An Introduction to the Art of Drum Circle Facilitation

Arthur Hull narrates an overview of the 4-step Village Music Circles Drum Circle Facilitation protocol in this video featuring footage from drum circles at the Seattle World Rhythm Festival, NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) convention, and Arthur’s Playshop in Barcelona, Spain. Please visit to learn more about rhythm event facilitation trainings around the world. Time stamps for the protocol steps: 00:00 Introduction: What are Drum Circles? Who do they help, and what are they used for? 02:20 How to set up a drum circle 07:42 The 7 elements of Drum Call 12:03 The 3 reasons to make a facilitation intervention 12:50 VMC facilitation protocol, Stage 1 - Dictator mode: Teach basic facilitation signals with full-group interventions. 17:08 Stage 2 - Director mode: Direct the group’s attention to the musical elements that help the music sound good by sculpting and highlighting various sub-groups (e.g. by section, instrument type, gender,