Rhythm Works is an experience of creativity and communication through the use of drums, hand percussion and movement to create rhythm.

It is about what is created in a group or community of people through their participation, not what is performed or projected for others to observe.

The experience is kinesthetic, emotional, intangible, and a challenge to put into words. Different people will describe the experience very differently, because it will be different for each person.

This experience has been around for as long as people have been gathering in groups making music, creating rituals, celebrating the joy of being alive. It is an experience that has disappeared out of many people's lives, or supplanted by changes in music technology. The power of music making together is now being re-discovered in many communities, including the corporate environment.

Rhythm has a power to transcend people beyond the mundane, to a new experience of connectivity.

Rhythm is a tool for transformation. Be willing to have a transformational experience, because Rhythm Works!

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The Process

So what actually happens when you elect to engage a group in Rhythm Works?

We make arrangements with the venue for a suitable space (preferably indoors), and confirm with you the logistical parameters of timing, group size and any other influencing considerations.

Prior to a Rhythm Works session your facilitator speaks with you to gain an understanding of your objectives and expectations, and to learn more about the make up and character of the group. From this, they design the drum circle session, and anticipate the variations to this that might be required to ensure the event works most effectively for your group.

Often, the room is prepared by removing all unnecessary furniture and arranging chairs in a circle. A drum is placed in front of each chair, or grouped all together in the middle of the room and people are invited in to select a seat.

For each group, the process will then vary, as the facilitator works with the objectives, the energy of the group, and the adaptation of the group to the process.

Typically the facilitator commences using and hand actions in a 'follow me' demonstration to gain enrollment and ease initial inhibitions. This may then lead on to a series of simple hand percussion rhythms, which are then translated onto the drums. We use the Djembe, a West African drum that is tilted forward, held between the knees and played with the hands.

Simple rhythms are demonstrated and copied, building confidence and capability in the group. Some people may take up shakers or bells to add important layers to the sound, while others are invited to beat much larger drums, the Dun Dun's, to anchor the rhythm with a strong deep pulse.

Sub-groups may learn different rhythms, which are then integrated into a holistic sound, in which the individual rhythms complement each other.

Sometimes small groups are formed to play something akin to musical charades. Each group has to communicate a word using drumming only until the others 'get it'. This often happens faster than you might expect!

Movement can be introduced, in which part of the group drum while others respond with physical movement, and then the roles are reversed.

The process is not left brained and structured, but rather right brained, creative and intuitive. Rhythm Works facilitators continually invite and challenge the group into a deeper level of participation and then respond to and work with their level of engagement and uptake. It is a dynamic process, a journey of exploration and discovery about self, others and the community of people presently participating in the experience.

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Logistics

Group Size

• Rhythm Works is most effectively an experience for groups of up to 100 people, and larger groups can also be catered to.

Duration

• One to two hours is most common.
• The most suitable duration will depend on your outcomes, the size of the group, and where it is sequenced in your program.
• Can also be incorporated as a progressive breakout throughout a day.

Where

• As Team Focus is Sydney based, the Rhythm Works program is most commonly held in the greater Sydney region, however it has also been, and can be provided interstate and offshore.
• Rhythm Works is best held indoors, and there are many venue options. Note that auditory impact on other venue guests needs to be considered when selecting a suitable space.

When

• Start, middle or end of a conference or program. Most clients choose an afternoon or evening. Note that enthusiastic alcohol consumption by participants will detract markedly for the quality of a Rhythm Works experience.

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Outcomes

A question in your mind may be, 'what are the outcomes?' John May, who facilitates Rhythm Works, says 'that's a great question, and for me an outcome is that if you did Rhythm Works, maybe your first question would not be - what are the outcomes?' If that answer is a little too esoteric to wrap your mind around, the following outcomes may be more tangible:

For the group / organisation:

• a profound feeling of unity through participation in a powerful shared experience
• a shared realisation that each individual contribution is needed to achieve a result
• a shared realisation that there is room for individual expression in a group structure
• celebration - specials events, beginnings, endings, milestone achievements

For the individual:

• getting to know one's colleagues better in a relaxed and positive environment
• an understanding that communication is not just about speaking, but an iterative process of feedback and response.
• a means of expression for when no words will do
• an experience of true teamwork
• stress release

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What If?

What if I don't have a musical bone in my body?

• You will be relieved to know that this is not about eye hand co-ordination, reading music or performing solo. You can even participate fully using just one hand, although two hands expands the rhythm options! Hand percussion, shakers and bells are also used, so there is a choice of instrument.
• P.S. To date we have had a 100% success rate at having our participants find at least one musical bone!

What if the group have participated in corporate drumming before?

• If a group, or some members of a group have done it, do it again. The Rhythm Works experience is different, the environment is different, the contribution is different, the energy is different, and the experience that is created is different and unique to that moment in time.
• If a group have eaten out together before, would you never eat out together again? Of course not. Rhythm Works is food for the psyche.

Contact us so that we can further discuss what experience you have had, and what
experience you would like to have.

Rhythm Works differs to other corporate drum circles in the following ways:

• it is participant centred, not leader (performer) centred
• it is a circle of participation, not a theatre of presentation
• participation is invited, not demanded
• the emphasis is on the communication experience created, not learning tribal drum rhythms
• we specialise in small intimate experiences instead of vying for the biggest group and the most drums
• each session is facilitated intuitively in concert with the participants energy and enthusiasm, instead of following a pre-determined process or formula.

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Mike Almond

Mike came to Team Focus two years ago, after a career in Information Technology spanning over 20 years. Moving from a successful livelihood built upon business-development, where he was responsible for leading dynamic teams of people, Mike has now coupled his team-building skills with his passion for music.

When Mike first began learning percussion he spent many hours with African teachers learning rhythms by rote. Coming from a classical musical background, Mike was interested in breaking down the beat and seeing how rhythms are put together. This opened a whole new world of rhythm and self-expression through percussion, and it is Mike's aim to help empower people to build their own rhythm.

Mike also takes pride in making authentic African drums, to satisfy the demand from his students for quality instruments at a reasonable price.

Mike now teaches the joy of music through rhythm to people of all ages. He runs weekly Afro-Latin drumming and percussion workshops at the Literary Institute in Harbord (near Manly), which explore the bond between West African and Latin rhythms. Mike also loves to perform locally, and encourages his regular students to join in the experience with him!

With his music associate and harpist, Cliona Molins, Mike also runs weekly music sessions for the very young. Mike and Cliona run "Kids Music" for ages 2-5 at   "Waves", the Harbord Diggers Youth Club.

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John May (B. Education)

John has traveled, lived and worked in several countries, gathering rhythms, stories, dances and wisdom. With a deep passion for his work, John creates rich learning experiences, dynamically connecting groups to themselves and each other through music, movement and play. He has brought his gifts to community gatherings, school children, differently-abled adults, men recently out of prison, university groups, and the corporate world throughout Australia and overseas.

John May has a Bachelor of Education, majoring in Mathematics and Religious Education. In 1993 he co-facilitated a boy's home in New Zealand offering music, sport, meditation and creative play. After teaching in several schools, John moved his passion for education from the classroom to community halls, the corporate arena, and creative workshop spaces in natural settings. Between 1996-1999, John trained in transpersonal psychology - the development of emotion intelligence, heightening the individual's awareness of their relationship to self, others and the world. John's continuing personal journey of developing his wholeness and connecting to that which gives him life creates a natural joyous flow of energy to share with others.

As founder of a percussion and dance group ' Hands Heart and Feet' , John works as a performer in community festivals and street parades. Most recently he has contributed to the Songlines Festival in the Blue Mountains, and the Asian Music and Dance Festival at the Sydney Opera House. John is also a recognised drum maker. He creates a variety of magnificent hand and stick drums, and runs drum building workshops supporting people to create their own.

As a highly skilled and intuitive facilitator, John is able to guide groups of different size, energy and enthusiasm on a journey of discovery at both the personal and collective level.