Becoming a Drummer

I have always been a dancer. As a child I danced to any and everything, any time and any where much to my parents chagrin. As an adult I danced with my husband every chance we got, and as a mother, I danced with my children on my hip and then holding their hands. Finally at 30 I took belly dance lessons and loved it. The djembe drums were always what I loved dancing to the most. I danced at festivals around huge bonfires and the live drumming was what kept me coming back, they fascinated me.

At one festival, when Sophie was only two. She began mimicking a drummer on a small djembe. She was so good at it that I bought her a tiny one of her own. I loved it myself, but the size was not easily played by an adult. Friends I knew had and played djembes and I longed for one of my own.

Finally, I have one. Found at a pawn shop of all places. I have no idea why someone decided they needed to a pawn this beautiful instrument. But I am glad that they did. I cleansed it with sage and now it is mine.
My church has an informal drum circle that meets every other Saturday and I recently attended my first one. It just happened to be the one where the musical director sat in and decided that he wanted us to play with the choir and band the next day. Play in front of an entire church congregation!!!! Me!!!  Well, since I have long ago decided to stop saying no to things that I later regret, I did it. I showed up the next morning early to practice and we played along to four songs and a full choir. It was so much fun and I felt great afterward.

It is a strange feeling identifying myself as a drummer, a musician. I have always felt un-musical, so to speak, never really learning an instrument completely. Always dancing to the music. Now I am the one making the music. It is a really nice feeling.

Peace, Yarrow