Rhythm! Discovery Center

08/22/2023

The Rhythm! Discovery Center collection is home to a diverse collection of instruments – from historic pieces that shaped the foundation of percussion itself to high-end professional pieces played onstage by some of the world’s greatest musicians. But did you know that we even have toy instruments in our collection? Check these out!

All of these toy instruments were invented by marimba virtuoso Clair Omar Musser in the 1960s. In addition to being a musician, conductor, teacher, engineer, and keyboard percussion designer, Musser was an inventor who created musical toys.

Before Tom Hanks danced on a giant piano in the movie “Big,” there was the Knickerbocker Hippy-Hop keyboard. At more than 4 feet long, you could play tones by stepping on the “keys.”

Musser also created the Knickerbocker Folk Songs Electric Music Book with an electric keyboard inside with organ and tremolo options, as well as 9 cardboard inserts with songs, allowing you to learn to play simple songs like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” It was a predecessor to today’s interactive read-along books.

Yet another Musser creation in our collection is the Knickerbocker Magic Music Box, an educational toy with 8 tone bars and 12 Golden Touch Songs. Underneath each tone bar is a hammer connected to metal rods. Pushing on the rods strikes the tone bar. Music sheets slide underneath bars to provide notations for playing songs.

While Musser may be better known as a performer, for his popular solo compositions or ensemble arrangements, for heading the Northwestern University marimba department, or for his innovative instruments, we love these toys that he created to allow even the youngest budding musicians to make their own music!

See our online collection at bit.ly/rdconline

08/22/2023

Great news for music supporters in Indianapolis!

We have exciting PASIC news: We’re staying in Indianapolis through 2028!

PASIC has been held in Indianapolis – a world-class convention city – nearly every year since 2009. We’re so happy to be hosting it here for the next 6 years. Indy is a drumming capital and the Percussive Arts Society and PASIC are, as Visit Indy President & CEO Leonard Hoops put it, “part of the fabric of our community.”

Keeping PASIC in year to year will help us lock in contracts and get better discounts to help keep attendance costs reasonable for all of you. Plus, along with our partners at the Indiana Convention Center, we know how to throw an amazing PASIC!

Plan to join us for November 8-11, and mark you calendars for these future PASIC dates:

PASIC 2024 – November 13-16, 2024
PASIC 2025 – November 12-15, 2025
PASIC 2026 – November 11-14, 2026
PASIC 2027 – November 10-13, 2027
PASIC 2028 – November 8-11, 2028

🔗 Read the full announcement at bit.ly/pasicindy

You can get info about and register at pasic.org. We’ll see you there!

08/01/2023

Happening this week!

Join me at my official page!

07/28/2023

Thanks to everyone who participated in our drum circle session today at the Association of Midwest Museums Conference! It was great to share one of our typical educational sessions we love to facilitate. It’s a chance for everyone, not matter skill level, to experience creating music together.

Catch us out sharing sessions just like this at community events around town while we are busy relocating our physical museum.

07/20/2023

Learn from world-touring, multi-platinum STYX drummer Todd Sucherman in an 3-hour, live masterclass with small group personal instruction this August 3rd in Indianapolis. With very limited seating, this special event is for all ages and playing abilities.

For added inspiration, make sure to see Todd play with STYX at the Indiana State Fair's Free Stage on August 4.

Learn more and register at bit.ly/drumwithtodd

07/18/2023

Grab your tickets to see the fantastic Cassius Goens Quartet on July 28th at the Madame Walker Legacy Center for Jazz on the Avenue. We were happy to partner with the Center and the Association of Midwest Museums & Association of Indiana Museums Joint Conference to bring one of our talented Indiana percussionists to the stage.

07/04/2023

The Marxophone was modeled after the autoharp, but instead of strumming the strings, only the lower strings are strummed to provide an accompaniment for the melody, which is played by depressing the weighted metal tongues. The end of the tongue bounced against the string, producing a tremolo effect. See other items from our collection online at rhythmdiscoverycenter.org.

It’s a chordophone, or a musical instrument whose sound is produced by a vibrating chord or string. When a hammer, mallet, or be**er is used to strike the chord, the instrument belongs to the percussion family. Two types of chordophones categorized this way are the Marxophone and the Yang Chin. Manufactured by, and named after the Marx family, the Marxophone is modeled after the autoharp. Instead of strumming the strings and pressing chorded buttons like an autoharp, however, only the lower strings are strummed. The melody is played by depressing weighted, metal tongues. When a tongue is depressed, it bounces repeatedly on the melodic strings resulting in a tremolo effect. The instrument has a two-octave melodic range, from middle C to high C, with four major chords (C, G, F, D) tuned for the strummed, chordal accompaniment. The Yang Chin is the Chinese version of the hammered dulcimer or zither, arriving there from the Mid-East ca. 1800. The instrument consists of rows of wire strings strung over a bridge, resulting in two pitches for each group of strings. The lower register is strung with two wires per pitch, and the upper register with four wires per pitch. Each register has nine rows of strings, resulting in 36 total pitches. The instrument is played by striking a group of strings with two small, broad-headed hammers.

06/27/2023

The Buzz-a-Phone was built by the legendary New York xylophonist, percussionist, and recording artist William "Billy" Dorn. The provenance of this unique instrument is confirmed by Bob Ayers, who remembers seeing Dorn working on it in his studio/shop in New Jersey. Following Dorn’s death in 1971, Michael Rosen recalls that Carroll Bratman bought the entire collection of exotic instruments from Dorn’s widow. Phil Kraus remembers using the instrument for several radio advertisement jingles and on the RCA album “Percussion – Playful and Plenty,” where it is called a "Buzzimba."

Dorn’s Buzz-a-Phone consists of 20 wooden "keys," each designed as an elongated box, open on one end and closed on the other. Opposite sides of each key extend from the box-like construction on the open end, with the top extension serving as the "striking" or "vibrating" bar and the bottom as a mounting surface. The closed box functions as a resonating chamber. Mounted in the closed end of each key is a circular membrane that buzzes as the key is struck, creating a sound similar to the "tela" found in Guatemalan "buzzing" marimbas.

The instrument is constructed in a chromatic keyboard configuration and mounted on a wheeled frame, with a 1 ½ -octave range from F to C. Each key measures 2 ½ x 2 ½ inches in width and depth; the shortest is 8 ½ inches long, and the longest key is 25 inches. The frame is 45 inches wide and 32 inches deep and stands 48 inches in height. For storage, the keyboard rotates to a vertical position.

See our entire collection online, anytime, and rhythmdiscoverycenter.org.

06/20/2023

Today’s featured instrument from the Rhythm! Discovery Center Collection is very rare: a 1950 Tabla Tarang, featuring 15 handmade tabla tuned to a Western chromatic scale, donated by Emil Richards. You can visit our online collection any time at rhythmdiscoverycenter.org.

Indian tabla are most commonly found as a pair of two different-sized drums: the tabla and the baya. When multiples of the smaller of the set, the tabla (or dahina), are arranged in a semicircle, then tuned and played in a melodic fashion, they create an instrument known as the tabla tarang. "Tarang" can be loosely defined as "waves," referring to how the numerous pitches create a wave of melodic sound when played.

As the tabla tarang functions as a melodic instrument, it is often accompanied by either a drone instrument, such as the tanpura, or a single pair of tabla drums that provide a rhythmic background. The tabla tarang can be tuned to any arrangement of pitches based on the desired raga, or scale of a composition.

This tabla tarang is comprised of 15 tabla drums constructed from slightly-conical metal shells ranging in diameter from 7 to 4.25 inches, all mounted in a semi-circular frame made of cherry wood. Each drum has a skin head mounted on a metal flesh hoop, which is attached to the drum by ten, eight, or six curved tension rods. Each metal rod runs through a shell-mounted lug and is tensioned by a nut on the end of the threaded rod.

The black paste on each head allows the drum to sound a clear pitch when properly tuned and struck. Hand built in India ca. 1950, the instrument can be tuned chromatically with a range of approximately 1.3 octaves. Played by hands while seated, the instrument measures 56 inches across, 38 inches deep, and 11.5 inches high.

06/19/2023

Join Rhythm! Discovery Center for a Drum Circle at today’s Juneteenth Celebration at the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library. We start at 3 pm, but the free festivities run from 11 am to 5 pm today.

Here’s more:

All of Indiana Avenue is celebrating Juneteenth at the Juneteenth Block Party. Here at the KVML, enjoy free admission from 11-5 on Monday, June 19th and join us at 2 p.m. for a discussion with Dr. Jakobi Williams of Indiana University on the topic of Censorship in Education followed by the unveiling of our second phase of our mural project by artist Linda Adeniyi (with special contributions by the congregation of St. Philip's Episcopal Church.) Following the art unveiling, join us and Rhythm! Discovery Center for a drum circle - fun for all ages! The Garnacha Spot and Bazbeaux Pizza will be here for delicious food and treats.

After our festivities end, we hope you'll join us over at Indiana Landmarks for their Black Heritage Juneteenth Concert and Art Show

The whole Avenue is celebrating, so come by to enjoy all the festivities!

06/06/2023

You’ve probably heard a carillon on a university campus or from a church bell tower, but have you ever actually seen one? This Masa-Rowe Vibrachime Carillon, part of the Rhythm! Discovery Center collection was donated by Al Rodreguez 30 years ago.

A traditional carillon is comprised of pitched bells or tubular chimes that are rung by mechanical or electronic means. They often play melodies as well as marking the time of day. In the 20th century, several companies devised portable instruments to duplicate the traditional carillon sound without the massive bells or tubes.

In the 1950s, the Maas Organ Company manufactured this Vibrachime carillon. It has a small electronic keyboard mounted on top of a wooden case containing rods, speakers, and electronic solenoid be**ers. Each key activates a solenoid that strikes a metal rod. The sound of the rods mimics the sound of large church bells when amplified via the internal speaker system.

This Vibrachime isn’t large, despite its big sound. It’s approximately 2 ½ feet tall, 2 feet wide, and just a foot deep. It has a two-octave keyboard (from C to C) and three internal speakers. This Vibrachime carillon is most often installed as part of a church’s organ, and sounds remarkably realistic to a congregation.

05/30/2023

Karl C. Glassman was born in Breslau, Germany (now part of Poland), but emigrated to the U.S., growing up in Indianapolis, Indiana. He moved to New York, where he became one of the most prominent timpanists in the world. He studied with the renowned timpanist J. Fred Sietz and performed with the Russian Symphony, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the New York Symphony, and more. In 1937, Glassman became a timpanist for the NBC Symphony Orchestra under conductor Arturo Toscanini and then the Symphony of the Air under conductors such as Leonard Bernstein and Leopold Stowkowski. Glassman and his drums could be heard throughout the U.S. via these broadcasts.

Glassman typically used pedal timpani as his inside drums, but these modified Ludwig & Ludwig Standard timpani from the Rhythm! Discovery Center collection were used as his outside and touring drums. These timpani are 25 and 28 inches in diameter and each is made of a one-piece solid copper bowl with nickel-plated hoops and hardware. Though originally designed as hand-tuned drums, these have been modified with the Anheier Cable Tuning System. This system, developed in 1924 by Hans Anheier, consists of a spool on each of the six lugs, all connected by wire cable. By inserting one or two keys, all six rods can be tuned simultaneously by turning the spools.

After Glassman’s retirement, the drums were purchased and used by Edward Cleino, a prominent music educator at the University of Alabama. He donated the drums were donated to the R!DC collection in 2009.

05/23/2023

Musician turned drum maker Billy Gladstone’s instruments and influences appear in multiple places in the Rhythm! Discovery Center collection.

Romanian-born Gladstone was a musician with many gifts — drummer, percussionist, teacher, inventor, and drum builder. He was one of the best percussionists of his time. He performed in New York theaters — including Radio City Music Hall and the Capitol Theatre — in the 1930s and 1940s. He made famous his snare-drum technique that uses the fingers to control the rebound of the drumstick, often referred to in the drumming community as "The Gladstone Technique." He taught notable jazz drummers, including Joe Morello, Shelly Manne, and Buddy Rich. Billy Gladstone died in 1961 and is a member of the PAS Hall of Fame.

As an inventor and drum builder Gladstone created drum kits bearing his name. His rare snare drums are still considered highly collectible today.

During the early 1990s, fellow PAS Hall of Fame member Arnie Lang began to manufacture an exact replica of his most-coveted snare drum, made in 1951 by his teacher, Gladstone, later building replicas of entire drum kits that used Gladstone's patented three-way tuning system. We’re pleased to have this Gladstone Millennium Edition 2000 Snare Drum in our collection. It features 24-karat gold-plated hardware, three-way tuning, and custom wooden shells. The snare has all the features of the original Gladstone, including a tuning key to tension the top, bottom, or both heads simultaneously from the top of the drum, an internal muffler with memory settings, and the patented snare-release mechanism.

In addition to the Gladstone Millennium Edition 2000 Snare Drum, R!DC also has in its collection a one-of-a-kind Billy Gladstone drum set which we acquired in 2022. The set, played by Saul Beimel, was the centerpiece of the David and Colette Wood--Billy Gladstone Exhibit that opened at R!DC last year and featured drums and memorabilia. It is one of only four complete drum sets Gladstone ever made and the finest example still in existence.

05/19/2023

Join me at my official page!

05/09/2023

Here’s another fascinating type of instrument from the Rhythm! Discovery Center collection. The angklung is an idiophonic instrument native to Indonesia, where large numbers of them are shaken for ceremonial dances. They can also be played by multiple musicians, each one with an angklung of differing pitch in each hand, creating the melody the way a handbell choir does.
Traditionally, an angklung consists of two or three bamboo tubes of different lengths, tuned in octaves, and mounted in a frame so that a slot in each tube aligns with a cross-piece that strikes the tube when it’s shaken. In the early 1900s, J.C. Deagan developed an American version constructed from metal, sometimes called organ chimes or aluminum chimes, which were mounted on a rack, allowing one or two people to perform solo pieces. They became popular in vaudeville and radio shows.

The R!DC collection contains three angklung: a large bass angklung that’s 45 inches long and sounds the pitch F, a set of chromatic bamboo angklung that range in length from 19-32 inches and are mounted upside-down so that they can be played by a single person, and a single J.C. Deagan aluminum chime that is 9½ inches long and tuned to E-flat. All three pieces were donated to the collection by Emil Richards.

To learn more about the world's percussion instruments, see our collection online anytime at rhythmdiscoverycenter.org.

05/02/2023

The Tuning Fork Clock was first created in the 1860s, and this one, made in Germany by Max Kohl, was probably produced before 1910. The tuning fork acts like a pendulum, opening and closing an escapement to advance the gears and wheels of the clock at precise intervals. It’s highly accurate, with the fork producing 64 beats per second.

Tuning fork clocks have been used to standardized sound frequencies. German physicist and acoustician Rudolph Koenig utilized a tuning fork clock and a vibration microscope to demonstrate frequency ratios for sound and pitch, leading to the standardization of the French A=435Hz.

This specific Tuning Fork Clock was owned by the J. C. Deagan Company and most likely used to precisely tune forks and other pitched instruments. We think it was used for Deagan’s research into acoustics and tuning, resulting in the standardization of A=440Hz in the U.S. This Tuning Fork Clock was donated to Rhythm! Discovery Center by the Yamaha Corporation of America.

See more historical instruments and elements of percussion history in our online collection at rhythmdiscovery.org.

04/25/2023

The Rhythm! Discovery Center collection has many unique items, but this vibraphone is truly one of a kind! The Deluxe Neo-Classic Concert Grand Vibraphone is the only one ever built. It was created around 1941 for the International Paris Musical Instrument Exhibition and it’s still perfectly in tune.

Its three-octave F–F bars are longer than standard ones to allow for “incomparable sostenuto” (longer ring). The ten lowest natural bars have holes drilled in them to accommodate the posts that hold the accidental bars, because the instrument combines a unique twin damper design with having the accidental bars overlap the natural bars. Unlike the modern vibraphone and its single dampener bar, the Neo-Classic vibraphone has one dampener for each row of bars.

But what’s most unique about the Neo Classic is its resonator design. The resonators for the lowest six accidentals and nine naturals are made of metal bent at right angles to keep the vibraphone compact, while the upper resonators are made of heavy-duty cardboard tubes to keep it lightweight. And the instrument breaks down into two parts, making it portable. That’s a pretty modern design for 1941!

The Neo-Classic vibraphone was originally created by Clair Omar Musser and was donated to R!DC by Joel Leach.

04/18/2023

Rare Ludwig Black Beauty snare drums, manufactured during the 1920s and 1930s, are some of the most sought-after drums for performers and collectors due to their appearance and sound quality. Until 1935, they were manufactured with a two-part, rolled brass shell joined at the center bead and coated with black nickel, then etched in decorative patterns, and were available in numerous sizes and hardware options.

This Ludwig Black Beauty snare drum was purchased in 1934 by Gerald Godfrey while he was a student at Auburn Senior High School, in Auburn, N.Y. It’s a 5x14-inch Ludwig Standard Black Beauty with single-flanged counterhoops, 10 lugs, chromed hardware, a second-generation strainer, 10-point floral engraving, internal tone control, and calf heads that are likely original to the drum. Godfrey used the drum in his HS band, with the American Legion Band and a local dance band, and he kept it the rest of his life.

This Ludwig Black Beauty drum was a gift from Gerald C. Godfrey, with help from the Ralph Pace Museum Acquisition Fund.

See more historical instruments in our online collection at rhythmdiscovery.org.

04/10/2023

Slit drums are an ancient form of drums that have been around for thousands of years and are still played in some cultures today. They’re made by cutting, scraping, or burning a slit in a hollowed-out piece of wood – from small blocks all the way up to tree trunks. Often, each side of the slit is carved to a different thickness to produce two tones, which can be played with sticks or by hand. Part of the beauty of these wooden drums is that they can be intricately carved, making them works of art. The Rhythm! Discovery Center collection includes numerous historical and beautiful slit drums. Check out our Rhythm Scene blog post to learn more about these drums and see some examples from our collection.

Blog Post: bit.ly/slit-drums

Visit rhythmdiscoverycenter.org to see our entire online collection!

03/29/2023

We had a great time again yesterday at WISHTV’s All Indiana talking about the accessibility of percussion and Music for All’s upcoming National Festival. Thanks to Jeremy Gwendolyn Earnhart for the invite, and thanks to Alexis Rogers and Cody Adams for playing with us!

Watch the video here:

Nearly 3,000 music students and educators will gather in Indianapolis for the Music for All National Festival this weekend. Jeremy Earnhart and Rob Funkhouse joined us to share more. To view concert showtimes and purchase tickets, click here!

03/28/2023

Check out one of the things we love about Percussion - it’s accessibility! - when our own Rob Funkhouser visits WISH-TV with Music for All to teach the hosts hand drumming in anticipation of Music for All’s National Festival this weekend. You can catch them live during the 4 pm EST hour on TV or WISHTV’s live stream.

Or watch the video from our morning appearance yesterday at wishtv.com/fuel/music-for-all-national-festival/

Special thanks to Music For All and Jeremy Gwendolyn Earnhart for the invitation — wishing you a fantastic National Festival! Learn more at festival.musicforall.org

And thank you to Kayla Sullivan and George Mallet for being such great hosts!

03/15/2023

The Rhythm! Discovery Center sustained water damage from a burst pipe in December. Now the Percussive Arts Society is looking for a new home.

03/08/2023

While you can’t visit Rhythm! Discovery Center in person right now, you can still view our collection!

Our in-person museum is temporarily closed pending Rhythm! Discovery Center’s relocation, but our amazing percussion collection is still available. Just visit rhythmdiscoverycenter.org and click on “online collection.” That’s where you can find information on thousands of instruments in our collection, plus historical photos and stories from percussion's rich global history.

Watch this video for a taste of what is in our extensive percussion collection. Operations and Education Manager Rob Funkhouser shares a story about the Octarimba.

Go to rhythmdiscoverycenter.org to check out our online collection and to see updates about the relocation of Rhythm! Discovery Center.

03/06/2023

Big News for Rhythm! Discovery Center: The museum will be relocating! (But not quite yet…)

The damage caused by a burst pipe at Rhythm! Discovery Center in December made us take a critical look at our space and decide whether it was meeting the needs of our members and attendees. Since the Percussive Arts Society and the museum, as well as our collection, have grown in recent years, we decided the time was right to move to a new location that can better serve us all.

So what does that mean for now? There will be a few changes:
• The Rhythm! Discovery Center museum at 110 West Washington Street in downtown Indy will close temporarily while we find and then prepare a new location.
• The Percussive Arts Society offices will move to a temporary location, where the amazing PAS-R!DC staff will continue to fulfill the missions of both organizations.
• Our collection of historic and iconic percussion instruments will be available to view online at rhythmdiscoverycenter.org.

And some things will stay the same:

• We’ll continue to promote the role of percussion in world cultures through interactive educational experiences, so look for our staff and volunteers at community events.
• We’ll continue active stewardship of our historical instrument collection, carefully caring for our treasures and adding new items.

We’ll let you know as soon as we know more about our future location. Like this page or visit rhythmdiscoverycenter.org to get updates on our relocation.

01/31/2023

Any aspiring percussionists or music educators out there? The Rhythm! Discovery Center’s parent organization, the Percussive Arts Society, publishes fantastic tips for beginning percussionists and those who teach them each week. Whether you want a great drum set warm up, techniques for a conga slap, instruction on instructing percussion accessories or to explore different mallet grips, PAS Classroom is for you. Watch the new videos on social media on Mondays and check out our YouTube playlist for more than 75 videos (and counting) at bit.ly/PASClass.

And don’t forget the standard-setting PAS Rudiments (the building blocks drumming) available for everyone to learn at bit.ly/rdc-rudiments

Watch all the videos at: bit.ly/PASClass
Learn the rudiments at: bit.ly/rdc-rudiments

01/16/2023

While we can’t celebrate Dr. King’s legacy with you today as we normally do, we encourage you to visit one of the other Indianapolis museums offering free admission, like the Eiteljorg, the Children’s Museum, and the Indiana State Museum.

MLK Day has always been one of our favorite days at Rhythm! Discovery Center, where in past years we’ve had wonderful performances from artists and musicians such as Gene Markiewicz, Clint Breeze and the Groove, and Bashiri Asad. We will miss celebrating with you today - but encourage you to see the other wonderful museums Indianapolis has to offer.

12/31/2022

Joshua Simonds, Executive Director of PAS & R!DC, gives us an update on the flooding at the museum. We’ve had a great year, even though it didn’t end how we liked and we start 2023 with a new challenge. As you reflect on your year, if you are in the position to give, we ask you consider the Rhythm! Discovery Center and Percussive Arts Society at bit.ly/GIVEPAS.

12/27/2022

The Rhythm! Discovery Center will be closed for the near future as we recover from flooding. On Monday afternoon, December 26, a water line burst in Claypool Court, home of Rhythm! Discovery Center. Due to the amount of water, and the fact that water travels downward, much of the water from the burst pipe found its way into the museum.

Due to extensive water throughout the museum, we are unsure when it will be safe to reopen, as we want to ensure a world-class visit for all our attendees. Fortunately, none of our collections or archives were damaged during the flood as we have strict procedures on how we store these items. Because of this planning, nothing irreplaceable was damaged. However, some of the drums and percussion instruments that the public plays and interacts with while visiting R!DC were waterlogged. We are still doing a thorough inventory of those items to determine which will need to be replaced.

We thank everyone for their patience as we work with property management to determine the extent of the damage and embark on a restoration plan, with a goal to reopen in early 2023.

Until then, please explore the Rhythm! Discovery Center's online collection at rhythmdiscoverycenter.org - where you can find information on the thousands of instruments in our collection, plus historical photos and stories from percussion's rich global history.

If you have purchased tickets in advance, they will be honored at a later date. If you need to refund any advance tickets or have other questions of this nature, please contact [email protected].

11/14/2022

We are closed today but reopen as normal on Friday - thanks!

10/26/2022

Enjoy spooky season at the Rhythm! Discovery Center this weekend, 10/29-10/30:

- $2 off admission with a costume
- Free candy!
- Join drum circles with Rhythm Arise at 11 am and 2 pm on Saturday

Learn about drums throughout world cultures, explore different types of percussion instruments, then play them yourself at our interactive museum. The Rhythm! Discovery Center is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays from 12-5 p.m.

10/22/2022

See The Ohio Percussion Collective at the Rhythm! Discovery Center at 1 pm TODAY, 10/22/22, for a mind-expanding concert included with admission to the museum, then stick around and explore our interactive exhibits by playing a variety of percussion instruments yourself!

10/21/2022

See The Ohio Percussion Collective at the Rhythm! Discovery Center at 1 pm tomorrow, 10/22/22, for an intimate concert included with admission to the museum, then stick around and explore our interactive exhibits by playing a variety of percussion instruments yourself!

10/19/2022

Visit Rhythm! Discovery Center on 10/29/22 for an interactive performance and drum circle hosted by Julian Douglas and Rhythm Arise. Drum circles are a fantastic introduction to playing percussion for kids and adults alike, no experience necessary.

Drum circles at 11 am and 2 pm are included with admission. Afterwards stick around and explore the rest of our interactive exhibits, from marimba to drum set.

Julian Douglas is a Remo Health Rhythms trained facilitator and a recipient of the Indiana Arts Commission On-Ramp Fellowship with 25 years of experience facilitating drum and dance circles, as well as a world percussion teacher and a performing percussionist. Raised by a jazz pianist Julian’s childhood was an immersive education in music with a strong emphasis on rhythm. His studies have included elements of the music and traditions of various cultures including those in the African diaspora, the Middle-East, Eastern Europe, and India. As a composer and drum/dance circle facilitator, Julian’s focus has been to draw inspiration and knowledge from traditional music while holding a sustained value for the creative impulse of the present moment and the centrality of the individual as the source of living creativity. Julian has performed and taught lessons and workshops throughout the Eastern United States.