Online Tutoring May Be Offered at Manchester
Noah Tong
Students gathered at the Petersime Chapel on Wednesday, November 7, 2018, at 7 p.m. for the circle of drums event held by the Campus Interfaith Board. Students were given warm drinks such as tea or apple cider. Snacks were also available, ranging from a pumpkin roll, chips or fruit.
At the front of the church sat drums, maracas, and a rain stick surrounded by a circle of chairs. Students were encouraged to grab an instrument, then take a seat. They were then instructed on the different ways to beat on a drum, from hitting the center with the palm of the hand, to flicks of the finger, all producing a variety of sounds. After the brief explanation, students were given a moment to get the feel of their instruments by playing them.
There were a variety of games played, one of which a student stood in the middle of the circle, motioning for students to play either louder, quieter, or not at all. This also included which groups of students played their instrument. Later in the evening, a drum was placed in the middle of the room, someone would play a rhythm on the drum and everyone else followed along. They would beat loudly, quietly, or in whatever pattern the person at the center of the room played.
The final event, one that was unplanned and brought up by another student as an idea, was to have the students play along to a traditional Native American song that they knew. They began singing and playing their own rhythm. Soon students joined with their own series of rhythms, all coming together in song. The night ended with a distant sounding Celtic song, one made powerful by the beating of the drums.