Drum Circle Facilitation
Tapping Into the Rhythms of Nature
with Jeshima Lewis
Jeshima will provide support for you to successfully facilitate a community drum circle in your classroom. You will experience using nature as the impetus to create rhythmic building blocks for improvising on a percussion instrument. Jeshima will share drum circle activities that are scaffolded for various ability levels and provide time for you to experience each one in a safe environment. In addition, they will share peer-reviewed research supporting the need for community drum circles in schools and how it will benefit your students and communities.
Jeshima invites you to bring a drum, accessory percussion (maraca, shaker, wood block, or claves), or a found sound (bucket, box, vitamin bottle, etc.) to the workshop. They encourage you, if possible, to go into nature during the webinar in order to create rhythmic building blocks together using nature as inspiration. View from your porch or patio, your yard or garden, or with a window open nearby to witness all that nature evokes in your senses.
Participants will receive:
• detailed instructions on how to facilitate a drum circle.
• a lesson plan with video for implementation of drum circle activities from Jeshima's book Drum O' Clock.
• instructions on how to scaffold activities in the drum circle to assist all ages and ability levels.
• understanding of how group drumming can benefit the social and emotional well-being of your students.
• a discounted price for Jeshima’s book Drum O' Clock from F-flat books.
You will be given access the workshop recording and downloadable materials from the presentation.
A certificate of completion can be provided to participants who request one for professional development hours.
Jeshima Lewis is very passionate about drumming, performing, and strengthening community through Community Drum Circles. An educator and percussionist of 25 years, they are currently the Music Specialist at Bloom Elementary School in Louisville, Kentucky. In addition to these responsibilities, Jeshima is the CEO and Percussion Instructor at DrumSmart LLC where they maintain an active private percussion studio in which their students have achieved many honors.
As a lifelong learner, Jeshima is pursuing their PhD in Music Education from the University of Kentucky. Their research interests are mindful drumming and the impact group drumming on the social and emotional well-being of students. In addition to this, they will be pursuing a yoga teacher certification and will be offering more ways to connect their passion of mindful hearts, bodies, and spirits through drumming and yoga practices.
Jeshima loves to support their colleagues around the world by sharing their innovative music lessons with others at music conferences, community events, and online. Most recently, Mx. Lewis has turned their passion for providing children in children's homes with a music education by turning their SUV into a mobile music classroom that will travel all 50 states.
Mx. Lewis is a published author in the GIA Publication, “Orff Schulwerk-Reflections and Directions” for their implementation of Orff in Band. Jeshima has written articles for the KMEA Bluegrass Music News, Teaching With Orff, Percussive Notes Rhythm Scene Magazine, and is a pioneer of creativity in the performing ensemble classroom using Orff inspired methods. Recently, Mx. Lewis was awarded the Spotlight Award for Excellence in Teaching from The American Center for Elemental Music and Movement and the Innovative Teaching Award/Grant from Give a Note Foundation for Project Based Learning in Music.
They are a member of the Kentucky Music Educator's Association, National Association for Music Education, Kentucky Orff-Schulwerk Association, The Eastern United States Pipe Band Association, Percussive Arts Society, and the Drum Circle Facilitator’s Guild. In addition to these memberships, Mx. Lewis has their Orff Levels 1-3, World Music Drumming Level 1 certification, and is a certified Village Music Circles, Remo Health Rhythms and Beat The Odds Drum Circle Facilitator.
"I really enjoyed the drum circle workshop with Jeshima Lewis! I left with lots of concrete ideas, and even more importantly, I was reminded and shown how important it is to 'teach without teaching.'"
Jill P.
Music Educator
Drum Circle Facilitation
Tapping Into the Rhythms of Nature
$20
one time payment
All registrants will receive access to the recording of the workshop along with downloadable materials.
Certificate of completion can be provided to participants who request one for professional development hours.
