1000 DRUM CIRCLES WITH STREAM TOMAS OHRSTROM

A drum circle is a participatory celebration of life through rhythm. It creates a sense of joyful inclusion in a community. It employs non-verbal communication; it is non-competitive and it reduces stress in the participants.

Stream has facilitated close to 1000 drum circles since 1988. He has drummed with wide-eyed toddlers in daycare centers and with seniors in nursing homes, with bereaved children and traumatized youth in summer camps but also with elated celebrants in wedding parties. Stream has led large drumming events on the Mall and in front of the Jefferson Memorial; he has led multi-generational family groups in back yards and living rooms. He originated and leads the 19-year old weekly BEATJAM drum circle in Silver Spring and other long-running circles in Unitarian churches in Maryland and Virginia. Years of after-school drumming programs in Montgomery County and numerous assemblies and workshop events in schools, churches, libraries and institutions contribute to his vast experience as a facilitator. Participants often comment on Stream’s skillful way of making everyone feel accepted and included irregardless of previous experience and his easy and humorous way of communicating the basics of drumming and the empowering magic of rhythm.

“Let your hands dance, let your heart sing!”

QUOTES FROM PARTICIPANTS:
"... a delightful, energizing and refreshing experience! What impressed me most was that your drumming inspired one of our most conservative senior board members not only to get carried away with beating on a drum [...], but that he was inspired to actually get up and dance! Amazing! And I felt the excitement in knowing first hand how rhythmic drumming with others knits people in both energy and community. Truly a heart-warming, heart-lightening experience.” Marybeth - Exec. Dir., Lifeline Partnership, Washington, DC

"The drumming classes have changed my interactions with the world. I hear rhythms everywhere. Even though I have always had trouble keeping up with all but the simplest rhythms, I have come to love drumming ....... and I drum to calm, center, and meditate. I thank you for these things.” –Tish, Silver Spring

"The drumming circle for me is multi-faceted. It is a spiritual experience. It stands for peace, unity, equality. It is a place of release and acceptance. It calls forth creativity and spontaneity and soul. It is a community. Stream makes all of this possible. He is integral in creating this space." – Beth, Rockville

"Drumming brings to me a deep fulfilling energy and calmness all at once.” - Beverly, Annapolis

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