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Drumming up for Dubai
They drum up a beat for Dubai. And they love sharing their zest for life.
- PUBLISHED: Sun 17 Oct 2010, 12:06 AM UPDATED: Wed 5 Apr 2023, 12:10 PM
“Anyone can drum, it doesn't matter how old you are or where you come from, it transcends boundaries,” says Julie Ann Odell, founder of Dubai Drums. Well, what is Dubai Drums all about? Julie Ann and her team facilitates group drumming through basic skills needed to access drum rhythms. It is all about empowerment through rhythm, says Julie. She feels that rhythm is universal.
“It's like learning a new language. You learn the ABCs and then you learn the words, then you can say tenses, paragraphs, poetry and stories. It depends on how much time you devote to drumming, the more you focus, the better you become at it.”
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Dubai Drums uses drumming for team-building. The team leaves with the reinforced idea of cooperation over competition and how each member is as important as the other.
Julie's study of the art of drumming has been extensive. From taking intensive hand drumming classes in South Africa, to studying drum facilitation in the USA and getting into life coaching, she has done it all. “In the last five years, I have studied and taken my certification in organisation relationship, and I am also a team coach and energy worker. So all of those things are put together when I do an event. And these things help people feel energised and empowered. When I am in front of corporates, whether it's two people or 200, everything I have learnt enables me to have a presence. Drums empower people, not just through rhythm, but helps them work better together as teams and in being leaders.”
Dubai Drums also does a lot of corporate work, which is more private and is called Drums of the World. The various nationalities present in Dubai are put together with their ethnic drums. It is kind of a jazz ensemble that provides an exciting vibe. says Julie. “One of the reasons I created Drums of the World was for the corporates to see that what they are doing together as an organisation we are doing musically on stage. Getting people from different nationalities and cultures, combining them and making something great happen.”
Drums also help in de-stressing. It is medically proven that drums balance the left and right brain and when you do that you go to the alpha state and that is where you de-stress, according to Julie. “When I am stressed out, drums continually bring me back and remind me of the essence of what it is to be in community. Our modern day world is stressed upon unhealthy competition so much that we forget to remember collaboration. When you do a community drum circle, with people from different nations, religions and ages sitting down and probably touching drums for the first time, it never ceases to amaze me how they unite and make something great happen. What we can achieve together is far greater than what we can achieve alone.” Dubai Drums has a large presence in town. Every year, the group does the Pink Walkathon in Bur Juman. It is also part of most of the walkathons that happen in town. “Anytime there is something happening in the community, where people are uniting and people know about us, we are there,” says Julie
. They also do events like the New Year and the Full moon desert drumming.
The group also performs in schools. “Drums give kids the sense of the language of rhythm and the feeling part of it, being able to spontaneously create music,” says Julie. “It helps children with their development, helps them with their left and right brain development, empowers them to be more creative, and makes them realise there is more to music than just reading music. It is fun to create with other people than just sitting there by yourself.”
Drums remind people to have a sense of belonging, to connect and be one. When you put them in an environment where they can be one, they can achieve great things.
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