Drum Story

The first time I heard the siren song of love issuing forth from the voice of the drum, I was just twenty-one. I was at a gathering of women musicians, and one evening, I decided to go for a walk.... I began to hear the most magical sound, of people drumming together, really listening to each other, and carrying on an involved conversation, through their music-making. I was absolutely swept away in the energy and the feeling of the music, and I followed my ears to the source, a small bonfire of women, gathered with their drums, playing as the sun went down. I stayed near the edge of the group, listening, enthralled, until the players took a break. I went and sat near one the women who had been playing, and asked her to show me something, anything, how could I join this marvelous current they were all swimming in... And she patiently taught me one part, and then another and then another... And by the time I wandered back to my tent, it was well past midnight, and I knew I had to find out more. I went back the next night and the next night after that, and then it was time to go home. The next week, I found a drum-maker who made me my first drum, a honey-blonde hybrid of a conga and an ashiko, with a thick cowskin head and heavy, metal hardware.

The drum has led me through each one of the major transitions and changes in my life. It has introduced me to the people I am closest to in my life, including my husband, Jeff. It has led me across the country, and through most of the fifty states. I have taught classes throughout New England, the Southeast, in the mountains, in the desert, in the woods, in churches and temples and under the sky. I have played for dance classes of up to a hundred people, and for rituals involving one dancer. I have played music for people who were being born, being transformed, and dying.

I have opened myself to Spirit’s guidance, chosen to trust my inner intuition when she says “sing!” or “dance!” or “play!” and this voice has never steered me wrong. It’s only when I don’t listen that I lose out on an experience, or when I let someone else’s fear or shame get in my way. I choose not to give my power away like that anymore. As an artist, I want to find ways to encourage others to be in their creative flow, truly expressing their own hearts. It is not my job to tell others to be quiet, nor is it my job to listen when others would tell me not to sing or play or to quiet down. I am blessed with my voice and the songs that pour through me, and my main responsibility is to Spirit, to be grateful for the gifts that I do have, and to use them abundantly; it is this which can encourage others to blossom and open into their own fullness…. Abundant gratitude.