The Art and Heart of Drum Circles Paperback – May 1, 2003

I have learned how to play several musical instruments over the years, but my favorite types have been the percussion kinds like the drums (both standard and hand drums), clave, maracas and other musical instruments. I recently began attending a drum circle class and absolutely love it. I decided to learn more about running a drum circle class and I purchased this fantastic 95 page soft cover book (The art and heart of drum circles by Christine Stevens) on Amazon for a bargain price. I had read a previous book on drum circles but I liked this one the best because it presents the subject in a very clear and simple manner.This volume is organized into short chapters explaining what drum circles are all about. The following material is covered in this text: The art of drum circles, the circle, the instruments, the art of facilitation, arranging and re-arranging, teaching without teaching, rules to groove by, designing your program, the heart of drum circles, transformation, the heart of facilitation, the real instruments, talking in circles and metaphor. This book also came with a CD to help learn the drum circle material.If you are interested in joining or starting a drum circle group this book will provide an excellent very basic guide to the subject.Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Chair/Seated Tai Chi, Qigong, and Yoga for seniors and the physically challenged).

I have never experienced a drum circle but after reading this little book, I am ready to find my first drum circle experience and then to bring it to my own church. We are studying earth based religions and that is how I learned about drum circles. After talking to others who have done drum circles and reading this book - I am all in for relieving the stress, experiencing the spirituality and the community building that drum circles encourages. I have not had a chance to listen to the cd that accompanies the book cause another member of our church is reading the book - We are talking about a drum circle to celebrate the equinox in March on the town square. Sounds like we will have a chance for wonderful community experience!

Nice resource...I was brand-new to drum circles when I purchased this, and found it to be really helpful.The scenes with both very small (living room) circles and large, moderated and unmoderated group circles were especially valuable for me.Great resource - highly recommend to anyone new to group percussion and wanting to build confidence and understanding...but also to anyone more experienced wanting to learn/hone some moderating skills.

I really liked the cd with this book. It helped to generate new ideas and revitalize our drum circle (DC). There are also a number of good tips for running a DC. The reason it gets 4* is that it focuses on facilitated DCs and we like a more "free style" circle. Still many of the tips are applicable and it has made me consider doing some small amount of facilitating just for variety.

Christine Stevens has a solid understanding of rhythm and it's foundation in creating beautiful music.Including the facilitation or conducting of rhythmic and melodic participation, she creates amazing sound-scapes that are achievable by most facilitators.This is a terrific lesson in the "feel" of the drum circle. I think that achieving the feel requires technical understanding of the process but also a huge amount of sensitivity to the feel of the circle and the individual contributions of the players.I recommend Christine to all serious drum circle participants.

Christine is on her "A" game with this book. Chock full of information and insight, the "Art and Heart of Drum Circles" should be on every facilitator's reading list. The included CD makes for great audio reference to material covered in the book. If you have not gotten a chance to see Christine facilitate a drum circle, she is even more fun live. Good job!

This book has all the makings to be a great introduction to drum circles. I was however somewhat disturbed by the seemingly unashamed punting of a certain commercial drum manufacturer - which makes the book read a bit like an advertorial.

Practitioner friendly but accesible to a beginner. There is a passion for drum circle that drives the text and this shines through. A relatively short book but one that you could easily dip in and out of.

Great book on how to facilitate drum circles. Bought it to accompany an online course with Christine Stevens and absolutely loved both! Highly recommended!

Bought as a gift for a family member who is a keen drummer - much appreciated and approved of!

Good book

Dieses Buch ist einfach zu lesen, ohne großen Schnickschnack. Ein tolles Buch, mit dem auch der blutige Anfänger was anfangen kann. Ich kann dieses Buch nur empfehlen.