This June, we shared a presentation called “A Special Need for Music: Hands-On Drumming for Non-Musicians: Anyone Can Share Music” at the 2024 Milestones National Autism Conference in cooperation with the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio. Over 700 participants came from 16 states and five countries! The Tri-C Corporate College hosted the in-person event for the first time since COVID-19. It was great to interact with other professionals and share our ways of teaching music.
Our professional development programs can be tailored to your specific needs. We have presented to music educators, intervention specialists, and special education professionals. We include topics like music and speech, rote learning, how to plan a session, adapting lessons, what equipment to use, and anything else participants may request. Our in-person events always have several drums for attendees to try so they can learn just like the students do. We can also provide virtual consultations and online presentations.
We typically begin our sessions with a brief background of how our drumming started with one student, turned into a weekly middle school class, made its way to high school students, and ended up at an adult vocational program. Next, we have volunteers take a drum, learn some fundamental strokes and basic rhythms, and then learn how to apply them to songs. There are several opportunities for a variety of volunteers.
More professional development is on the way. It was recently announced that we will be clinicians at the 2025 Ohio Music Education Association Professional Development Conference on Thursday, February 6th at 5:00 PM at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland. Stay in touch for the latest information. Links to our social media accounts can be found at the bottom of our website pages. We will announce coming events, post clips from presentations, feature performances, and share free lessons! Let us know if you would like us to share our teaching style with your organization.
You can purchase our book from our website or at any of our appearances. Our subscription website LearnWithDrums.com is a great way to learn, practice, and perform along with Mr. Howell, and you can always email any special questions if you need help.
Happy Drumming!
