A couple of months ago, I received an email from Marty, the director of a teen cancer organization called “The Sunshine Kids”. He asked me if my theatrical percussion group DrumJam would be available to perform for the 19th annual “Teen Lake Escape” in Lago Vista on July 10th, 2009. He further explained that there would be thirty-two kids under the age of eighteen who had all been diagnosed with cancer and would be attending the event. Unfortunately, I had to decline as my brother, the drummer of the group, was still traveling overseas. But several days later, I remembered an article I had read about the therapeutic benefits for young cancer victims who were engaged in the act of drumming and rhythmic beat, and came up with an idea. I could go to “Teen Lake Escape” solo, and lead the kids to participate in their very own drum jam! I emailed Marty a second time, and he thought it was an excellent idea.
On the morning of July 10th, I gathered together forty different types of percussion instruments that we use in my band, including djembes, dirbekis, a concert bass drum, cowbells, cymbals, snare drums, trashcan lids, wood blocks and various kitchen utensils. I drove almost an hour and a half to the other side of the lake, where the event was being held at an incredible mansion. The kids had been enjoying themselves on the lake all day, taking part in activities such as jet skiing, para sailing, tubing, water skiing and swimming. I was a bit nervous about meeting all these children with a terminal illness. I knew I had to be careful about what I would say, but I also felt that I was on a mission to inspire these kids to not give up, and to keep fighting against their sickness. Apprehensively, I rounded up about thirty-five chairs and put them in a circle on the patio, then placed the bass drum on a stand in the very center. Shortly, all the kids migrated towards the patio, sat down, and waited quietly to see what was in store for them. I stood at the center of the circle and introduced myself. I proceeded by saying, “you may not have known this previously, but all of you are drummers. Since you all have hearts beating inside of you, you all have natural rhythm, and all you need to do is figure out how to communicate that rhythm to the outside world.” I then asked for a volunteer to come to the center with me, and I taught him a very simple beat to play. Next, I passed out a drumstick one by one, teaching each kid a simple beat on his or her unique percussion instrument. As each child entered the circle of drumbeats, the energy and excitement of the group rose. By the time I had included the entire circle of children, everyone was surprisingly playing in beat with everyone else. I was amazed at how fast the kids were able to pick up the rhythm. For about forty-five minutes, I went around the circle, helping the kids change the beat that they were playing, and then encouraging the entire group to experiment with syncopated beats and dynamics. First, we would all play quietly and at a slower speed, and then I would signal for everyone to play faster and louder. Next, I would cut out half of the group and allow for the other half to play, and vice versa. One of the kids who was playing on one of the drums accidentally hit it too hard and broke the drum head. Since he had just recently had his leg amputated and was using crutches to get around, I told him to use one of his metal crutches as a percussion instrument, and the real magic of drumming began!
As it started to get dark outside, I grabbed some water bottles, and asked two volunteers to pour some water on the bass drum I was playing on, which created a cool aqua visual effect. I then asked for other volunteers to get up and play on the bass drum with me. I was able to fit a total of eight kids on the bass drum, all playing the same beat. I then instructed the rest of the group, one by one, to stop playing their instruments and to start clapping to the same beat we were playing on the bass drum. When they started clapping, they would automatically stand up and come in closer to the center. As everyone gathered towards the center of the circle, I asked the bass drum players to stop playing and start clapping instead. We started clapping faster and faster, which resulted in a thunderous applause. It seemed as if we were all applauding ourselves, and a positive feeling of worth and acceptance surmounted.
I am so glad that I was able to be involved in this entertaining civic engagement activity. I have always loved to entertain people and having the opportunity to do so for young children who are terminally ill had been one of the most exciting and fulfilling experiences I have ever had. I felt that I was a little spark of sunshine that could make a tiny difference in one extra day of their lives. I have always told my cousin, a cardio surgeon that he can fix hearts physically and I will fix hearts emotionally. I have been involved with percussive performance for eleven years of my life and I believe the act of drumming is extremely therapeutic.
I have also noticed that in the past, I have acted a bit differently towards people who have a life threatening sickness. I think I am just too scared to become good friends with a person who is sick because I know they might be passing in the near future and I am protecting myself from becoming hurt. My perspective on the situation changed though as I spent six more hours hanging out with the children, telling them stories and playing games with them. All the children that I had met seemed so innocent, they do not deserve this type of sickness. They were extremely smart, friendly, talented and genuine.
Everyone in society is affected by cancer because we all know someone who has had it or who has died from it. Disease is such a detrimental problem in our society, and especially when it is still not fully curable. The process of treating cancer is painful and depressing and when these kids are told that they only have so much time left to live, they are bound to become hopeless.
I truly feel that this activity was effective in solving this social problem. I was only assured by this when a couple days after the event, I had received many emails, facebook messages and text messages from the kids and volunteers at the camp thanking me for my services. They all told me how much fun they had becoming a drummer and how they really enjoyed the experience. When I left the event, I had given them all egg shakers with a sticker on it that said, “The rhythm inside is what keeps you alive”. As I left the mansion and gave everyone a hug, I could also see a sense of urgency and drive within each one of their eyes as some of them knew they had only a certain amount of time left to accomplish their dreams and goals. I felt that I had added an extra shade of brightness to their life and fulfilling the definition of a sunshine kid. :)
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