Together in Rhythm: A Facilitator's Guide to Drum Circle Music, Book & Online Video/PDF

I have been wanting to introduce some group drumming in my classroom so I bought this book/DVD to help me generate some ideas. Kalani is truly an expert. The activities in the book are really well described and its clear how each one builds certain musical skills. Watching Kalani execute the activities on the DVD is very valuable. This is a great book and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to do group drumming in any setting. I have a music education degree but not much experience in group drumming and this book provided the info I needed to be confident getting started.

For several years I have had a passion for percussion instruments (All kinds of hand drums, shakers etc.) and I have taken many courses and read numerous books to improve myself and increase my knowledge of the subject. I recently purchased and finished reading a fantastic large size soft cover book (104 pages, Together in rhythm: A facilitator’s guide to drum circle music by Kalani) that I recommend to anyone who is interested in drum circles and how to become a competent facilitator.There is also a DVD that comes with the book. This excellent volume is organized into nine chapters covering the following topics: What is a drum circle? Philosophy and approach, making music, facilitation techniques, drum circle activities, presenting a drum circle, tuning the circle, music games and specific populations. The appendix sections are fantastic and include an instrument guide, a reference chart, building an instrument kit, rhythm basics, DCMI symbols, training programs and the national standards for music education.If you are into being part of a drum circle and desire to become a facilitator to lead a drum circle group this is a must book to have in your personal library.Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Martial Art and Warrior Haiku and Senryu)

A nice book that takes a couple of hours to read through in detail...and a helpful video.Kalani explains and reinforces the essence of the drum circle, and if you're brand-new to it...helps you to grasp the basic workings, procedures/protocols, philosophy, attitudes, etc associated with group drumming...so that you go into it a little better informed.Still...there's no substitute for actually jumping in and trying it out with people...new group drummers will probably learn a lot upon re-watching and re-reading these materials after trying it out in person.I highly recommend this as a resource for those wanting to get involved in group drumming or in starting their own group.

I bought this book on a recommendation of my friend and read it from cover to cover on a trip to wildwood. The book was very informative and well written and full of many fun activities I can't wait to try with my drum circle. This is a must read for any person who is looking for new things to help the better facilitate a drum circle or for a person who wants to start their own.

I am just getting started with drumming - but I have facilitated other kinds of groups for many years. This is by far the most helpful resource I have ever found on the basic art of facilitation (vs. teaching or leadership). Though the book is focused on facilitated drum circles, I highly recommend this book for anyone involved in any kind of group facilitation. That includes corporate events and brainstorming and committees, church small groups or youth events, camp counselors, etc.

Unfortunately there's not a lot of usable information in this book, Kalani requires you to purchase further resources to find actual activities.

Amazing book for anyone doing any sort of World Music Drumming (WMD) or Kalani based therapy or drum circles. Great book!!! Great for music educators as well!!

Good but need the games book that goes with it

I'm a music therapist and was looking for a book of different drum rhythms that I could use in some of the groups I run. This book did NOT meet my hopes in this way. A lot of it is given over to the principles of drum circles. There are many crossovers between these principles and those principles that are central to music therapy - principles which all therapists will be familiar with. There was a few pages of useful ideas in the middle of the book, some of which I have been able to utilise - but these are limited to 3/4 different activities, and the book is not worth buying for them. I'm still looking for my drum rhythms book...