The Professor Facilitating
This was our fifth annual Facilitators training in Germany. They have all been
promoted and produced by Mathias Reuter and Bernd Nentwig, ( lovingly called the
"Professor", (Prof. Dr.-Ing.)), They own the the drumming institute called
Percussion+M in Kassel Germany. Their
institute is a World War Two bunker with three foot cement walls. One of the few
buildings left standing in this industry heavy railroad center after the war.
The Professor and Mathias Reuter, (Behind him), our Germany VMC Producers
facilitating at our closing community drum circle for the Basic FAC training.
Their percussion shop is in the Institute. It is a great percussion shop, and
rivals John's Music in Seattle. They were regular participants in the early
European REMO DC Tours and have been great supporters and advocates of the
recreational drum circle movement in Germany.
Both Mathias Reuter and the Professor have not only been VMC's regional program
producers but they have also become major corporate and community rhythm event
facilitators in Germany. Being good Germans they have kept meticulous records of
their
facilitation exploits. Besides their regular corporate jobs, in collaboration
with other VMC
FAC Graduates, they created two extensive school tours this year. One tour in
the north of Germany lasted 4 weeks. In that tour they facilitated over 20
schools. They did another school tour that lasted 2 weeks and included events in
Austria and Switzerland. On that tour
they facilitated as many as three schools a day.
They have facilitated 50 community drum circles in Kassel and 85 community drum
circles in the city of Vermarc where the Professor teaches. The total number of
participants that have been in their corporate and community circles this year
is 30,000+ , (so far). They facilitated the Frankfurt Music industry show and
the Stedact Educators conference for GEWA/REMO last year.
These Boys make things happen.
The Basic VMC Facilitation Playshop.
The Population for the Kassel VMC FAC program was 25 people. Two Percussion
store owners, from the city of Herpen in Holland, came to learn how to start
their recreational drum circle community. Roberto came from India to get some
specific information in regards
to facilitating the growing Corporate team building programs in and around the
Bangalor I.T. industry. He has been working with Abe the REMO India distributer.
Although the rest of the program population consisted of "the usual suspects",
the demographics are interesting
to note as there were a lot of "Cross over" facilitator job descriptions, such
as;
8 school teachers
5 kids at risk facilitators
11 drum teachers, almost half the population. (Typical for Germany)
2 well elderly servers
8 Adult educators
6 recreational drummers
3 special needs workers
A lot of the participants were beginning drummers, but many of the people
bringing experienced facilitation skills from other career fields to the
program.
The new VMC FAC Playshop curriculum worked so well that we completed all 5 of
the "Platform Learning Exercises" on the first day. That left plenty of room on
day two, to do a lot of experiential "Jump Time".
The Community Drum Circle.
Mathias
facilitates the sauerkraut shakers at the Fritzlar Village community drum
circle.
There is a village near Kassel that was not destroyed by the allied bombing
during World War Two. The name of the village is Fritzlar and It's 1,000 year
old town square still stands. Although tourism is a major industry there, the
biggest employer of this village is a Sauerkraut canning company. They hold a
Sauerkraut festival in the town square every year. Twice the VMC playshop dates
have coincided with the Sauerkraut festival in such a way that we were able hold
our closing drum circle there. This year was one of those times. The
Sauerkraut company put small pebbles into their Sauerkraut cans, creating and
passing out 1000 shakers at the drum circle.
 The
German 2 DAY ADVANCED FAC TRAINING.
The painted Professional Development drum circle van, disease has spread to
Germany.
So far, a total of 175 persons have graduated from the 5 German VMC facilitators
trainings.
Not many Germans have come to the Hawaii training. So this year we created a two
day advance training, tagging it on to the regular Weekend Facilitators
training. 26 graduates of the previous German VMC facilitators trainings showed
up to participate at this advanced training event. All having completed at least
one weekend FAC Playshop. I basically used the Level 2 Hawaii playshop tasking
exercises as the platform foundation for the training. Using a free for all
"Jump Time" as an opener I was able to read the group and deliver a program
that was specifically directed to their next level of learning. I also gave me
an opportunity to introduce them to the new VMC curriculum, exercises and
facilitation techniques that we have developed over the last few years. The
musicality and relationship of the group was fantastic and by the end of the
program we were a fully operational, self facilitating
orchestra. That is my ultimate goal for the whole recreational drumming
community.
The Kassel Community Drum Circle-
When ever possible, VMC creates a free, family friendly community drum circle
held at the end of each of the programs we produce. This is a big part our
graduation exercise where the students get to co-facilitate the event. This year
we have been able to do two community drum circle events, the one at the
Fritzlar Village Sauerkraut festival after the basic training, and the one at
our usual venue in Kassel, after the advanced FAC program two days later.
The Kassel recreational drum circle is a regularly held event by Percussion+M
and fully supported by the veteran hand drumming community in that city. This
community has definitely been birthed by Mathias and the Professor over the last
few years. When I first met them 7 years ago they started talking to me about
their vision of a hand drum community before I could start talking about "My"
vision. A rare feat indeed. I also have to say that REMO helped Percussion+m,
and played a part in that birth by sending me on those early European DC tours
to Germany. This hand drum community has been continually nurtured by the
Percussion+M boys as proven by the very healthy family friendly drum circle
population that came to our event. ( 50 Kassel people for this circle, + 26
participants from the Advanced VMC class, + 10 VMC basic playshop graduates
returning from the weekend training = 86 in the circle at the end of "Drum
Call".)
What made this program totally unique was that it was co-facilitated by veteran
facilitators, ( Rather than Just graduated beginner facilitators), with a
complete focus on what the group of participants need to get to that magic
orchastrational phase where you could cut the rhythm spirit with a knife. Non-of
the advanced facilitators were music Industry "Facilitatiners" more worried
about how they look, rather that how the group sounded.
because of this we had a Team of facilitators who were all on the same page. So
when one facilitator finished her piece, another facilitator would wait the
proper amount of time before going in and offering the participants what they
were ready for next.
The Annual HAWAII Drawing
Five of the participants, attending this program, qualify for the next annual
Hawaii drawing. They will have their names put into the hat, and the drawing
will accrue January 4th, 07. The winner of the drawing wins a free 6 day Hawaii
training in August of 07, ( All Food, Lodging and the VMC training, at their
level, is covered by VMC.)
Here is the criteria for qualifying for this annual drawing; If a participant
has graduated from a Hawaii Playshop, or at least two Basic VMC Weekend
trainings, They become eligible to enter their names in the Hawaii drawing, by
completing any other VMC weekend playshop in any year there after. January 4th
is my birth day and to offer some one from the DC facilitator a free Hawaii
Playshop is the best birthday present that I can give myself.
Last years winner was Alex from the UK. He is a Hawaii level one graduate and a
10 day Hawaii Mentor graduate, so he chose to participate in the the level two
Hawaii training for free this year. The winner before that was Katharine from
Germany, She won a level one Hawaii training that she thought that she could
never afford.
We all win.
The total amount of people attending the two German VMC facilitator trainings
were 51.
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