Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Fourth-graders in Miles Mason's class at Blossom Hill School (from left) Brandon Burnett, Sean Turner and Wesley Howell are part of the Friday afternoon drumming circle.

Blossom Hill teacher drums home a message on Fridays

Students bond, get 'in the groove'

By John Pancharian

Miles Mason encourages his fourth-graders to hit things and make noise in class. The Blossom Hill School teacher has been drumming with his students since the beginning of this year--and bringing about some quiet changes in the class as a result.

Every Friday after lunch the class scoots the desks, books and pencils out of the way and makes a large circle in the center of the room. Mason then passes out his large drum collection to the students, whose eyes have that Christmas-morning shine as they wait to receive instruments. Djimbes and Ashikos, box drums and congas--drums originally made in West Africa, Brazil or right here in Los Gatos by Mason himself--sound with the enthusiasm of young hands as Mason leads the class in one of several rhythms he has taught them.

It starts small, with one student playing a colorful drum painted by Mason; then the next child in the circle and the next starts in until the thrumming swells to envelop the class in a shared rhythm.

"I think they feel more unified and bonded as a group of kids," Mason said. "They're genuinely nicer to each other. The analogy in sports would be playing on a really good team. When they're all playing together and feeding off each other, it creates a unique feeling."

When he asks individuals to play a rhythm alone to see how well they have learned it, the comments from the rest of the class are supportive. Some children tease a little, but always follow up with a "just kidding." And when the whole group gets going together, the children's faces tell all: some spread in huge smiles, others scrunch in concentration and still others get that faraway look any drummer knows means they're "in the groove."

Fourth-grader Wesley Howell says he likes drumming "because it's fun." Another student, Sean Turner, did admit that he also continues drumming so that he can annoy his sister.

In addition to the fun, the students learn about the cultures that produce the instruments they use. When a visitor showed up with an Australian Aboriginal instrument called a didjeridu, he thought it would lead to a show-and-tell session in which he explained it to the class. Instead, the class pointed and called out as the visitor came in, "Look, a didjeridu," and proceeded to explain to the visitor how they are made.

"Wherever I've gone, I've tried to seek out whatever drum styles and instruments are used in the different cultures," Mason said. He began collecting knowledge and instruments from other cultures in 1970, when he joined the Peace Corps out of college. He has spent years since then teaching in places such as Tonga, Iraq, Sumatra and Trinidad and has shared this world of experience with Blossom Hill for the past three years--and not just with the kids.

"We drummed nonstop for over an hour, and no one wanted to quit," said Blossom Hill principal Sue Russ. She and other faculty started the year off by drumming together in Aptos Park under the leadership of Santa Cruz percussion guru Jim Greiner. Mason picked it up from there and began a Thursday-afternoon staff drum circle in addition to his in-class drumming and an after-school group for students. He and Russ agree that students and staff alike benefit from drumming because it teaches them to be in touch with others, to listen.

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