Shake It ‘Til You Make It!

by Jim Turk

Remember in the Empire Strikes Back when Luke decides to use his harpoon to tie up the legs of those evil walking robot things to slow them down? He didn’t “defeat” them but he DID save the rebel force.

It was a real breakthrough.

…And the other day I had one of my own. Now, I’m no Jedi Master (even though I sometimes think of myself as one – is that weird?), but the success I had with a little boy changed his outlook and my energy.

Heck – it made me rethink the way I’ll conduct class from now on!

It happened when I was leading a drum therapy session – and it was remarkable.

This happens every once in a while and it’s always amazing to see! It might be that a child opens up for the first time because it’s a fun and social activity and a great way to express themselves. It might be that making music together is a blast and they feel a sense of accomplishment by participating. It could be the timing involved or the fact that it’s multi-sensory or a hundred other things.

This time, though, it was one of those spur-of-the-moment deals where I changed things up on a whim and it made all of the difference in the world.

“Life is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re gonna get.” -Forrest Gump

I lead drum circles for all kinds of groups. This particular one was for kids with disabilities. One child in the class, we’ll call him Bobby, has Down syndrome and is relatively non-communicative.

Bobby is a real character.  He rarely vocalizes except to make reference to the fact that he would prefer to do things his way.  He’ll often make gestures to imaginary friends in the room. He’s usually smiling and sometimes engaged but it’s hard to tell what he wants.

During this particular class I decided to do some shaker exercises. I handed out maracas (big shakers) to all of the students and had them rattle them in different positions while I played music or we sang something familiar.  We would experiment with the different sounds the instrument can make and use them in various positions to put the ‘active’ in ‘activity.’

“Presence is more than just being there.“-Malcom Forbes

Bobby was incredibly engaged. At first I thought he was just excited and that it would pass. It soon became clear, though, that using the maracas was a thrilling prospect for him.

He enjoys the idea of having a drum and loves to pick out the color but he’s not compelled to play it (constantly) as students often do. He’ll play it if you ask him to but that’s about it.

The maracas, on the other hand, were a different story. He wouldn’t stop playing them. If I played music, he would rattle them and dance in his wheelchair.  He would often pretend they were microphones and sing.  Bobby was clearly having more fun and was more engaged than he had ever been before.

I’m sure that he left the session feeling like he was on top of the world.  I went home with a smile on my face and spent the next week thinking about him and devising ways to incorporate the maracas into other activities.

Not to mention that I was even more passionate for the next class.

If anyone didn’t seem enthused, I made trying a different instrument my top priority. In Bobby’s case, though, he was more engaged and got more out of the activity if maracas were involved.

“ Young plants do much better if a person helps them.”

  • Chance the gardener (BeingThere)

This was not only a breakthrough for me, but it changed the way I approach all of my drum therapy groups. It’s funny how a seemingly small modification can make a student go from apathetic to activated and make me feel more alive – which better engages all of us and perpetuates itself!

This is why I love what I do.

 

Jim Turk, MS, leads drum therapy for children and adults with all kinds of disabilities. His results have been nothing short of amazing. You can read more about it and check out resources for doing this with your child at home at http://beatmydisease.com/rocket-rehab-home-drum-therapy-introduction/