What are your feelings about drums? If you are a parent of a teenager that is addicting to playing them in your garage may be your opinion is not that great. Maybe you like to play them yourself. Or maybe you enjoy watching marching bands in the streets. Did you know that drums can have a great impact on our mental health?
During my master’s degree I researched about a program called ‘Drumbeat’ and I was fascinated about it and what it did for young people. It is a drumming intervention program that helps young people in schools. The benefits of the program are quite extensive so I will mention just a few. Drumbeat to increases young people’s mental well-being, decreases their anti-social behaviour and improves their self-regulation.
Peer reviewed studies on another drumming group intervention in South Africa has also had the positive effect on mental health workers. The strategy of the program was to reduce work related stress and burnout and it was successful in doing this. They used a drum circle and through this intervention they were able to increase their energy in the workplace, reduce their burnout and improved their mood to mention just a few of the benefits.
When I first heard about these types of interventions, I began to pay more attention to the power of the drums. Whenever I felt that I needed some kind of a release from the stress of my day or when I just needed to foster my resilience, I would reach out for some drum music. Whether it be Japanese Taiko drums or the table hand drums of India I always find that this music makes a difference to my day. What do you feel when you listen to drums? Do they make you feel better or just give you a headache? Let me know your opinions.
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About Drumbeat
https://holyoake.org.au/drumbeat/about-us/
Group drumming as a burnout prevention initiative
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0081246315581346
