I've started researching aspects of the core questions of my project, corralling some good books together from the library I work at. Here's what I'm reading:
The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. (Peter M. Senge). Looks at teamwork and organizational effectiveness from a "systems thinking" perspective. A highly cited work.
Frames of Mind: the Theory of Multiple Intelligences. (Howard Gardner) Another highly cited work I've always wanted to read.
Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century. (Howard Gardner) Updating his earlier work with new research and an several added intelligences.
This week I will be speaking with Keith Russell, a librarian colleague from Kansas who also works part time in his human resource office's Organizational Effectiveness unit (I think it's called). He's also a versed in group drumming as an staff development tool, so it will be good to ask him some questions and get his opinion on team-building.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tempo
Some reflections on Native American drumming:
We visited the Makato Pow-wow/Wacipi this past weekend, and I was amazed by the power of the traditional drumming. It was a feeling of being deep into a way of life. The drummers and singers kept a heartbeat to which the dancers danced. In the twlight, it was a unique site to see.
I watched the men sitting around the drum during one of the dances (one group of 32 drum groups which were there that weekend!)...Each person had a unique "voice" in playing the drum, and in keeping the beat. Sometimes the beat would be steady, and then one man would start an alternate rhythm to the main one. Their singing voices were in tune with the drumming, and the drumming was in tune with the dancers. It was really a show of unity, above all else.
If I could draw some conclusions from this brief dip into another culture, one which is all too often forgotten, especially in this region, I would say that there is a culture of drumming, just as there is a culture of dancing, of traditional arts, and of singing. The fact that the drum itself, and the drum beat, was a focal point of the event, the movement, and the meaning, is sort of a revelation to me. It would be interesting to see how this native culture of drumming works--what the men did, how they feel, what they know, who they are....what lessons could I draw from them?
Someone told me that drums and drumming had been "demonized " over the past century or so, and that it's been pushed to the side in our modern culture (except perhaps in rock and jazz bands!). Thankfully, the drums are alive and well, at least in a native culture within our dominant, non-drum-friendly (that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but that's how I feel) culture.
My goals is to drum up some research, which so far is sorely lacking from this project.
We visited the Makato Pow-wow/Wacipi this past weekend, and I was amazed by the power of the traditional drumming. It was a feeling of being deep into a way of life. The drummers and singers kept a heartbeat to which the dancers danced. In the twlight, it was a unique site to see.
I watched the men sitting around the drum during one of the dances (one group of 32 drum groups which were there that weekend!)...Each person had a unique "voice" in playing the drum, and in keeping the beat. Sometimes the beat would be steady, and then one man would start an alternate rhythm to the main one. Their singing voices were in tune with the drumming, and the drumming was in tune with the dancers. It was really a show of unity, above all else.
If I could draw some conclusions from this brief dip into another culture, one which is all too often forgotten, especially in this region, I would say that there is a culture of drumming, just as there is a culture of dancing, of traditional arts, and of singing. The fact that the drum itself, and the drum beat, was a focal point of the event, the movement, and the meaning, is sort of a revelation to me. It would be interesting to see how this native culture of drumming works--what the men did, how they feel, what they know, who they are....what lessons could I draw from them?
Someone told me that drums and drumming had been "demonized " over the past century or so, and that it's been pushed to the side in our modern culture (except perhaps in rock and jazz bands!). Thankfully, the drums are alive and well, at least in a native culture within our dominant, non-drum-friendly (that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but that's how I feel) culture.
My goals is to drum up some research, which so far is sorely lacking from this project.
Monday, September 1, 2008
SummerFall Again
The time of change between the seasons of summer and fall, SummerFall, is here again. The tone of the less hectic schedule of summer quickens to the more staccato pace of coursework, libraries, and Professional Development Plans. It is a time also a time for evaluating and reflecting, and setting off on new adventures.
I'm setting a similar course on this blog, in keeping the beat of the previous project. My goal now is to deepen my skills as a facilitator, using the Health Rhythms protocol, as well as to learn more about group dynamics, teamwork, and communication.
That's where I'm at, and I'm excited to start. Despite my nerves, I'll try to keep that beat. Watch this space for more.
I'm setting a similar course on this blog, in keeping the beat of the previous project. My goal now is to deepen my skills as a facilitator, using the Health Rhythms protocol, as well as to learn more about group dynamics, teamwork, and communication.
That's where I'm at, and I'm excited to start. Despite my nerves, I'll try to keep that beat. Watch this space for more.
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