Setting: In the proposed workshop, the aim is to introduce participants to the principles and practices of the drum circle as a means of fostering community and a sense of belonging, as well as enhancing social skills and emotional self-regulation. Those who attend the circle will learn how to engage students, and group members in general, with rhythm collaboratively, encouraging creativity and self-expression in a supportive and safe environment.

Participants: The workshop is open to all participants and can accommodate up to 40 participants, always with a view to creating and fostering an inclusive group. 

Objectives: On the learning aspect, participants will be able to practice conducting, coordinating and facilitating a drum circle, apply various techniques and rhythmic games to the group, and explore drum circle techniques and practices for creating a musical group in school and community settings.

Structure: In terms of structure, the workshop will start with an exploration of the group's sound and the establishment of the basic rhythm (grounding), then ways of conduction/facilitation will be presented, all members of the circle will be involved in rhythmic games that require alertness, coordination, memory and concentration, all participants will be given the opportunity to experiment with the facilitation of the circle, and the group will conclude with an activity that respects the collective effort of all participants.

Materials: The workshop will require a variety of percussion instruments, including cajon, jembe, maracas, tambourines, claves, bells, and others, one for each group member, that will allow the possibility of a variety of timbres for sound experimentation. There will also be hand-made musical instruments to facilitate the facilitation of a drum circle in a school that does not have any musical instruments. The group will be seated in a circle, and there needs to be available chairs for all member. 

Desired results: The proposed workshop will give participants the opportunity to experiment with group sound, experience the joy of collaborative musical outcomes, practice percussion circle directing skills, and focus on how to foster a safe environment and sense of belonging in classrooms at school or in community groups. In conclusion, participants will be given the opportunity to connect through rhythm and practice the drum circle as a teaching tool for school and community settings.

• Social musical settings
• Music and communities

Mitsi Akoyunoglou is an Assistant Professor of Music Therapy and Inclusive Music Practices at Ionian University, Corfu. She completed her BA and MA in music therapy at MSU, USA, and a PhD and a PostDoc at Ionian University. For the period 2023-2026 she is the Regional Liaison for Europe at WFMT and the Country Representative of Greece to EMTC. She is a member of the scientific committee of Mousikopaidagogika, on the editorial board of Approaches: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Music Therapy, co-editor of the open access resource Music Therapy Dictionary: A Place of Interdisciplinary Encounters and co-president of the Organizing Committee of the 10th International Conference of GSME.