Join The Fight for Ivy City

Beat the Drum for Ivy City and Justice

We need to bring attention to the issues raised by the citizens of Ivy City and in particular the abandoned and rapidly decaying famous Crummel School.  I am proposing a rally and drum circle to be  held adjacent to the site of the school and directly in front of "LOVE," the nightclub.

Let's use this blog as a means to communicate on this.  The Drum has often sounded the alarm when the community was in danger.  Drummers led the ranks of those who fought for our Freedom.  Let's us the drum once more to gather the forces of economic and social justice.  Let the voice of the drum be heard!

Jerry

Drumming Up - Community Economic Development

A New Drumming Event IS Coming!


We are working on a new drum event!  Our plan is to run it sometime in late May, or early June of next year, the fateful 2012 (can't do it in March, my birthday is the 2nd)  We need to start planning now to get the most impact and attention.  We are also concerned that we don't conflict with existing community events planned around that time.  It will be on a Saturday so we can get families there.  We're looking for volunteers to help us plan and execute the event ... it will be named "Drum Out Poverty." ... and we'll use it to focus on the need for community based jobs that bring income, commerce, and hope to those who are without work or even hope for gainful employment.

Our parent non profit www.microventuresupport.org has a program called The Family Fish Farm Network and the intention is to build a network of aquaponic urban micro farms around the inside of the beltway and in particular in the most effected wards of DC.  These are wards 5, 7 and 8.  You can find out about The Network by going to our Blog at: familyfishfarms.blogspot.com

I'll be checking this blog on a regular basis and will be updating it as plans become firmer and our team begins to come together.

Changing Name: to Drum Out Poverty

Can We Make Drumming a Source for Self Funding Social Change?

For some time now, I''be been trying to monetize the value of drumming so that it can become a motive force for social and economic justice.  I think we may have come upon a strategic solution.  Our intention here is to begin to move from a purely philanthropic funding model to a commercial fee for services approach.  Presently I am in the process if finalizing my research on the therapeutic and social benefits of transformative drumming as both a means to heal the mind and a way to promote social cohesion in small to large groups.

I plan to join forces with my friends in the drumming community.  First, with Jeff Wolf, a teacher, drummer, facilitator, scientist and committed social activist.  We will call the collaboration: " Stillwater Drums,"   You will see and hear more of this collaborative effort here and on our website as time moves on.  Our first effort will be to work with the Veteran's Administration to support Vets with PTSD AND TBI as drumming is calming.  It creates alpha wave states in the brain and participants are less hostile, excited and they usually sleep better at night.

Watch the blog as I will be posting regularly over the next few weeks.  I will share copy for the papers and brochures we are to produce and our success and failures as we move forward.  Anyone wanting to participate should contact me directly at:  jpel@fastmail.fm   ... or, call my cell at 410.227.0498

Jeff Wolf to Facilitate March for Jobs and Justice at MLK Memorial

Jeff Wolf will be at the Memorial and at the National Mall with us to help make the drumming inclusive and fun.  He brings his trailer, tent, and drums to the event, along with great energy and expeirence.  I worked with Jeff at our Drum Out Poverty Day here in Brookland in NE Washington last Summer and it was a universal success.  We'll get started playing at 10:00 AM at the Memorial site, then march over along the reflection pond to the "I have a dream" location for a one-hour rally for jobs and justice.   We only have a license for the two hours so please be on time ... there's parking available along the Ohio ave for those who will be driving.

A Call to Action for Drummers NOW!

We have been asked to organize a Drum Circle at the National Mall on the 17th in honor of MLK.  We need everyone who reads this blog to get in touch with us and arrange to bring your drums along to the site of the new MLK memorial at 10:00 AM on Monday, January 17th 2011.  This is a call to action and a chance to play your drums on National Television and be part of history.

The March for Jobs and Justice is reflective of Dr. King's original march.  We will gather at the Memeorial and march to the site of the great speech on the National Mall.  We have the requisite Park Service Licenses.  Come play into History.

Flash Drum Jam

Ever since viewing the youtube Brussels Train Station dance event, I have been thinking about how that would be applied to a drum circle.  Finally, I have an idea that I want to share with you guys.  It's called the Flash Drum Jam!  Here's the gist of it:

The Flash Drum Jam is an exciting and inclusive means to draw attention to any business and/or cause.  Drumming is infectious.  The beat draws people to its source.  If you watch the crowd gather, soon you will see people swaying to the beat here and there dancing will break out.  Everyone loves rhythm.  But, it is much more than that.

Although it is certainly drumming and rhythm, The Drum Jam creates a community of people.  It does this through the inclusive nature of the event.  Each Drum Jam has a professional facilitator who engages the audience and cajoles many of them into joining in the actual drumming.  Rhythm is part of all of us and even the meanest of the tone deaf can be easily taught to be a productive member of a Drum Jam.  This engagement quickly changes an inquisitive crowd into a participative audience that is rapidly creating its own entertainment.

The event breaks down socio economic and cultural barriers, even language barriers.  It links all present into a community.  They participate in a shared a transformative experience and that creates a MARKET!


It's a "flash" event because it just springs into existance in the middle of any place you can imagine.  A shopping center, a mall, anyplace people gather.  I'm going to try one here in DC.  We have applied for and been provisionally approved for a permit to run one in LaFayette Park ... right next to the White House here in Washington, DC!  We will do this in association with Food and Water Watch, an aggressive environmentally engaged non profit and The Milennium Goals Foundation in support of food security.  This should make national press, that is, if we do it right!

Drum Out Poverty Day, Saturday, June, 12, 2010

Drum Out Poverty Day is Coming!

 This is the last week before the Drum Out Poverty event here in Washington, DC.  We've done all we can to promote it and I think we're as ready as anyone can be to make this happen.  The only thing we may be short is event day volunteers.  It has been a learning experience for me and the rest of us.  I've done events before but never with such few resources ... funds have been very limited for this kind of a public event.  We have a number of sponsors, but only TD Bank and Giant Foods have actually contributed cash ... the other sponsors are "in-kind," for example Comcast gave us a 4 minute interview on their "local Newsmakers" edition but we have no idea how many people actually see it.  Dominoes Pizza is providing some pazza's and soda and Col Brooks Restaraunt is giving as a few dinners to auction off, but cash needed to promote and provide payment for talent has been virtually non existent.