Drumming for Health, Happiness and Wellbeing was a series of fun, joyful and rhythmic drumming performances and workshops delivered by Wakefield Djembe Circle. These activities were supported with funding from the Creative Partners Grant Scheme (Wakefield City Council) with additional funding support from the Creative Minds Grant Scheme (South West Yorkshire NHS Foundation Trust). Wakefield Djembe Circle are a local African-style drumming community group who seek to share their love of drumming, together with the health benefits it brings with people and communities throughout the Wakefield region. They do this through putting on public performances, busking, participating in creative collaborations and offering drumming workshops. Members of the group feel that drumming has enriched their lives and believe that to engage with rhythm and sound is to connect with a therapeutic process that brings a range of health benefits including; uplifted mood, improved coordination and confidence levels. Being a part of the group has enabled friendships to develop between people in an atmosphere of tolerance, respect and mutual caring and understanding, and members wanted to reach out and share these positive qualities and creative connections with others.

It was at the group’s ArtWalk performance – held in the library and also in the museum at Wakefield One – that Wakefield Djembe Circle first encountered the CoActive dance and drama group. A joyful collaboration erupted spontaneously between the two groups and the library was soon rocking to rhythm and expressive dance in a way never previously seen there before! It was a truly wonderful event.

Both groups expressed a desire to work together again in the future, and Wakefield Djembe Circle would like to give thanks to the Creative Partners Grant Scheme

as it was this funding support that made it possible for subsequent activities with CoActive to take place. These activities included a collaboration that was a part of the Yorkshire Festival ‘Get Wakefield Moving’ event in celebration of the Tour De France Grand Depart programme held in Coronation Gardens. Here are some links to videos of this event posted on Wakefield Djembe Circle’s Facebook page… https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=826228837408249&set=vb.467277279970075&type=2&theater https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=826032474094552&set=vb.467277279970075&type=2&theater https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=826051457425987&set=vb.467277279970075&type=2&theater

In addition to the weekly public and subsided workshops that Wakefield Djembe Circle held throughout the year at Lightwaves Leisure Centre, the group also provided a series of specially commissioned workshops attended by CoActive together with a workshop for members of the Stroke Association. The African rhythms played by the group are infectious and often participants would enjoy dancing to the sounds of the drums as well as playing them. And yet, alongside all of the fun, learning and a sense of connection was being nurtured through listening to others and working together to create something shared. Wakefield Djembe Circle also delivered a series of commissioned workshops to NHS South West Yorkshire Partnership Mental Health service providers at New Haven and Newton Lodge. These were well attended and the feedback received from staff, service users and carers was really positive, with people saying how much they enjoyed the activity and how uplifting they found the experience to be? Of those 25% who responded to requests for feedback, 100% said their mood had improved after participating in the drumming workshop and 100% said that they would like to continue djembe drumming. Some of these participants and their carers were able to attend the weekly sessions that Wakefield Djembe Circle hold at Lightwaves Leisure Centre. While percentages and numerical data can be useful indicators, they can only point – in a somewhat limited way – towards outcomes. They cannot describe the positive energy, joy and sheer buzz felt by many of those who participated in these activities. These feelings do come across, however, in the online videos and photographic recordings of these events. African djembe hand drumming proved to be an ideal activity for all of the participants as it provided an immediate way for people to share in the joys of creating rhythmic music together with no prior experience or skills being needed.