Drum circle
A drum circle is an informal gathering of percussionists and dancers who meet in public for the purpose of playing drums and dancing to the music. Often seen at parks and beaches. Percussionists usually gather in a circle and dancers are often seen in the centre of the circle. The participants make up the music as they go along, using their listening and playing skills to make musical connections and express themselves in any and all ways that feel right. Drum circles often attract both regulars and spontaneous participation and they can range in size from a handful of players to circles with thousands of participants. Defining values of a drum circle include equality, autonomy, inclusivity and freedom of expression.
The origins of contemporary drum circles in North America can be traced back to Congo Square in New Orleans, a pivotal site in the history of American music. During the French colonial occupation and before, this area was known as Bulbancha, a Choctaw/Chickasaw word meaning "place of many tongues," reflecting the diverse languages and cultures that converged there.
Congo Square was a unique space where enslaved Africans free people of color Native Americans and the allies of freedom would gather on Sundays to sell goods often to buy themselves from slavery which naturally led to drumming, dancing, and maintaining their cultural heritage. This tradition of communal music-making and the blending of various drumming styles—European marching drums, African rhythms, and Native American beats—laid the foundation for contemporary drum circles and influenced the development of numerous American music genres.
Drum circles went through a revival in the United States during the late 1960s and early 1970s for any group of people, particularly counterculture groups, who gather to play music together in public. The music is improvised and co-created by the participants. The music is always a group expression, not constrained by genre, instrumentation and not directed by one person or sub-group. Drum circles are leaderless.
In 1991, during testimony before the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging, Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart stated:
Typically, people gather to drum in drum "circles" with others from the surrounding community. The drum circle offers equality because there is no head or tail. It includes people of all ages. The main objective is to share rhythm and get in tune with each other and themselves. To form a group consciousness. To entrain and resonate. By entrainment, I mean that a new voice, a collective voice, emerges from the group as they drum together.Drum circles are a type of group drumming that have many benefits, including support, comradery, recreational music-making, wellness, learning, celebration, spirituality, and personal growth.
Over the decades, especially since the late 90's, other types of group drumming have been advertised incorrectly as drum circles leading to confusion regarding what a drum circle is. This has in some cases lead to real drum circles being banned by authorities who were under the impression that a drum circle is a commercial event and consequently regulating them with laws that are not applicable to gatherings.
Other types of group drumming
Facilitated group drumming is where a person seeks to focus the intent and improve the quality and effect of the activity, making it easier for people to effectively participate by taking a more directive approach. The facilitator takes responsibility for the physical space, arranging chairs and instruments to optimize communication and connection in the group. Facilitators may provide a range of instruments to create a full and balanced percussion orchestra. In this way, the experience can be thought of as group drumming with a leader as opposed to the more free-flowing and open Drum Circle. The facilitator is constantly monitoring the music in the group, and generally being encouraging and accepting of participant ideas. In this way, the facilitator takes on a role similar to that of a music teacher or drumming instructor whose goal is to empower the participants and encourage them to share their ideas. In the beginning, the facilitator directs the music through verbal and non-verbal cueing. Cues, which often mirror the movements of an orchestral conductor, are directed at the participants, who respond to the leader. This creates a leader/follower dynamic between the facilitator and the participants. Actions such as rolling, starting, stopping, raising/lowering the volume, accents, and when to play/not play are often given by the facilitator. Facilitators with training and experience in other areas and professions, such as music education, music therapy, and corporate training, may use a range of tools and approaches that enable them to work with diverse populations. These types of experiences are more accurately referred to as 'drumming programs'.Guided Interactive Drumming consists of highly structured drumming-based programs that are led by an individual or group to reach non-musical goals.
There exists drum classes for the purposes of building musical skills and knowledge.
Drum ensembles are performance-oriented groups who practice and perform music on drums, often for dance.
There's clinical improvisation of drumming groups within a music therapy session, led by certified therapists.