By Paul Roberts
Special to The PREVIEW
Join musician and music therapist Paul Roberts for a free hand-drumming class at the Pagosa Lakes Clubhouse on Tuesday, June 19, at noon.
The class offers a welcoming environment that encourages fun, creativity, playfulness and connecting with others. Drums are provided for those who do not have one. Designed as an opportunity for people of all ages to unleash their creativity, the drumming class is a family-friendly activity open to all ages. No previous experience is necessary.
Connecting people’s hearts to one another and to the heartbeat of Mother Earth, drumming has played a significant role in the lives of Native Americans and indigenous peoples from around the world since ancient times. The pulsation of positive emotions amplified by group drumming is being rediscovered by people from widely diverse backgrounds.
Consciously or unconsciously, people often synchronize their emotions with the emotions expressed by others. Referred to by psychologist as “emotional contagion,” this process can have either a positive or negative effect. Studies conducted by organizational psychologists, showing how group emotion effects their success, are motivating businesses to find ways of improving the emotional climate of the workplace.
The reverberations set off by group drumming sets off positive, contagious emotions. It makes people feel better about themselves and can lead to higher levels of creativity and resiliency.
A group’s emotional state has an influence on factors such as cohesiveness, morale, rapport and the team’s performance. For this reason, many organizations are utilizing group drumming to help shape the emotional state of their work teams.
Studies being conducted by organizational psychologists, highlighting the benefits of creating positive group emotion, are germane to group interaction in general. Utilizing methods of improving emotional climate is beneficial all-around. If corporations are using group drumming to get workers to work more efficiently together and to increase productivity, that’s a pretty good indicator that there’s gold in them thar hills.
When you feel good about yourself, it contributes positively to those around you and to everything you do. The throbbing pull of the drum connects us to ourselves and to one another.
For more information about the Pagosa hand-drumming class, call 731-3117. The Pagosa Lakes Clubhouse is located at 230 Port Ave.
