Kids Love Drumming!

You may be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't like drumming. Sure, there are people out there who don't like certain genres of music and those genres may be what pop into their heads if you ask them what they think about drumming, but all you have to do is put a drum out where people can touch it to see that drums are difficult to resist. Maybe even impossible. Due to this seemingly preternatural human response to the drum, it makes perfect sense that kids love drumming. The issue is that, sometimes, adults don't always love that kids love drumming.

If you find yourself in the tricky position of wanting to support a child’s musical interests while simultaneously resisting any desire to listen to said child bang away on a drum kit, our sympathies are with you. Living with a child who believes drumming to be the key to a fulfilling life can bring about feelings of desperation. Drums are loud and kids are often loud and together they may seem deafening. However, there are ways to encourage kids who love drumming without applying for sainthood.

First, you will need to set limits. Life amongst human beings is about boundaries and you and the drumming prodigy in your life will need to sit down and come up with a mutually beneficial practice schedule. Yes, kids love drumming, but it is important that it is a healthy love. Establishing a routine not only helps give focus to time spent at the drum, but it also allows the resistant adults involved an opportunity to train their own attitudes and behaviors.

Drum pads are a wonderful investment, regardless of the kid’s passion levels. By using them, the child can drum more often and in more environments without disturbing anyone. Hand drums, like djembes or bongos, can also be a solution if noise is a problem, while still giving a child an outlet for his or her love of rhythm. Drumming is often a community-building exercise, so take advantage of this opportunity to discuss how drumming affects your family, household, or neighborhood. Drumming is great, and practicing compassion and consideration will take everyone further in life.



Kids love drumming for a variety of reasons. Some enjoy the creative aspect, others benefit most from the stress relief, and many simply want to be heard. Providing formal lessons and/or drumming mentors may help a child tap into different values and develop character. Drums, like most things in life, challenge us to demonstrate our higher or baser natures. Take this chance to bond and practice a healthy relationship with your drummer, because the more emotional someone is about something, the easier it is to help create a positive experience and fond memories.

88 Years and Still a Drumming Legend

Roy Haynes is famous worldwide as a phenomenal jazz drummer who can still fill a room. At age eighty-eight, Mr. Haynes has definitely drummed with more greats than some of us have even heard of. His most recent band is called The Fountain of Youth and to watch them perform is like downing a heavy dose of that famous elixir. A review of a recent performance in Jazzwise Magazine gives those of us interested in how Mr. Haynes is holding up a glimpse into a magical night that included drumming solos, body drumming, and tap dancing. Surely, Mr. Haynes still has far to go. Read more here: azz breaking news: Roy Haynes taps into the Fountain of Youth at Ronnie Scott’s 

A Profitable Love of Handmade Drums

A man in Potsdam, New York, has made a name for himself and put his drums on the map. Tim Damon began his drum-making business five years ago and is finally being noticed by some big names in the business. He used to make custom fishing rods, but decided to turn his love for drumming into a career. His hobby of making drums by hand from local wood sources has became a full-time job and he loves going to work every day. Jason Sutter, a drummer currently on tour with Marilyn Manson, is one of the customers of these unique drums. Read more here: Potsdam Man Marches To Beat Of Drums He Creates

Encouraging Female Drummers is Just the Beginning for Sheila E

Sheila E recently helped celebrate Chuck Brown as part of a tribute concert. The world-famous drummer told the Washington Post that she had planned to become an Olympic runner, but performing with her father at age fifteen changed her goals. Sheila has been a professional drummer for forty years, now, and uses her position to encourage other female percussionists. She has the Elevate Hope Foundation to help kids heal their pain from being abused and uses any platform she can to be approachable to fans. The drummer is working on a new album and her autobiography will be out soon. Read more here: Sheila E., an inspiration to drummers of all ages and genders

Beware of Mr. Baker!

A documentary about drumming legend Ginger Baker paints a picture of a man who was good on the drums but not so good in his personal relationships. “Beware of Mr. Baker” surprises people who thought that the drummer wouldn’t make it past the 1980s. A twenty year heroin addiction may be the reason for his horrible personality, but it’s just as likely that he’s simply not a nice guy. A review of the film on independent. ie says that the drummer has worked with many wonderful musicians over the years, but unsurprisingly, no band he was in lasted very long. Read more here: Cream of the crop of the drummers

No Drumming Love for Bulgarian Duo

Drumming still has a place in Europe, but maybe not this year. Elitsa and Stoyan Yankulov-Stundzhi, a drumming duo from Bulgaria, attempted to earn a spot in the Eurovision finals, again, but didn’t make it. The duo placed fifth in 2007 by performing its song, “Water”. This year, the drumming duo hoped to make it by performing “Only Champions”, but failed to impress the judges. According to novinite.com, many Bulgarian people consider the contest a sloppy, back-scratching political event, making it unlikely that the duo faces any love lost in their own country. Eurovision finals air on Saturday, May 18th. Read more here: Bulgarian Drumming Duo Fails to Make Eurovision Finals

Drumming for Love

Is there anything more romantic than someone composing or playing a piece of music for the love of their life? While pianos and guitars may get most of the attention with regard to love compositions, drumming for love is not totally unheard of. After all, what would Latin music be without either conga drums or love songs? Here are a few good reasons to consider serenading the love of your life.

Love celebrations: Drumming can be a great way to say “I love you” during a wedding or anniversary celebration. Not only do hand drums invite everyone around to participate in some way, but they are also hard to miss. Once you start drumming, you will have everyone’s attention, including your special someone. Drumming for love doesn’t have to involve days of preparation, either. If you have a more adventurous spirit (and you likely do if you are using drums this way), feel free to give an unpracticed yet inspired, heart-felt performance. Allow the emotions to carry you away as you drum on a djembe and your significant other is likely to pick up the beat and meet you on the journey.

Valentine’s Day: Sure, you could send flowers or candy, but that’s rather mundane. Why not surprise your loved one with a piece you’ve been working on for a while? Drumming can be a spiritual experience, but it can also express intimacy. Learn to play a simple rhythm on the congas and play for your date at a club or somewhere dancing is taking place. That could put an interesting spin on things. A date becomes more memorable when the person drums for you while you hit the dance floor. Drumming for love is fun and drumming for future love can help create a lifetime of memories.

Birthday parties: No matter how old a person is turning, birthday parties can be fun. If you find yourself planning a birthday celebration, remember that drumming has the power to connect all age groups. While you’re drumming for love of the birthday boy or girl, everyone will enjoy themselves. Even babies and elders who need to sit throughout the evening will find themselves bopping along to the drum beat, and maybe even shaking a maraca! As you use your drumming to express your love, you will be able to look out into the room and find everyone enjoying themselves along with the cake and ice cream.



Drumming can be used for many purposes in our lives. We don’t have to only bring out the drums for transcendental or group drumming sessions. We can use these powerful instruments for the more mundane aspects of life, as well…if drumming for love can even be considered mundane.

Ontario Youth Cultural Symposium Features Drumming

For students in Chatham, Ontario, drumming is leading to more than a beat. The city recently held its fifth annual Youth Cultural Symposium, dedicated to introducing students and teachers in the Lambton Kent District School Board to the cultures and traditions of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples. This year the healing drum ZhowskeMiingnan was shared with the community, allowing Luke George, the drum’s keeper, an opportunity to teach the importance of living with respect. According to the Chatham Daily News, Luke says the youth are now gravitating toward their traditional cultures because they are a respectful way to live. Read more here: Drumming up cultural awareness

Putting a Little Jingle in Your Jangle

Drumming is often an act of love. It calls for a lot of sweat, maybe some tears, and certainly a bit of enthusiasm. A dedicated drummer may spend hours lost in the creative space others may refer to as ‘oblivion’. The passion and intensity drummers put into their craft often results in explosive, hypnotic acts that call out to everyone within range of hearing.

Percussion accents have likely been used by drummers since ancient times. These accents not only give more dimension to the music, they also allow for more creativity. Instruments like tambourines and bells accompany many traditional drumming sessions in certain parts of the world. While in the past, the accents may have been more likely to be used by the dancers accompanying the drummers or by the rapt participating audience; these days, drummers themselves are adding accent percussion to their drums using various methods.

Tambourines and cowbells, for example, are available for purchase with their own stands so that the drummer can use them as part of a creative drum kit. While accents may be used with a regular drum kit, they can also be used with congas, djembes, or any other kind of drum. The point is to arrange the instruments so that they are easily reached and can be incorporated into the music without disturbing the flow.

For this reason, employing these new sounds may require a change in routine for a drummer just getting started. Perhaps the drummer who is used to standing while playing may now need to sit or vice versa. This flexibility will pay off, because the accents allow for diversity in sound and can trigger creativity in a drummer. A new sound to play with is like heaven for a percussionist, so don’t be surprised if a bit of tinkering results in a new composition.



There are a variety of instruments that can be used as percussion accents. Tambourines and bells might seem like the most widely used (outside of cymbals), but many world drummers also use claves and blocks. Playing a couple of the instruments together can really add depth to a piece. It is also traditional in some parts of the world for drummers to wear bracelets of bells or rings, so that they provide the tones themselves as they pound rhythms from their drum hides. No matter whether the jingles, jangles, bells or blocks placed on a stand, hooked onto the drum’s frame, or worn by the drummer, they are sure to please both drummer and listener alike.