Marching to the Beat of Her Own Drum

“I am woman hear me roar!”

These are the words drummer Sandi Millman uses to describe what it is like to participate in a drum circle and the incredible calm you feel afterward.

A long-time musician on the Vancouver scene, Millman operates Drum Mama studio out of the basement of her Kerrisdale home. It is here she shares her love of rhythm and the healing properties of hand drumming with students of all ages and levels.

What you'll take away from Millman's classes is an empowerment that comes with being free to express yourself.

“This is such a wonderful way to connect with each other and we can have so much fun and it's not about being a great musician, it's about enjoying the process,” she says.

Millman isn't bashful while bashing away on the drums, and her infectious energy betrays her South American roots. Originally from Chile, Millman says what is lacking in Canadian culture is our connection to our bodies. This stifled physicality can be seen in how we respond to music.

“When you go to the corner or there's a musician on Granville Island you don't see people dancing away and totally getting into it,” she says.

“Where I'm from in South America, you see people dancing more. They get into it, they get into the groove. They're a little more in tune with that energy with that connecting and rhythm, celebrating together, moving and dancing, it's part of the culture. In our culture, we don't really express ourselves that way and I'm all about just bringing back that very organic natural primal way through the spirit of the drum,” she says.

To do this, it is important that music be accessible to everyone, she said.

According to Millman, in some cultures there isn't even a word for musician. This is because everyone is seen as a music maker and relating to the vibration of music is innate, she says.

“In our culture, there's this idea that music making is for musicians and a lot of people are left feeling they're not professional or they're not allowed to play or entitled to enjoy music making. I think what I do is try to let people know, 'hey wait a minute, we're all born to make music to make music together.' It is our birthright to express ourselves with rhythm,” said Millman.

The holistic effects of drumming are manifold, one being the serene state that inhabits your body, similar to a transcendental meditation where you chant a mantra.

“We'll repeat the rhythm over and over and what ends up happening is you feel in many ways a brain relaxation or a rest,” she said. “People leave the class feeling rejuvenated and feeling a sense of calm, and often come into the class feeling a rush.”

This rushing manifests itself as an accelerated pulse at the start of the class, something Millman tries to keep steady.

“I try to keep the beat from pushing forward and then after about five minutes everybody is relaxed into this beautiful groove together,” she said.

Coming from a classical dance background, Millman approaches drumming kinesthetically, which is obvious when you watch her tiny frame undulate gracefully as she plays. She spent 10 years accompanying modern dance classes at Arts Umbrella before moving on to playing congas at nightclubs around the city. It was when she became a mother that she realized she is most at home teaching. However, she still manages to balance her djembe classes with performing and has taken up the Middle Eastern dumbek as another punctuation on her percussion resume.

Millman's belief in the therapeutic aspects of rhythm is evident in her extensive training. Not only has she perfected her art with Cuban and African drum masters, she has also studied with leading facilitators who use rhythm for empowerment. Luminaries such as Arthur Hall, grandfather of the Western drum circle in the states, and internationally acclaimed music therapist Christine Stevens, who researches the scientific benefits of drumming.

“Drumming has been such a healing part of my life. It has always been there when I was going through difficult times in my life from a teenager to adult. I wanted to share that,” she said.

There's no beating around the bush when it comes to the reverence other cultures have for the drum. In Africa, the drummer is the high priest. In other tribes, the drummer is equivalent to a psychologist. A book published by Mamady Keita of the Malinke tribe describes which drum beats cure different body ailments and psychological disorders.

Millman incorporates these teachings with her university degree in psychology and counselling to coach students who discover a surge of strong feelings when they play.

“I'm very comfortable with giving space for my students to have their emotional experience to let it be what it is. For some people I would recommend a private class if I know they're grieving or having a hard time and then that way if something does come up, it's totally comfortable for them,” she said.

Because marching to the beat of our own drum is sometimes what we need.