Why Make Your Own Drum? (And why I drum!)

There's something profoundly meaningful about creating an object with your own hands—especially one that has accompanied humanity for thousands of years.

Making your own frame drum is more than a craft project. It's an intentional process of slowing down, honoring the animals and natural materials used in each drum, and creating something that will continue to accompany you long after the workshop ends. As you lace the hide, shape the drum, and hear its tone for the first time, it becomes more than an instrument. It becomes a companion for meditation, time in nature, women's circles, personal reflection, or simply moments of quiet.

Long before there was written language, there was rhythm.

The drum is one of humanity's oldest instruments. For thousands of years, cultures around the world have gathered with the sound of the drum—to celebrate, grieve, pray, heal, tell stories, and mark life's important transitions. Across continents and traditions, most of our ancestors used the drum to bring people together in ways that words alone cannot.

In When Drummers Were Women, Layne Redmond writes that, "In prehistoric times, [the rhythms of drums] helped shamans and seers attain the sacred trance state necessary for healing and prophecy." While those words may sound unfamiliar to some, they point to something many of us have experienced in simpler ways: rhythm has the ability to quiet the constant chatter of the mind, help us become fully present, and connect us with our own deep wisdom. It awakens something instinctive that lives beneath thinking—a place where insight, creativity, and intuition often emerge.

Redmond also describes the drum as a "tool for individual and cultural healing and transformation." While each person's experience is unique, many people notice that a steady rhythm helps settle the nervous system, shift mood, and reconnect them with themselves after periods of stress or overwhelm. Rather than analyzing our experiences, rhythm invites us to simply feel them.

This is one reason I often incorporate gentle drumming into women's circles, guided meditations, and shamanic journeying. The repetitive beat helps us move out of our busy, analytical minds and into a quieter, more receptive state. Many people describe feeling deeply relaxed, creatively inspired, or connected to insights that might otherwise remain beneath the surface of everyday thinking.

There is something equally powerful about drumming together. As a group settles into a shared rhythm, people naturally begin to listen more deeply—not only to the drum, but to one another. A circle of women becomes more attuned. We become more present with each other. When outside, even the landscape around us can seem to join the experience as we notice birdsong, wind through the trees, or the simple silence between beats.

I've experienced firsthand how drumming can shift my own thoughts, emotions, and overall sense of well-being. Sometimes it brings clarity. Sometimes it softens anxiety or helps me release tension I didn't realize I was carrying. Sometimes it simply helps me feel more grounded, more connected, and more fully myself. While each experience is different, I continue to return to the drum because it consistently brings me back to the present moment and to a place of openness and heart-centeredness.

When you make your own drum, you're not simply creating an instrument. You're creating something that carries your time, your intention, and your presence. Every time you pick it up, it becomes an invitation to pause, listen, and reconnect—with yourself, with others, and with the natural rhythms that have guided human beings long before words.

Perhaps that's why the drum continues to call to so many of us.

Not because we need to become musicians.

But because, somewhere deep inside, we remember the power of rhythm.

Drum-Making Workshop: Create Your Own Frame Drum

Join us for a full day of creativity, intention, and connection as we gather to craft your own beautiful frame drum under the guidance of an experienced and ethical drum maker. No artistic or musical experience is necessary—just a willingness to be present with the process.

Throughout the day, you'll handcraft your drum from natural materials, enjoy a delicious lunch and refreshments, and share the experience in the company of other women. By the end of the workshop, you'll leave with a drum that is uniquely your own—an instrument you can use for meditation, mindful outdoor experiences, women's circles, personal reflection, or simply bringing a little more rhythm into your life.

This isn't about learning to perform. It's about slowing down, creating something meaningful with your own hands, and discovering the quiet power of rhythm.

Workshop Details

• Location: Castleton-on-Hudson, NY (approximately a two-hour drive from Tolland, CT)

• Date: Fall, 2026 - To Be Determined - based on interest

• Time: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

• Cost: $400 (includes all materials, snacks, and lunch)

  
  

I'm currently gauging interest in this workshop. Please email me if you are interested or have any questions: info@bethreelcoaching.com

If your heart is saying, "I'm not exactly sure why, but I want to do this," I encourage you to listen.

Sometimes we don't need to know all the reasons before taking the first step.