Drum circles benefit students at HMS “The best part for me is being with these students and seeing them light up and seeing how much fun they have, and the creativity that they are developing. And then, when I see them in the hall and they call my name and give me a fist bump or high five, it makes my day,” said Helena Middle School Band Director Lance Pruitt as he talks about the new drum circles program that he has implemented at HMS. Mr. Pruitt based his ideas on a similar program set up for Homewood Middle School. He compiled his ideas and realized that he would need funding for this extensive program. He consulted with Michelle Hall at the Shelby County Board of Education, and together they created a grant proposal. “We received a grant from the Shelby County Schools Education Foundation for $1,000 and another grant from the Helena Middle School PTO for $1500.” The purpose of writing the grant was to get some financial help to offset the initial costs including purchasing the drums and hiring John Scalici to instruct the teachers and students in how the drum circles work and teach them exercises to use in two different sessions. Michelle Hall, Shelby County Music Supervisor, says “Where words fail, music speaks” is one of my favorite quotes. For many children with special needs, words fail them daily. Either they struggle to get the words out or are unable to process the words coming in. Playing an instrument like the drums 28 Winter 2017 / www.CityOfHelena.org
can be a way to express emotions non-verbally and to “listen” to another person’s non-verbal communication.” Pruitt wanted to do something for the students with special needs at HMS, and he felt after talking to several people, that this would be something that would benefit them and also his own band members. Through his research, he learned that programs like this would fill needs such as cognitive, emotional, fine and gross motor skills, and also aid in communication and social skills. He partnered with special education teacher Nikki Lockhart. They met every Wednesday in the HMS band room during Pruitt’s planning time. “Mr. Pruitt and I discussed the possibility of a drum circle last school year. From our first conversation, I was ecstatic and overjoyed that he wanted to showcase my students and their abilities. I teach some of the most talented and dedicated students in Helena. I was excited and ready to do whatever I could to make the drum circle a reality!” said Ms. Lockhart. “The most important thing in the beginning was simply creating a performing organization that was just for the special needs students. I saw a group of students that we just weren’t reaching with all the great organizations we have here at HMS. Between band, choir, sports and clubs, I knew we had to have something for these kids where they could be the superstars,” commented Pruitt. When this year started, he contacted John Scalici, who specializes
in drum circles and teaching it to groups to incorporate into the classroom. Pruitt scheduled two meetings with him to help get the program started. The first meeting was Wednesday, October 12, and the students have been meeting together each Wednesday ever since. Scalici was able to come back to be with the students again in November.Pruitt hopes that with additional fundraising, he might be able to bring Scalici back to work with the students more. The drum circles are done within the classroom, but it extends to other classes, too. Lockhart has used some of the things in class that have been done in the drum circle such as when they will start a specific activity. One student will be in charge and give visual instructions to the rest of the group as to when to get louder, softer, and when to stop, and then they use another visual to pass the leadership to another student along with calling the next student’s name. “We try to take a couple of minutes in each session/rehearsal to share with each other like back during Thanksgiving, the students shared what they are thankful for. We have talked about their favorite foods and turned those into rhythms we play on the drums together. We are also working on individual performances – I will play a rhythm on my drum and once established will get softer and call one of the students, and they begin playing their own solo over my rhythm. Once they are through, they will pass it off to another student using the hand
gesture and calling the student’s name,” said Pruitt. Lockhart adds, “The drum circle gives my students a sense of inclusion and acceptance within our school. The students have taken ownership of the drum circle. They are learning skills that can be generalized to their homes as well as the community. My students are expanding their vocabulary, social skills, communication, and so much more.” Both Michelle Hall and Lance Pruitt say that they are still in the early stages of the program, but ultimately hope the drum circle experience will allow all of the students involved to not only value and appreciate music, but to value and appreciate each other’s talents and gifts. Hall added, “Just the joyful spirit of the children involved. Mr. Pruitt and Mr. Scalisi make every kid feel like a rock star!” They said over and over, “whether it is your real voice or your drum voice, your voice matters!” As the students left the band room, the next class was waiting in the hall. They had formed two lines and were cheering and high fiving the drum students as they went back to class. Seeing that celebration was priceless.” Lockhart sees far reaching benefits of the drum circles. “I hope that we can continue the drum circle year after year. It would be great if the group could perform for all the schools in Helena. I want this to be a memory that my students will have for the rest of their lives! This is truly a great experience for them.”