DrumGlory
The community is invited to Pellissippi State Community College on Thursday, April 14, to enjoy and maybe even participate in a drumming circle led by DrumGlory.
DrumGlory performs 1-3 p.m. in the Courtyard on the Pellissippi Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. The free event is one of this year’s student activities that revolve around the theme of happiness and the college’s Common Book, “The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World,” by Eric Weiner.
The drumming group’s genesis came when Pellissippi State student Catrina Adams, 46, asked her instructor if she could write an assigned research paper about her latest passion: hand drumming. Ed Francisco, English professor and writer-in-residence, agreed.
Adams not only did the research—showing that drumming is connected to a rise in serotonin and endorphins—but she also got two other class members to join her in demonstrating the skill to Francisco’s Survey of American Literature.
“The essence of the drumbeat starts in the womb with your mother’s heartbeat,” according to Adams. “Research proves that those addicted to alcohol will improve with hand drumming. A drum manufacturer chose to invest in the science of drumming. With one hour of drumming, natural killer cells activity increases and stimulates the brain to produce more serotonin and endorphins.”
The research paper was a year ago, and since that time, Adams and fellow students Harold Puckett, 48, and Lynn Wall, 41, not only launched DrumGlory but they’ve also used it to benefit the community. The group has worked with Cornerstone of Recovery; the 4H Center in Grainger County; Never Alone, Never Again in North Knoxville; and recovery camping groups. The performers also will be at Dollywood’s upcoming Festival of Nations.
“We normally put people in a circle and teach them the basic drumbeats,” said Puckett.
For more information about the group, go to www.drumglory.com. For more about the event at Pellissippi State, contact the English Department at (865) 694-6708.