Name: Spring into Drumming: Free Workshop
Start: 2026-04-04T10:00:00-04:00
Location: Howe Center, Bldg #5, Rutland (city), VT, United States, Vermont 05701

“Baby, baby, can’t you feel your heart beat?” You can when you Spring forward into better physical and mental health with ethnic drumming. Come learn about the power of drumming at Drum Journeys of Earth’s Open House on Saturday, April 4 at 10am. This free event will be at Rhythm Hall on the 2nd floor of Building 5 at the Howe Center, Rutland, VT.
There will be demonstrations of ethnic drumming including West African Djembe and the Heart & Ritual of the Medicine Drum. The audience will be encouraged to join in.
Beginning Djembe class will be on Wednesdays, 7pm, starting April 8th. Heart & Ritual of the Medicine Drum class will be Thursdays, 7pm, starting April 9th.
Rhythm is a universal language that allows us to connect with our inner selves and with community. It’s meditative quality that calms our minds and reduces anxiety. Drumming also boosts activity in the brain’s neural pathways leading to “brain plasticity,” enhanced memory and other cognitive skills.
Research shows that group drumming improves concentration, reduces stress, alleviates pain and boosts the immune system. What’s more, the mental and physical engagement is exhilarating, making it ideal for young and old alike. There is a multi-sensory engagement involving visual, audio and tactile.
Drum Journeys of Earth and its students are widely known for leading the Rutland Halloween Parade as the Drumming Skeletons. Students have also performed at First Night, at the Northern New York NAACP Fundraising dinner, with Soul Bath Trance Dance, and the Twice Baked Orchestra.
The school offers classes and performances in a variety of ethnic drumming styles, including West African Djembe; Latin; Native American drumming; Middle Eastern Doumbek; Irish Bodhran; and Rhythm, Rubbish, Rush, which is a combination of trash drumming and body percussion. DJE also offers drumming for children. For more information or to join Beginning classes, please call 802-282-2581, email [email protected], or log on to www.GaryMeitrottUnlimited.org.
As a Broadway actor, and founder/director of Drum Journeys of Earth (DJE), Gary Meitrott brings his theatrical talents to drum circles, performances and workshops, in addition to his weekly classes. His vibrations reach out to the community, creating a ripple that touches all ages – inviting them to come and play with the drum.
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