Village Music Circles

Facilitating Human Potential Through Rhythm

Facilitators’ Playshops & Trainings

Inspired Leadership • Community Building • Recreational Drumming

“... a life changing experience.”

Lean how you can use rhythm to facilitate your
community to its highest potential.

Now, more than ever, we find ourselves seeking ways to build community with an intention to serve, to inspire and to reach beyond what separates us. Playing music together puts us in touch with the creative force that directly connects with our humanity.

Village Music Circles™ offers a variety of accredited programs that use rhythm to explore and inspire group empowerment, leadership and community building.

In as little as one weekend, you will experience the transformative process of building a community while learning the skills required to facilitate your own rhythm events. Village Music Circles playshops and trainings will teach you how to inspire your own rhythm community and connect you to an expanding global network of Drum Circle Facilitators.

About The Facilitators’ Playshops

Described by many as a life changing experience, the Facilitators’ Playshop pulsates with rhythm, facilitation and fun! These exciting trainings are designed to build leadership skills using the community drum circle as a model.

Participants will learn how to lead a successful rhythm-based event regardless of music background or previous experience. Each participant, in various stages of development and discovery, creates her/his own unique way to guide a group to its hightest potential. Participants will learn how to apply these facilitation tools to many diverse groups.

The Facilitators’ Playshops utilize the techniques defined and developed by Arthur Hull’s 30 years of experience pioneering the field of rhytmical empowerment. Arthur’s charismatic personality reverberates throughout this fun, dynamic and playful process.

See: About Arthur Hull

“Arthur’s extraordinary wisdom, captivating style, unsurpassed talent, brilliant sense of humor and uncompromising commitment doesn’t even begin to match his unparalleled knack for inspiring leaders and teaching the art of community drum circle facilitation. For a phenomenal training program along with an unforgettable life-changing experience, Arthur Hull, father of the modern day drum circle movement, is your best choice.”

— Barry Bittman, MD, Neurologist, Researcher,
CEO Mind-Body Wellness Center

Village Music Circles Certification

Village Music Circles™ facilitation training is recognized internationally as the defining standard for drum circle facilitation excellence.

VMC™ Certification identifies trained Facilitators and assures organizations that a Drum Circle Facilitator has achieved an identifiable standard of competency. Village Music Circles certification process provides Facilitators in-depth training in Drum Circle Facilitation skills development and offers a process for personal and peer evaluation while incorporating a strong foundation in leadership skills and community building values .

Educational Objectives

At the completion of a Facilitators’ Playshop, participants will have a practical understanding of the basic techniques necessary to successfully lead and facilitate groups of any size and composition through a rhythm-based event. Participants will experience the group transformation from individuals into a dynamic, supportive rhythm community. Participants will leave the training with the skills necessary to build a rhythm community in their working and living environments.

Participants of the Facilitators’ Playshop Will:

• Experience the transformative process of building a rhythm community
• Be empowered to lead others through a successful rhythm experience
• Discover how to inspire group participation and potential
• Learn how to use rhythm as a tool to build community
• Join a growing network of international Drum Circle Facilitators

Program Content

The content and structure of the community facilitators’ playshop is based on the innovative and successful facilitation techniques developed by Arthur Hull and published in his book, Drum Circle Spirit: Facilitating Human Potential Through Rhythm. The book is the required text for all facilitators’ trainings.

Facilitators’ Playshops are designed to provide the participant with extensive hands-on experience in facilitation of a rhythm-based event and leadership skills. The program format will include group instruction and discussions combined with small group activities using movement, voice, musical instruments and improvisational rhythm games. Critique and feedback for the participant are an important part of the learning experience.

Each participant will have multiple opportunities to facilitate as we build our rhythm community throughout the training. Most playshops culminate in a community drum circle finale, giving participants the opportunity to practice and observe the skills learned.

Continuing Education Credits

Music therapists, social workers, college students and teachers may earn Continuing Education and Professional Development Credits through our training programs. CEU info...

Who Attends Facilitators’ Playshops?

• Those looking for a fun way to motivate others
• Group leaders and trainers
• Drum Circle Facilitators
• Orchestra & choir conductors
• Community organizers & facilitators
• Music & school teachers
• Music therapists
• Kids-at-risk professionals
• Personal growth trainers
• Life Coaches
• Doctors, nurses & therapists
• Psycho-social workers & group counselors
• Youth activities organizers
• Group presenters & public speakers
• Ministers & spiritual leaders
• The playfully challenged seeking an inspiring experience

Our Global Drumming Community

VMC™ playshop participants have come from: Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Greece, Italy, Ireland, England, Scotland, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Czech, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Turkey, Dubai, and India.

VMC trainings provide drum circle facilitators with an opportunity to join together with a growing and supportive global drumming community. Facilitators can join the Internet-based DrumCircles List to learn about events and to dialog, discuss and explore the philosophies and processes of this new and growing profession of Drum Circle Facilitation.

Come join us! Village Music Circles™ international community is built of people from all walks of life: Therapists to human resource managers, ministers to camp counselors, teachers to corporate executives, doctors to teenagers — each adding their own song and playing an important part in our global rhythm village.

For More Info

See: Types of Playshops & Trainings
See: Event Calendar