By Judy Seifert (Contact / Staff Bio)
June 21, 2008 - 12:00 a.m. EST

MILLINGTON ‹ Beat. Beat. Beat. Drums. Drums. Drums. No, it’s not the Walt Whitman poem but Drummunity, a high-energy, fun activity coming to the Millington Arbela District Library June 26, at 2 p.m.

Ann Arbor resident Lori Fithian uses a combination of hand drums, percussion and simple drum circle games to create a positive experience for people of all ages. "But mostly it’s just plain fun," Fithian said recently.

Facilitator and workshop leader, Fithian says Drummunity is a word she invented for the community building that happens at these events, especially when people come together around a circle of drums.

"It’s all about connection," she explained. "You’re incorporating energy, attention, focus, listening skills and appreciating difference and diversity."

According to Fithian, any group can benefit - from pre-schools to universities, private parties to outdoor community festivals, staff meetings to international conferences and hospitals to wellness centers. "Drumming in community just makes people feel good," she said. "You won’t believe your ears when you hear your group playing together."

Participants play on everything from hand drums, pickle buckets, salad bowls to muffin tins. And don’t worry, she added, musical experience is not necessary because it’s impossible to play out of tune.

Library Director Peggy Olsen said the event is part of the library’s arts program made possible by the generosity of the community.

"We’re looking forward to this, it will be fun," she added.

Fithian has been facilitating drum circles and leading workshops for the last five years. She has played hand drums and has studied different drumming traditions since 1990. A graduate of the University of Michigan in Fine Arts, Fithian said she became involved in community building through her work at the People’s Food Cooperative in Ann Arbor. She added that playing on kitchen bowls as a child probably influenced her current career as well.

The library is located at 8530 Depot Street. For details, call (989) 881-2003.

Judy Seifert is a staff writer for the Tuscola County Advertiser. She can be reached at seifert@tcadvertiser.com.