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Drum Workshops for People with DisabilitiesThe Drum Workshop offers a range of ensemble programs for people with disabilities, including physical and cognitive limitations and mental illness. The Drum Workshop has had great success in this arena. Our goals are to engage people with disabilities in a physically active, cognitively challenging social activity, enhance self esteem, and provide opportunities for self expression, a participatory social environment, opportunities for growth as musicians, a sense of belonging, and activity which is therapeutic physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We have designed a clamping device that allows a variety of drums to be attached directly to a wheel chair and positioned on any plane appropriate for the drummer. This allows many people to play who might otherwise have difficulty reaching the instruments. It also allows those who require the support of their chairs to stay in them as they participate in the program. The Drum Workshop is currently involved in a base line study/curriculum development program for children on the autism spectrum and their families. We are experimenting with a broad array of ensemble techniques and methods to determine what kinds of activities are most helpful in a huge range of situations, and for groups of individuals who typically exhibit the ability to participate on different levels, and to different degrees. Our main objective is to enhance socialization and communicative abilities between the participants. Programmatic goals are determined and oriented both toward the individual and the group as a whole.
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