Customer Reviews

The Healing Power of the Drum

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This is a must have book in any person interested in the field of percussion, music therapy, or wellness. As a drummer and psychotherapist Robert Friedman guides the reader through the experience of using the drum as a tool for therapy and healing. What has been known for centuries by other cultures of the world comes to life in Friemdman's book. He uses stories from expert percussionists such as Layne Redmond and Babatunde Olatunji as well as noted music therapists Barry Bernstein and Christine Stevens among many others to convey that the drum is a powerful and useful tool in therapy. Friedman inculded many helpful sections such as drumming with specific populations such as At-Risk Adolescents, Senior Citizens, Autism, Down Syndrome, and many others. A section on specific drumming activities is included as well as an extensive list of drum related resources. This book is a pleasure to read and learn from. On a personal level I appreciate that several times in the book Friedman recommends consulting a music therapist to assist with therapeutic drumming interventions. He clearly recognizes and supports the use of music as a vital part of the therapeutic process and guides the reader to many sources where they can explore their rhythmic spirit. This book should be required reading for anyone entering the healthcare field. I personally recommend this book to my percussion students and fellow music therapists and know that many more would benefit from reading this wonderful work.

A compelling and well written book for anyone interested in mind-body-heart/soul interaction. Robert Friedman does well integrating medicine-science with the deeper rhythms of our being. Mr. Friedman taught me that the drum is no toy but a cross-cultural healing tool. Since reading the book I have begun incorporating Mr. Friedman's music-therapy drumming exercises with my patients;allowing them a new way to express both negitive and positive emotions in their sessions. I found the book to be a wonderful, scholarly (but very enjoyable) treatise.

I first met Robert Friedman at a Drum Away Your Stress workshop in New York. I actually went more as an observer since I was in the process of leading similar programs. Robert quickly realized that I was also a drummer and so we initiated a connection between us which has led to much fun and shared information. The Healing Power Of The Drum has become my number one resource book. Last week I led a rhythm circle in a nursing home. I consulted Robert's little gem and was totally inspired by the research and stories about his work with the elderly and more specifically Alzheimer's patients. He talks about brainwave study and drummings effects on attention span. Reading his accounts filled me with hands on information and also totally inspired me to working with these magnificent people in a very meaningful way. Whether it is working with school children, corporate executives or simple community events,Robert's book always has something very useful and motivating for me. The drum is so much more than I ever imagined it could be. I used to see it as a musical instrument to have fun with and entertain others. In actuality it is so much more. After reading The Healing Power OF The Drum one is left with a sense of how truly sacred this simple hand drum really is. It's power to communicate, open the heart, summon the divine and heal the inner self is quite miraculous. Robert Friedman has us discover this truth with writing that is eloquent yet practical. The book invites you in and once there you can feel the rhythms jumping right off of the pages. I recommend this book to everyone, since the strongest rhythm in existance,the heartbeat,is inside all of us.

Excellent book that discusses how drumming has been a useful "healing tool" for alzheimers patients, drug detox, speech therapies, grief, parkinsons and more. It makes sense that "....rhythm accesses the brain globally. For instance vision is in one part of the brain, speech another, but music uses the whole brain, so that anything musical can reach the brain through different pathways. In addition we seem to have a need for the structure rhythm provides. Rhythm helps us organize our reality." p59. This book was very valuable to me in my own healing process. We all go through times when we feel out of sync. Drumming helps us to realign with ourselves and connect to our own heart beat in a grounded way. I drum everyday and I love it. Its just an amazing therapy. I recommend this book highly to all interested.

This is a very intriguing book that discusses how drumming / rhythm making can relieve stress, inspire confidence, create connection, promote teamwork, purge anger / frustration, build (or repair) relationships, and unlock positive energy in human beings, and thus, open doors to genuine wellness and happiness for those who are willing to participate. The author celebrates the drum as a special instrument that, like no other, possesses the almost magical ability to feed the yearning / wounded human spirit that is often lost (neglected) in today's fast-paced, often-depressing, technology driven world. In the first chapter, Friedman states, "Through providing a channel back to our deeper nature, the drum concurrently provides those who use it with a link to others. The drum seems to have the capacity to unite all individuals who choose to experience it together. Despite race, religion, color, creed, background, or ideology, all are joined together through this ancient instrument's calling. The drum, therefore, becomes a vehicle for transporting all who utilize it across boundaries, to an experience of wholeness and community" (page 8). So, perhaps, according to this author's ideas, drumming is the great glue that holds humanity together; it's a language that all can understand. The forgiving drum allows the freedom of individual expression and the binding of togetherness to happen simultaneously--the balance of opposing tendencies in human experience, an intimate embrace of both the Apollonian and the Dionysian souls; drumming can potentially offer a catharsis. [I liked the author's allusions to Taoism as he explained these points.]

While there can be debatable points in the book, the information does provoke thought and self-analysis in how one is affected by the rhythms of the world and personal rhythms. In my opinion, the following sections themselves justify the price of the book for their enlightened, useful ideas:

Chapter Three: The Ancient Calling
[I especially liked the given quote by Mickey Hart that Friedman offered on page 23: ""If you could see your DNA, you'd see what your inside rhythm looks like. You are rhythm. You are made of flesh, blood, bones, and rhythm. Rhythm is what keeps you alive."]

Chapter Four: The Personal Experience of Drumming
[This section describes how drumming can have profound and lasting effects on one's life.]

Chapter Ten: Practical Techniques & Rhythm Activities
[Simple ideas to get one started with drumming activities are here.]

Chapter Eleven: Drumming Exercises from Musical Therapy
[Most helpful is the section, "What are your life rhythms?" if you answer questions honestly. ]

Rhythm and Percussion Resources
[An excellent lists of people, products, organizations, and contacts. Beginners will find this section especially helpful.]

Things I would have liked to see in book but didn't: 1) I wanted to see more specific details and examples in Chapter Nine: Skeptics and Visionaries; and 2) I would like to see more pictures of people / different populations drumming and drum / percussion instruments themselves.

Nevertheless, the book begs to be read and discussed. It would be appropriate for educators, therapists, youth group coordinators, trainers, parents, healthcare providers, motivators, and anyone who wishes to explore new avenues of personal, professional, and social development. The book might make an intriguing, interdisciplinary choice for a supplemental textbook in college sociology, wellness, communication, humanities, and music appreciation courses.

I have read "The Healing Power of the Drum" and highly recommend it!
Let me also interject- I am very discriminating with regard to the books I recommend; to be perfectly honest, this is the first time I have ever posted one of these online reviews... but I really wanted to let people know -- this book is an absolute must-read.

The Healing Power of the Drum has taught me so much about how drumming can benefit one's health. It helped me with my father (who has been suffering from Parkinson's disease for 18 years) and it also supplied the tools I needed to get through the recent death of a close friend.

As a Rehabilitation Trainer, I deal with a lot of people who are trying to recover from what are often devastating circumstances. Many are trying to regain not only their physical, but also their mental strength. To help my patients understand the benefits of the mind/body connection, I give each of them a copy of Friedman's book. I would be hard-pressed to find a single one of them who has not benefitted from this book in some way.

I recently saw Mr. Friedman on a Discovery Channel Health series, as an expert on drumming and wellness. I found his ideas, as in his book, to be not only extremely inspiring... but also very easy to implement. The bottom line, Mr. Friedman provides innovative ideas and solutions in the arena of complementary medicine and rhythm that real people can use in the real world.

I met Robert Friedman at the Enlightened Warrior Training camp in Malaysia last October. I was delighted by his drumming and music workshop. At the time of the workshop, everybody felt extremely tired as one can imagine at a warrior training camp, but playing the drums under Robert's instructions truly transformed the atmosphere of the room. Everybody started to lighten up, feel re-energized, smile, play and even dance and sing. We could have played forever. All the participants had a fabulous time, having fun, connecting with each other, getting to know our fellow classmates for their inner qualities rather than for their image or appearance. In the playful mode we all entered, the mind was gently silenced. It was extremely refreshing to just be spontaneous instead of listening to our constant stream of thoughts, which are for most of them, non- supportive and make us feel down and powerless. I felt the progressive yet powerful transformation of everybody's mood in the room. Instead of having some people sad or angry in one part of the room and others happy, and some others in a corner, just thinking without paying attention to anybody, we all turned into compassionate beings, caring for each other, truly wishing co-create our own music masterpiece and meet as we circled up. In my case, reading the book has just made me feel even more convinced of the healing power of the drum, for I had experienced it at the camp. What I like is that it does not only offers the reader warm stories and testimonials about people feeling happier because of the drum, it also describes an extensive list of illnesses that can dramatically improve thanks to the regular practice of the drum. Use it to open your heart, feel energized, gain confidence, go through grievance, improve health, coordination, communicate with your family friends and colleagues, etc. The fact is that the list is endless. Slowly but surely you get convinced that drumming should be part of everybody's life and while you can't necessarily convince others of that, it is not important as you will know you have to integrate this sacred activity into your life and that, will inspire all around you! I am so happy to recommend this book to you. You'd make a mistake by not reading it, but whatever you decide, please avoid the mistake of not trying the drums for yourself! Happy drumming!
To all and all my fellow warriors, AHO!
Linda (Laughing Dolphin)

At a time when the concept of rhythm and drumming is being embraced as a health strategy, Robert Lawrence Freidman captures the current landscape of who's who in developing both the science and practice of drumming for healing purposes.

From music therapists and professional percussionists to scientific researchers and medical doctors, Robert has interviewed them all and highlights their work in this excellent book. Also included are Robert's ideas about using drumming for stress reduction and a wonderful resources in the back of the book on activities using rhythm and percussion for health and wellness.

Excellent Excellent Excellent.

Boom - Ba - Boom - Ba - Boom - Boom - Boom. Makes you want to play and helps you understand why.

I first heard about the healing effects that drums can have about six weeks ago. I had bought a Woman's World magazine at the market, and saw an article in it about a lady who suffered from depression,and was feeling so much better, after she had used Christine Steven's healing drum kit system!Wow! What a unique concept! I am a very "amp-ed" up person,and I wondered if the drum could help me unwind at night.I ordered the kit through Amazon, and use it nightly! I LOVE IT!!So,when I saw this book, I KNEW I had to order it. This is quite remarkable,how simple drumming can have so many health benefits! If you are the least bit curious about this topic,may I suggest you pick this item up? It is an easy read, informative, and it surely does make you think! I can see what listening to my drum CD's have done for me this past month...I am more relaxed, and lulled into sleep, PLUS....my blood pressure was LOWER than usual this week, at the Clinic! Have you had your daily dose of Vitamin D {drum}????

This book makes a decent attempt at educating on the benefits of music as a tool in the healing process. However, I was very disappointed at the lack of scholarship and knowledge the author presented. Information that has been know to and practiced by music therapy for years was presented as if the author had discovered a new profession.
Music therapy is the prescribed by professional music therapist that undergo a great deal of education, training, and clinical experience. The author is not a music therapist. I was disappointed at the author's pretend expertise on a subject he is not well educated in.
I recommend that anyone seriously interested in the healing effects of the drum, check out some of the great research and literature out there by REAL music therapists.