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Dancing Drum News & Updates

We won an IPPY!!!

Dancing Drum Publishing is proud to announce that we were awarded an IPPY for our children's book, "Drumming Numbers with Boom Ba Bee"!!!

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September 09, 2025


Take a Tour of DrummingUpCharacter.com

Take a tour of our web-based streaming resource for schools: DrummingUpCharacter.com

Subscriptions are available for traditional schools and home schools. 

Reach out with any questions you may have!

info@dancingdrum.com

October 21, 2024


Post-Hurricane Helene Update: We're Still Here!

Dear Friends,
We hope that you’re okay following the storm that heavily impacted so many areas of the Southeast. It has been a challenging time for many of us. During Hurricane Helene, Western North Carolina was rocked by historic flooding and wind damage. Our hometown, Asheville, will be rebuilding and recovering for many months to come. 
Now that our utilities are mostly back, we wanted to let you know that Dancing Drum is still here! We are operating at a slower speed, but we are now open to receiving communications and orders. Please reach out if you’re interested in booking a program for your school, or if you need a drum or two for your classroom. Most items are in stock and ready to ship. 
Sending our best wishes to all of you. Thanks for everything you do to bring a spirit of joyful music to your students! 
Best regards,
Steve & Lindsay
July 06, 2023


August 15th Summer Teacher Training Intensive in Asheville, NC

Dancing Drum is presenting a Summer Teacher Training Intensive in Asheville on Monday August 15th, and we would like to invite you to attend for FREE! 
We are excited to connect with local music educators and share our tried-and-true methods for successful drumming in schools, activities that we have developed over the last 20 years of visiting hundreds of schools across the country with Dancing Drum.
This interactive training will be full of new drumming methods, activities, rhythms, and songs you can use for the 2022-23 school year! 
The workshop will run from 10:00am-3:00pm. Even if you cannot attend the entire training, you are still welcome to join us! Drums and percussion instruments will be provided for you to play. Handouts from the training will be available to take with you.
If you’re interested in attending, click this link to go to the teacher training page:

Check out our NEW BOOK for early childhood learners! "Drumming Numbers with Boom Ba Bee"

In this counting book for early childhood learners, we learn to count from ONE to TEN as Boom Ba Bee explores the world, meets friends, and finds a new rhythm at each stop.

Tap into the rhythm-language connection and drum along as we "say and play" our number rhythms with Boom Ba Bee!

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Great NEWS! cARTwheels + Dancing Drum

Great news! Dancing Drum has been selected as a Teaching Artist for cARTwheels, North Carolina Arts Council’s Arts in Education Grant Program!


This means that you can access funding through the NC Arts Council to bring Dancing Drum your school. There is a process for applying for funding. You can learn more at this link:
https://www.ncarts.org/grants-resources/grants/grants-organizations/cartwheels-program-grants

The application is open now, through March 1st, for programs beginning next fall.


Here is a link to Dancing Drum’s program listing. We are featuring a 3-day “Drumming Up Character” Workshop-to-Performance (W2P) program, materials included:
https://www.ncarts.org/grants-resources/grants/grants-organizations/cartwheels-program-grants/cartwheels-teaching-artist-roster#DancingDrum-563


We are thrilled to be a part of North Carolina’s rich arts community and look forward to reaching more students across the state with our new partners at cARTwheels!

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about this opportunity. 

All the best,
Steve Campbell     &     Lindsay Rust
Musical Director            Managing & Artistic Director
November 05, 2022


Drum for Peace in Ukraine: November 13th in Asheville

DRUM FOR PEACE IN UKRAINE
Sunday, November 13th, 1-2pm
1 Edwin Pl, Asheville, NC (UUCA)

This event is a fundraiser for Doctors Without Borders, an organization doing so much to support Ukrainian people at this time. Donations of any amount are warmly welcome (though not required.) See flyer for additional details:

Drum for Peace in Ukraine

Summer 2022 Teacher Training Intensive Was a Hit!

On August 15th, Dancing Drum hosted 40 music teachers from across the state at our Summer Teacher Training Intensive in Asheville, North Carolina. It was a fun, music-packed day, and we shared a wide range of activities and resources to enrich PreK-8 music programs through hands-on drumming. Check out a video of the day below! 

If you’re interested in bringing a similar Professional Development program to your school district, just let us know! 

 

August 01, 2022


How Dancing Drum Connects to National Core Arts Standards

Though each state has its own educational standards for the arts, there is actually quite a bit of overlap with the National Core Arts Standards (link). No matter the art discipline - Dance, Music, Theater or Visual Art - students should be engaged in one of the four fundamental processes identified there: Creating, Presenting, Responding, and Connecting.

This blog post illustrates a few of the ways that ensemble drumming and Dancing Drum can actively address each of these focus areas.

CREATING
Nothing says “I am!" more strongly than playing a drum. Playing together, students co-create music, rhythms, and an educational, social-emotional experience that differs from all other classes at school. In addition to participating in drumming as a class ensemble, students conceptualize their own rhythms and create them in live performance, using composing, patterning, language, sensory-motor and other developmental skills.

PRESENTING 
In a drum ensemble, each student is responsible for their part in the music. This requires focus and teamwork, as each student presents their best effort while contributing their rhythm. Students may also have roles in group leadership, improvisation, composition, practicing, performing, and teams, all of which call for developing presentation roles and abilities.

RESPONDING 
Drumming together fundamentally requires skills like listening and responding. Teaching tools that reinforce responding include activities like "Call & Response" (or echoing), rhythm “Sculpting", and leading unison and polyrhythmic arrangements in the classroom. Students who participate in drum ensembles also practice evaluating the group's performance and respond to their evaluations by making adjustments and improvements in technique.

CONNECTING
Through drum ensemble, students connect via their shared experience of creating rhythm and music. The word “ensemble” translates to “together” in French. We “drum together” and feel more connected to our classmates and music from diverse places around the world. We learn about the many ways that rhythm is used in traditional and modern cultures. As we practice and play drums together, we experience the success of our teamwork, and we feel invigorated by the exciting act of playing drums!

Questions? Email us at info@dancingdrum.com

New Elementary Music PD Added: That Sounds Great! Elementary Drumming in 3/4 and 6/8

Bring the magic of drumming in 3/4 and 6/8 time signatures to your music classroom! In this highly interactive session, attendees will learn and play beginning to advanced drum rhythms designed for success and fun! Expand your student's drumming skills as they explore the fascinating world of 3/4 and 6/8! View full article →
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