Tithing is giving a percentage of what God
has given you in your life, back to your church.
My church is the Church of rhythm.
Where ever I go in the world, I look for the opportunity to
facilitate a free event that has a population in it that needs the experience,
doesn't know what a gift a drum circle event could be for them, Or they do
know, but can't afford to hire a facilitator to bring drums and give them a DC
experience.
Here is a report on the two tithing gigs that I have done so
far on my Playshop tour in Malaysia and Singapore.
Malaysia: Malaysia Parkinson's Disease Association
The Parkinson's center is where Muhaini decided to practice.
But she fell in love with that community and stayed their DCFacilitator for
years.
She is not just practicing any more, she is "Doing it"!
The Parkinson's Disease center is not a live in site, but a simple support
center. The families drive the Parkinson patients to the center for different
events and the once a week Drum Circle. With family mixed in with the
Parkinson's Disease patients, the drum circle turns into "Family
Friendly" event.
Because it is held outdoors, the drum circle serenades the neighborhood and
attracts people from blocks a way who come and participate. Because of that,
the circle has now become a weekly community drum circle.
Community and family is just what the Parkinson's Disease patients need.
One of the major benefactors of the center, Dato Tan Hang Kim, came by to see
the drum circle the last time I was there. Dato is a title that is bestrode to
a respected person It means grand father or Sir as in a person who is Knighted
in England.
He was very impressed with the enthusiastic participation by the patients in
the drum circle event.
We were drumming outside under a small Patio overhang with a canopy tent
snuggled next to it in order to create as much shade as possible. It did not
give us all the shade that the community of drummers needed. The circle
population was mostly crowded together under the shade, and it was a little
sparse in the sunlight.
When Dato Tan Hang Kim saw that some of the players had to play in the hot sunlight, he told Sara that he will buy coigated canopy that would shade the patio area.
He kept his promise and when I arrived back at the Parkinson's Disease Association this time to do my Tithing gig, there was a new permanent coigated canopy covering the whole patio area, complete with 4 large wall mounted fans.
There was a group of youth visiting from the medical collage that day. I put them into the center circle as my shills and worked them as my rhythmical platform, as I facilitated the outer circle more and let the inner circle of youth play a lot more.
It is wonderful to watch the immediate effects of what
drumming does to the people with tremors and uncontrollable shaking. When most
of them played the tremors would stop until they would stop playing. I made me
not want to stop the grooves for any amount of time.
The result was I worked the Medical collage kids hard in the center of the
circle, keeping them going while I sculpted out and played with different
segments of the Parkinson's Disease patients.
Singapore: St Joseph Home for the Elderly
St Joseph Home is located at "The End" of Singapore
Island and within sight of the Malaysian mainland.
It is a well known Catholic Old folks home in Singapore. The Home is run by the
"Canossian Nuns". Canossian is a family of nuns that run schools,
homes like this one, and Convents all over the world.
OneHeartBeat did a rhythm event with the nuns at the home. Then they helped
start a regular drum circle. They trained some nurses in the home to do basic
facilitation and then handed it over to them in order for it to become a self
sustaining ongoing event.
St Joseph bought a REMO drum circle kit from Swee Lee music so that they could
have their own "In House" weekly drum circle.
Now they hold small drum circles each week for the people living at St Joseph
Home and once a month they open the event up to the surrounding community. This
event was a "Full House" event.
Vicky, Aden, and Syed were there with me and we had a great time
co-facilitation this tithing event with the elders. Since more than 1/3rd of
the participants were in wheel chairs I facilitated most of the event sitting
down. (Thank You Heather McTavish)
Tithing is a part of my walk and talk. Giving back to the
"Church of Rhythm" through Tithing is good for the facilitator, and
also for the community. Doing Tithing helps you to remember your roots by
giving it away.
So every once in a while, Do a Drum Circle for free.
It will always come back to you 10 fold, in positive ways that you can't
imagine.
Life is such a wonderful dance... Give it away when ever you can....
Arthur in Korea
Arthur
Hull
Village Music Circles(tm)
719 Swift Street Suite 65
Santa Cruz CA 95060
1-831-458-1946
mailto:arthurian%40drumcircle.com
http://www.drumcircle.com/