Research and References

• The Scientific Benefits of Drumming
• African Dancing
• Experiential Learning

 

The Scientific benefits of Drumming/ Rhythm

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The brain is divided into two hemispheres that are basically split in their control of the thinking process.

The right brain functions as the creative, visual, aural and emotional centre. The left brain is the rational, logical, analytical and verbal administrator. Generally, either the right or left brain dominates in cycles lasting from 30 minutes to 3 hours.

While one hemisphere is dominant, the memories, skills, and information of the other hemisphere are far less available, residing in a subconscious or unconscious realm.

Not only do the right and left brain operate in different modes, they also usually operate in different brain wave rhythms. The right brain may be generating alpha waves while the left brain is in a beta state. Or both can be generating the same type of brain waves, but remain out of sync with each other. But in states of intense creativity, deep meditation or under the influence of rhythmic sound, both hemispheres may become entrained to the same rhythm. This state of unified whole brain functioning is called hemispheric synchronization or the awakened mind.

As the two hemispheres begin to resonate to a single rhythm, a sense of clarity and heightened awareness arises. The individual is able to draw on both the left and the right hemispheres simultaneously.

The mind becomes sharper, more lucid, synthesizing much more rapidly than normal, and emotions are easier to understand and transform. The conscious and unconscious levels of the mind interface and integrate more easily. Insight quickens and creative intuition flourishes, giving one the ability to visualize and bring into manifestation ideas more easily. An expanded, more complete and integrated state of consciousness comes into existence. Scientists believe that hemispheric synchronization may be the neurological basis of transcendent states of consciousness.

Research has shown that playing rhythmic music is one of the most effective ways to induce brainwave synchronization.

 

 

African dancing - an expression of life

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Dance in Africa is not a separate art but forms part of everyday life.Unlike many dances of the west, African dance is not detached from the lives of the people. Itis a spontaneous release from the people andtranslates everyday life experiences into movement. Based upon the spoken language, African dance is a source of communication through which it is possible to demonstrate emotions, beliefs, everyday life activities and other reactions through movement.

Love, hatred, joy, sorrow, courage, fear, and all other emotions are expressed through rhythmic movements. The people dance the sowing of the seed and the harvest, puberty rites, warfare, hunting, birth, death and life after death. There is the rain dance, dance of the sun, dance of strong intelligent offspring, courtship dance, marriage dance etc.

Each country of Africa has many ethnic groups, each of which has a different language, history and tradition. Music and dance reflect these identities. Many traditional dances have a particular costume that enhances movement.

African dance has traditional roots, which implies that it is creative andnot ‘written down’. Traditional dances are developing all the time and this is particularly true of West African dance. In recent years, West African dance has begun to be performed out of its original context e.g. in hotels, theatres and national ceremonies. Performances bring together examples of dance from different regions across West Africa.

The first West African performing groups visited Europe in the 1970s. Since then, some West African groups have been influenced by ballet, and many West African countries now have their own national dance ensembles

African dance is nodifferent to jazz or contemporary dance in the sense that the dancer needs to learn a particular technique and practice to become good at it. Training is a very important part of the daily routines ofprofessional dancers.

West African dance is gaining recognition as a performing art in Europe and also in Africa. The dances have become a source of inspiration to performers outside Africa and as more African dance groups travel out of Africa to perform, more people will learn these wonderfully empowering dances.

Experiential Learning

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As adults we are accustomed to learning through theory and understanding, through books, or what we might call Chalk and Talk. We’re good at this and it’s familiar. But there are other ways of learning, one of which is ‘experiential learning’, a style which both augments and is complementary to the other systems; - and which can be stretching, especially as it requires not working things out in advance.

Simply it means –

Having an experience, sharing the experience and reflecting, drawing learnings and applying them.

It’s actually how human beings learn first, before they learn to read and write. We learn to walk through experience – our parents don’t explain the theory of walking to us. Later in life we learn to ride a bicycle this way. It would be amusing but unhelpful if I put a bicycle in the room and then proceeded to give you an in depth Power Point presentation, explaining about the theory of balance and how bicycles are designed. You learn by trying it out and falling off until you find your balance. By experience in fact.

Many of us in the training and consultancy world have a broad understanding of the work of David Kolb. He wrote an influential book called 'Experiential Learning: Experience as the source of learning and development' in 1984, since when it’s had a dramatic impact on the design and development of lifelong learning models.

Of course, it’s not a new idea – in fact the first proponent we know about was Confucius in around 450 BC:

"Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand."

The concept of experiential learning explores the cyclical pattern of all learning from Experience through Reflection and Conceptualising to Action and on to further Experience.

This is a very well-known model which now forms the heart of many training and learning events. It’s also used widely to record continuous professional development, through taking time to capture, record and implement learning in our daily work.

As a further development of these ideas, many groups and companies have begun the process of transforming themselves into Learning Organisations.

SO - Why is Experiential Learning so Effective?

These 9 points are based on the Experiential Learning Research of corporate psychologists Dr John Luckner and Reldan Nadler.

1 Equality

It provides a common and yet novel experience where all participants are equal in their knowledge about the tasks and projects that will confront them. In other words, people are required to draw on genuine team process skills as opposed to just functional ones.

2 Developing relationships quickly

Team Building Participants are interacting in close proximity whilst working on new and unfamiliar challenges. The communication, collaboration and effort that are required to meet these challenges develops relationships quickly.

In fact people often say that they have got to know each other better in a single day in this environment than over an entire year at work.

3 Disequilibrium

The unfamiliarity of the challenges and problems puts people in a state of disequilibrium or disorder. They find it hard to take refuge in their normal status, roles and defences – because prior experience isn't as relevant in this environment.

Another factor of this shake-up from normal frames of reference is that the group projects their problem-solving skills, project management ability, and leadership style onto the experience.

So the experience provides a unique opportunity to catch participants doing what they typically do, in spite of knowing otherwise. It becomes a microcosm.

The learning arising from this is profound and revealing and can provide unlimited information to stimulate insights.

4 Chaos, Crisis and Risk Taking in a Safe Environment

Teams are able to experience chaos, disorder, crisis and changing requirements for success in a safe environment where the consequences for failure are limited.

The experience allows individuals to take new risks, try on new roles and make mistakes with no danger or cost.

Each person taking a risk pushes others to take on something outside of their comfort zone. There are always individuals who shine in this environment - whose leadership ability hasn't been noticed at work.

The team as a whole can develop strategies and best practices for managing these issues both in this environment and back at work.

5 Decreased time cycle

The space between the ‘experience’ – the project or challenge and its outcomes is squeezed, so the consequences of organisational decisions can be easily examined and improved.

Under normal working conditions there’s more of a time lag and more variables to consider, so a risk that any review or learning is diluted.

But in the experiential 'learning laboratory", the group steps back and evaluates their performance.

The review is about themselves, their leadership, problem solving skills, teamwork, communication and managing change.

6 Kinaesthetic Imprint

Experiential learning is an anchor for cognitive material. Participants have a kinaesthetic imprint or whole body learning of cognitive principles. The learning is graphic, as it involves physical, mental and behavioural dimensions.

7 Common language / company mythology

The experience provides a common language, experience and story, which can be related to the workplace. It provides a short cut in communicating a shared vision very quickly. It allows participants to see themselves and their colleagues in a new light and can serve as a catalyst for continuing the theme in the organisation.

8 Diversity of Strengths

Team activities can be designed to challenge a range of team role skills. In other words input from all team members will be required to produce outcomes from projects specifically designed not to suit just one team role style.

One person cannot possibly succeed alone - so the interdependence of the team is highlighted along with the importance of diversity within the team.

9 Fun

Fun is a powerful aspect of effective learning, when participants are able to relax their grip and become more open to the experience and bring their creativity to bear in it.

So if it’s so great, why isn’t everyone doing it all the time?

Well, the fact is that some are doing it all the time, all over the world. We are, for instance. We’ve worked with Johnson&Johnson in Turkey, BP in Trinidad, Nokia in Helsinki, Dexia in France, BBC and BA and the London Fire Brigade in the UK, amongst many others.

One of our sister consultancies recently won a Gold management award for the extensive culture change programme they rolled out in UK’s biggest retailer – Tesco - which was steeped in experiential learning. – and which has taken the company to a new level.

This afternoon we will be offering you a brief taste of experiential learning. We are facilitating some musical activities, as you may have heard, and will be creating moments within the workshops for you to record your experiences and any learning or reflections you may have.

You will each be provided with a Learning Log for this purpose, which is yours to keep and use as you wish in the future.

I’d like to introduce your faciltators for this afternoon – Lilo Baur, Landing Mane, Eric Charlec and Tom Morley - and I will be facilitating an co-ordinating.

You are in expert hands and anything you learn is intended to be laced with a good helping of fun and celebration.