The Story of a Drum Cafe

We arrive at the venue to prepare the drumming component of the conference. To the surprise of a staffperson, we start unloading drum after drum and by the time we get to 50, she asks, "Who is going to play all those drums?"

We say “200 accountants.”

We unpack the 200 drums and form a circle of chairs. The participants are completely unaware that they are about to drum and are now beginning to arrive at the venue for their annual conference.

We begin to play our drums announcing the beggining of the program. When the accountants enter the room, they cannot believe their eyes. In front of them, they find a drum set out on each seat. While they move through the room to find a seat, the music continues, filling the room and creating an electric atmosphere.

Tentatively, a few brave individuals start beating on their drums. An enthusiastic person gets carried away with the energy in the room and leaps into the middle of the circle for a quick dance to the wild applause and cheers of his peers. The rhythm becomes infectious and soon everybody is tapping on his/her drum.

Then, without saying a word, our facilitator gets up and starts to orchestrate the group with a repertoire of body language signals, bringing the 200 entry-level musicians into perfect harmony.

This is the beginning of the magic of the Drum Café drum circle. For an hour, participants are engaged in a co-operative activity that leaves them feeling energized and exhilarated both as individuals and as a group.