This psychologist works to the beat of a different drum
(August/September 2000 Issue)

Charles Kaplan, Ph.D., a Connecticut-based psychologist, recently founded RhythmWorks Organizational Development, a business that offers what he calls "participatory learning workshops for corporate and educational clients" using rhythm-based activities. After discovering the power of hand drumming on a Hawaiian island some five years ago, Kaplan researched its effects on group dynamics and mood states as part of his doctoral work at the University of Connecticut. Armed with his Ph.D. in 1999, he began offering hand drumming programs to businesses and school groups. Massachusetts Psychologist's Catherine Robertson Souter spoke with Kaplan about his unique endeavor.

Q: How does one get involved in something like this?
A: My whole life has been musical. Then, about five years ago, I began to take classes in hand drumming and organized some community drumming events at the University of Connecticut. I was struck by the effects on participants. Since then it has become my passion. I went to West Africa twice to study with master drummers there and really became immersed. I found that the doctoral research that I did supported what I already felt intuitively about drumming - that people who play this kind of music together tend to feel closer to each other during and after the rhythm making and moods generally improve. There is a primal sensibility that people resonate with, even if they have never played a drum. Most everyone who plays with the group has the sense that they've been there before.

Q: Why?
A: I think that there are a few reasons, both biological and anthropological. The first sound we hear as a fetus, prior to birth, is the pounding of our mother's heart beat, consistent and strong. That gives us an innate understanding of rhythmic space. We are also naturally inclined to "entrain" to rhythms. When a powerful rhythm is created, our heart and breathing rates tend to align with the dominant rhythmic music being made. There is scientific support for mood state improvement when groups of individuals entrain in this way. From an anthropological perspective, drumming is associated with our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Humans have gathered in community settings for millions of years. Drum educator Rick Liegel said it well, "The drum calls all of us. People have been playing drums since there was fire." And so we are drawn to drumming by something primal.

Q: What are the benefits for the participant?
A: Stress relief is one application, but it is not my primary focus. Mainly, the work I've done is in corporate settings, a combination of team building and ice breaking; for example, after a company merger or realignment. My research and field experience suggests that over 90 percent of participants find positive effects. Hand drums are the only truly accessible musical instrument for non-musicians. There is a certain amount of performance anxiety however, for those who have never played music and a big release when they discover that they are not going to embarrass themselves and that they can contribute meaningfully to the group sound. Also group drumming cuts across cultures; all walks participate, from top-level executives to blue collar workers. It's really 180-degrees different from a motivational speaker or pseudo adventure games. This is really an authentic form of gathering as a group, and very accessible.

Q: Are there others who do this type of work?
A: There are a few others who do, mostly in schools and community settings. Very few are doing what RhythmWorks does, taking group drumming into the workplace, to corporations and university events. I do this on a rather large scale in groups from 20 to 150, accompanied by a small staff of professional music educators.

Q: Do the instruments you use play a large role in the experience?
A: We work with really beautiful, professional quality instruments that I select in West Africa. Traditional, full-size, carved wooden drums with skins stretched over them by hand. They sound beautiful and add to the authenticity of the work. People enter the room, see beautiful instruments, and they realize the presenter has done a lot to put this together. This primes the participants for focused effort and achievement.

Q: You have also brought the program to schools?
A: We have been working with freshmen orientation programs at universities. Group drumming with incoming students is a great icebreaker for them. It sends a message of group empowerment, cultural diversity and task commitment. I also love to work with children. It helps me to refine my program for adults. Children are very direct. If they are bored you will find them scratching their bellies or yawning or looking away. Kids can really sense if you are being genuine. And they resonate with my own passion for sharing drumming. Of course, there is a child in every adult, looking for a way to play, to celebrate life and gather as community.

Q: What do you like the most about your work?
A: Sharing the opportunity to make music with people who have never done so before. That in itself is powerful.

Q: How does this work speak to you, as a psychologist?
A: I think if you can find a way to do work which is scientifically sound, of service to others and also personally rewarding, then you are a successful psychologist. I love what I do and feel people who come to my programs can see that. If you're working on something that you believe in, then give it your all, it's your way of shining a positive light on the world.