, you will find the way back to the pulse of your life.

With a venerable history as a healing art, well researched in Layne Redmond's When the Drummers Were Women: A Spiritual History of Rhythm, it's no surprise that scientists are now finding measurable positive immune system changes following one-hour drumming sessions. The Healing Drum Kit shows you how to use the art of drumming to ignite your creativity, release tension &anxiety, exercise the body, & communicate with a power beyond words.

Whether relaxing to the gentle lub-dub of a heartbeat, exploring sacred rhythms from around the globe, or simply drumming away stress, people of all ages will experience & enjoy the full spectrum of this ancient art, with The Healing Drum Kit.

As a Frame Drum Midwife with over 200 babies brought into the world -- & having just helped a Vietnam Vet birth his first cedar & elk hide drum, & with drums hanging from the rafters of our cabin, one of which is a large Remo frame drum -- essential for drumming out here in the rainforest, I am thrilled with Christine's package as I well know the restorative & healing properties of drumwork.

As one of the oldest musical instruments in our Story, most every community has gathered around drummers(& still do -- just about every social gathering from wedding receptions to parades, festivals & funerals) so that they may experience the joy of dancing the light fantastic, tell stories, & gain healing.

If you are new to the idea that you too can be a drummer -- it's like anything else, the more you practice the better at it you get -- whether you want to join in with the happy crowd or go off on your own, The Healing Drum Kit is a good place to start. & it makes a unique & delightful gift.

As Chief Consultant for Music Therapy & Wellness Programs at Remo Drum Company & through her own company UpBeat Drum Circles, Christine Stevens has led drumming seminars in Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, England, & the USA.

More from Christine Stevens: The Art and Heart of Drum Circles: Book & CD.
(05/21/06)

Rebecca