Just a reminder that we drum again on Sunday, October 20 from 7pm-8pm at the Bob Chisholm Community Center (BCCC) in Seaside. Chairs are provided by the venue.
Are you new to drumming and want some drumming tips? Bebe and Russ will be at the BCCC at 6:30pm for anyone that would like some one-on-one drumming before the circle gets grooving.
Are you interested in playing along to some different grooves? Check out the Universal Groove Play Along album by James Asher and Arthur Hull:
Let’s gather for sunset drumming on Saturday, August 31 at 7:00 pm at Gearhart Park. This park is at the end of Pacific Way in Gearhart. (Turn off highway 101 at the dairy queen in Gearhart.) We had around 30 people last week. The sunset was something to remember. Please bring a chair. We’ll have extra drums on hand. See you soon!
July 6 July 6 2019 Open drum circle. Seaside Oregon. The first Saturday of the month. 7:00 pm. We are in the Bob Chisholm Community Center. Kick in a $10.00 donation to cover renting the venue. Join us on July 6th 2019 for some good solid drumming at the Bob Chisolm Community Center.
We think we can sneak in another outdoor drumming event. Let’s gather for sunset drumming on Tuesday, September 24 at 6:15pm at Gearhart Park at the end of Pacific Way in Gearhart.
Note the time change; sunset keeps getting earlier. We’ll have extra drums on hand. Please bring a chair.
Like us on facebook at Whale Spirit Drum Circle for event updates.
Let’s gather for sunset drumming on Thursday, August 15 at 7:45pm at Gearhart Park at the end of Pacific Way in Gearhart. We’ll have extra drums on hand. Please bring a chair. Sunset is at 8:24pm. See you there!
Like us on facebook at Whale Spirit Drum Circle for event updates.
We are gathering for sunset drumming on Friday, August 9 at 7:45pm at Gearhart Park at the end of Pacific Way in Gearhart. Note the time change; sunset keeps getting earlier We’ll have extra drums on hand. Please bring a chair. Sunset is at 8:34 pm.
Our August 2019 monthly indoor drum circle was a large success. We now have a large group of regular drummers along with newcomers. We have always said all are welcome and we had a few kids this time who added to the circle. The circle has a standing once a month gathering the first Saturday of every month at 7:00, at the Bob Chism Community Center. (Kind of behind the Safeway in Seaside Oregon.) We also add additional outside drumming like the even on August 9, 2019. The demand is growing for drumming on the North Oregon Coast!
More than 30 people came to Whale Spirt Drum Circle Gearhart Park on August 1, 2019. This was a mid week short notice event. We jump on taking advantage of our breathtaking setting when the weather is nice.
Hello Whale Spirit Drummers — Need some peaceful outdoor summer sunset drumming this week? Let’s gather tomorrow, Thursday, July 25 at 8:15pm at Gearhart Park. Be sure to bring a chair. Sunset is at 8:53pm. The days are getting shorter, but tomorrow looks to be a beautiful summer day and evening. See you there!
The Whale Spirit Drum Circle is meeting Saturday, July 20th at 8:15 at Gearheart Park. This park is on Pacific Way in Gearhart Oregon. Pacific Way is the main road in to Gearhart from highway 101. The park is where Pacific Way dead ends into the Pacific Ocean. This is a different experience from our monthly gathering at the Community Center in Seaside OR. It is outside with a view of the Ocean. We have this timed to take place when the Sun is setting. Extra drum available for those who want to see what a community drum circle is all about. All welcome.
A group of whale spirit drum circle drummers are gathering on the Seaside beach this summer solstice. If you want to join in, come to the Seaside Beach at 7th Ave. The fire pit will fire up around 8:00 on Friday, June 21st. Bring a drum and a chair if you have them. It will be fun!
The Whale Spirit Drum circle is a loosely facilitated community drum circle. Our facilitators use a light hand in giving direction to the circle. Don’t think of it like an orchestra conductor. Think of it as a coach gently making suggestions. The facilitator might signal for everyone to stop. Or everyone pick up the pace of the drum beat. Or everyone start. Or everyone play softer. But to be one of the cool kids, you should know the hand signals.
DON’T FRET THIS – Ok, I know, thoughts of performance anxiety from 7th grade. But it is not like that. First, once you are in the room you will figure this out. Just do what the person next to you is doing. Second, even if everything falls apart, it is no big deal. So you start a little late, or don’t stop exactly on time, it is not a problem. Starting and stopping a drum circle is kind of like starting and stopping an ocean liner. It is more of a process than an event.
The hand signals.
First comes a signal to pay attention. (The facilitator walks to the center of the circle and raises their hand.)
Next is a signal for what you are expected to do in a few moments from now. (For example a closed fist means that you will be asked to stop drumming in a few moments from now.)
Then then comes a countdown by the facilitator. (The facilitator will raise three fingers, then two fingers, then one finger. Then on the final signal you act.)
The last signal is the same as the first, only now is the time to act! (So after the 3,2,1 countdown, the facilitator will make two fists in a quick action to signal that now is the time to stop.)
It helps if you know the following hand signals.
Hand in the air – Pay attention. Something is about to happen that requires your attention.
Closed fist – dead stop.
Rolling motion of hands – time to start
Both hands in the air raised or lowered – go louder if rising, go softer if lowering.
The facilitator moving their arm to a faster of slower rhythm – speed up or slow down to the rhythm of the facilitator’s movements.
We have a small table in the center of our monthly drum circle. The idea is to place objects on the table that makes us think of the drum circle “mascot”, the Whale Spirit. Ironwood carvings of whales have shown up as well as paintings of whales. We have a new totem for our table! The Seaside Ace hardware store had few iron castings of whale flukes. How perfect. We picked one up then went to the beach to find a driftwood base for our new found whale friend. The creation will now take center stage of the table we gather around for the circle. All we need now is a suitable name for our Mascot, the Whale Spirit. But we can leave that for another day.
