Just like the in-flight safety announcement where they ask you to (in case of an emergency) first secure your oxygen mask before helping others, it is important to first learn how to lead groups using rhythm before attempting to do this with a group (with no preparation whatsoever). Then again, today, watching a bunch of videos counts as studying or learning drum circle facilitation. This could be done for many other subjects but learning how to become a drum circle facilitator is a very in-person, tangible thing which (in my opinion) is not possible effectively through a video. There’s SO much more to it than what meets the eye. This is why I started the annual Taal Inc. drum circle facilitator course which I call ‘Find Your Inner Rhythm: Intensive Course’ This course will be what teaches you the difference between calling this a drum jam course, a djembe facilitation course or a drum facilitator course to (what it actually is); a course to learn drum circle facilitation. 

I have run this course successfully for more than 10 years and have had the pleasure of meeting and working with some amazing seekers from different walks of life. Many of these students are working in the field today in India and overseas. Some of these students have been in the corporate training space, some in the teaching / facilitation space; some were djembe players / musicians who were looking to add an additional skill to their repertoire; some were simply curious souls who felt a strong pull to the course. So in short, the course is for anyone and everyone who feels the internal call to use rhythm and work with groups (any and or a particular kind of group) to bring about positive change. So if you are a teacher who works with preschool kids you will look at the course tools and learnings from that perspective; if you are a wildlife expert and outbound trainer, you will use the learnings in a very different way. If you are a mental health practitioner or an expressive arts therapist, this tool will hel[p you work with individuals and or groups over a period of time to truly bring out some amazing results. All the above examples will learn the same tools but apply them differently to deliver similar objectives but in a very different way. One can (and almost always does) learn from the other. 

The ‘Find Your Inner Rhythm’ Intensive Train The Trainer course is held once a year in Pune. The next course dates are 16th – 22nd March 2025 at Artsphere Pune. TImings are daily from 10am to 7pm. 

No you do not need to be a drummer to become a drum circle facilitator. Yes, your drumming skill will help you do a lot of things with more efficiency and impact but that is not the only way to become a successful and credible facilitator. A drum circle facilitator is aware of rhythm and rhythmic concepts and constantly works to chisel them to become better. A facilitator understands the rhythm / pulse of a group; the rhythmic dialogue that evolves in a group and more importantly what that means from a non musical perspective. 

What is the behavioural and emotional consequence of the rhythm being the way it is? How can the facilitator bring out the most participation from the group? How can the facilitator make everyone feel safe, included and that they have a voice?  How can the facilitator help the group draw this ‘invisible’ energy-expression-graph from start to end of the session? How can the facilitator help the group realize something new about themselves through the drumming? How can the facilitator help those who feel overwhelmed in the session, to feel safe and grounded again without disrupting the whole group process?

To me, these questions matter a LOT more than how loudly the facilitator screams in the middle of the circle to induce a high energy reaction. These questions matter a lot more than the quality of the rhythm or how intricate or complicated the rhythm was. 

Through the week-long intensive course we will be drumming (obviously) and familiarizing ourselves with the rhythm stuff, but more importantly, we will be learning how to be in the present moment more genuinely. Full disclosure, this is NOT something that happens in one week. There is a lot of internal baggage that we need to be aware of and (eventually) let go of to be able to be true channels and catalysts. This in turn makes us truly good drum circle facilitators. So, I’d say that the course is more about finding one’s own inner rhythm and constantly doing whatever it takes to honor that part of ourselves, before we can help others find themselves… This was my very own in-flight safety announcement. Thanks and reading. If you made it this far into the blog, you surely have the itch to become a drum circle facilitator. How far will you go to make this a reality?