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Woman’s Drumming Retreat at Oakwood
December 2, 2011 | 
Author Sally will offer the woman’s drumming at Oakwood again this May. Dates coming here soon
14th Annual WOMEN DRUM
Oakwood Retreat Center, Muncie, IN
Sept.30-Oct.2, 2011
A Women’s Drumming Retreat
for Players of All Experience Levels
Facilitated by
Sally Childs-Helton
Contact Sally about programming and registration at 317-251-8099 or sally@womendrum.org. Contact Oakwood with questions about housing, and dietary and accessibility issues at 765-747-7027 or oakwoodretreatcenter@webstop.com. Check out www.womendrum.org for photos, info, staff bios, updates. Directions and confirmations sent with registration receipt. Space is limited to ensure individual attention. Those registering and paying in full by Sept. 1 will be entered in a drawing for Oakwood’s chocolate chip cookies or 2 WomenDrum mugs!!
Registration Form: please note registration has changed!
Mail to: Sally Childs-Helton, 5271 Primrose Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46220-3314 attention WomenDrum
Registration Form: please note registration has changed!
Mail to: Sally Childs-Helton, 5271 Primrose Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46220-3314 attention WomenDrum
Name____________________________________________
Address__________________________________________
City/State/Zip_____________________________________
Phone # ( _____)______________E-mail ________________
Drum rental needed?__________ Vegan diet needed?_______
I want to room with _________________________________
________________________________________________
Pre-register for body work 1 hr_______ ½ hr_________
I want to have pool access for an extra $5 YES________
Cost: Oakwood rates have gone up $12.00. Early Bird $215 (by 08-12-11); Timely Bird $225 (by 09-23-11); after 9-23 (Procrastinating Bird) $235. Camping fees: subtract $50 from each level above. Pool access: add $5 to your fee. Camping includes meals, indoor bath assignment, towels. BYO tent and sleeping bags. No registration at the door. There is a $25 fee for cancellation 30 days or less before the event.
Please make checks or money orders payable to IndyMuze
Amount enclosed: $ ________________
Apologies for not being able to offer credit card payment at this time. Oakwood is no longer processing credit cards, and Sally isn’t set up yet to take them—we’re working on it!
Our Next Meeting is confirmed by Steve to be Sunday July 10th. 2pm. Please Join us. pam
In June we were able to drum outside under the trees at the back of the parking lot and it was simply heavenly to be outside that day.
Our next meeting is Sunday June 12th. 2pm
Our drumming circle usually meets the 2nd Sunday of each month. Check here to make sure we are meeting as sometimes we change the Sunday or are unable to meet.
Please Check Back for updates to our meeting times, which will be posted here.
We drum the 2nd Sunday of each month upstairs in the Source Yoga Studio. Their door is one door west of our front door at North Star Health. Park on the Rail Road tracks.
We have now been meeting for about a year and a half, and we have a lot of fun and rhythm in our circle. DRUMMING 101 with Steve Lange from Oakwood Retreat Center second Sunday of every month! Time is 2:00-3:30 p.m. All levels welcome.
Steve teaches as well as leads an inspirational drumming session. Cost is $10 if you have your own drum or $15 if you need to borrow one of his handcrafted drums he makes with Indiana wood. Let your heart beat guide you to open up to new freedom in the expression of drumming!
I come each month to drumming circle and really enjoy the circle. We have a great session and Steve is a wonderful leader. Please Join us. Pamela Alboher-Ray
Woman’s Drum Retreat Weekend
With Sally
LADIES’ SPRING FLING DRUM THING Oakwood Retreat Center, Muncie, IN
May 20-22, 2011
A Women’s Drumming Retreat for Players of All Experience Levels
Facilitated by Sally Childs-Helton
Join us for the 8th annual Spring Fling Drum Thing! Arrivals begin at 4:00 EDT Friday; we end Sunday after lunch. Djembes & ashikos are available for rent ($15) or purchase. Here’s what to expect:
hands-on instruction using drums, small hand percussion
instruments, our bodies, and voices
the skills necessary to play comfortably in any group,
regardless of experience or skill level
the guidance and support you need to reach your next level of
playing & facilitation skills
the skills necessary to best teach yourself and others improvisational & part-oriented world drumming, including African drumming using body movement & voice to quickly learn drumming skills & synchronize groups skills for accompanying dance, singing, & chant
how to buy & care for drums, hand percussion using the power of the drum for creativity, spirituality, healing, ritual, & community building exploring rhythm from a female perspective; what to do when
male and female energies clash
Break-outs for beginners focus on gaining a solid basic skill-set: correct playing technique; finding and keep an even beat; accurately subdividing beats and playing syncopated rhythms; strategies for ostinato-based improvising; and playing simple African rhythms.
Break-outs for intermediate/advanced players focus on more complex rhythmic and performing concepts: additive and divisive rhythms; playing in odd and unusual meters; more complex tihais; arranging pieces for performance; extended playing techniques; improved independent coordination and listening skills; accompanying skills; creating powerful and expressive solos; teaching and facilitating techniques; and more challenging and complex world music rhythms, including African ensemble playing. We’ll stretch you as far as you want!
Other break-outs will include movement, dance, and chanting, and hopefully Japanese taiko drumming. The Saturday night breakouts will be chanting, and Indian vocal percussion (bols or solkattu, which imitates drum strokes)—learn about Indian rhythm, and we’ll learn a piece. Check out Sheila Chandra on YouTube doing her Speaking in Tongues pieces!
Other highlights will include:
*Oakwood’s chocolate-chip cookies * Bonfire & silo drumming/chanting and hayrides or a candle labyrinth, weather permitting * Optional yoga morning and evening * Optional instrument making and fabric arts workshops * Hiking * A spring peeper & coyote serenade * Wonderful food * Cozy rooms * Walking in the World Garden * Indiana in the spring * Bluebells by the river * And an incredible group of women!
The movement, chant, yoga, and arts activities will be led by wonderful professional facilitators. Vendors will be on-site offering instruments, clothing, jewelry, etc., and professional body workers will be available for optional half- and one-hour massages.
Come celebrate the spring, refresh your mind and spirit, and recharge your creativity!
Drum in a safe, supportive, and playful environment!
Sally Childs-Helton, Ph.D., is a percussionist, ethnomusicologist, music educator, and mentor with 35+ years of teaching experience. She continues to study with master teachers, players, and facilitators, including David Darling, Glen Velez, and Arthur Hull. She is a co-founder of the Midwest Drumming and Dance Festival (founded in 1994), and a certified Music for People improvisation teacher and Remo HealthRHYTHMS facilitator. Sally also facilitates a sister event, the fall WomenDrum weekend at Oakwood, entering its 14th year.
Sally’s areas of expertise include hand drums and ethnic percussion, music improvisation, classical percussion, and performance anxiety management. Dr. Childs-Helton teaches world music and ethnomusicology at the university level; conducts drumming and improvisation workshops around the country, in Canada, and Britain; and accompanies dance and movement therapy, Susurrus Modern Dance Company, and various theater productions and choruses. Sally and her husband perform as a duo, and with Wild Mercy, an eclectic Celtic band (www.wildmercy.com).
A self-professed sound junkie, Sally believes almost anything can (and probably should) be a percussion instrument. She especially enjoys
working with beginners of all ages, “re-beginners” who are returning to playing music, persons with visible and invisible disabilities, and with all people who are willing to discover their ability to create original, powerful, meaningful music. Sally creates a safe, supportive, and playful environment for musical, creative, and personal growth.
Questions? Contact Sally at 317-251-8099; sally@womendrum.org. Housing & meals: contact Oakwood at 765-747-7027. Check out www.womendrum.org for photos, more info, and updates. Directions and confirmations mailed 2 weeks prior to event. WomenDrum 2011 is Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Space is limited to ensure individual attention. Those registering and paying in full by April 1, 2010 will be entered in a drawing for a dozen chocolate chip cookies or 2 WomenDrum mugs!!
Registration Form
Previous attendees, please note registration has changed!
Mail to: Sally Childs-Helton, 5271 Primrose Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46220-3314 attention WomenDrum; checks/money orders to IndyMuze.
Name____________________________________________
Address__________________________________________
________________________________________________
City/State/Zip_____________________________________
Phone # ( _____)______________E-mail ________________
Drum rental needed?__________ Vegan diet needed?_______
I want to room with _________________________________
________________________________________________
Pre-register for body work 1 hr_______ ½ hr_________
Cost: Oakwood rates have gone up $12.00. Early Bird $215 (by 04-01-11); Timely Bird $225 (by 05-13-11); after $235. Camping: subtract $50 from each level. Camping includes meals, indoor bath assignment, towels. BYO tent and sleeping bags. No registration at the door. There is a $25 fee for cancellation 30 days or less before the event.
Please make checks or money orders payable to IndyMuze
Amount enclosed: $ ________________
Apologies for not being able to offer credit card payment at this time. Oakwood is no longer processing credit cards, and Sally isn’t set up yet to take them—we’re working on it!
8th Annual
LADIES’ SPRING FLING
DRUM THING
Oakwood Retreat Center, Muncie, IN
May 20-22, 2011
A Women’s Drumming Retreat
for Players of All Experience Levels
Facilitated by
Sally Childs-Helton
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