War Drums

DESCRIPTION:

"War Drums" is a creative activity that uses percussion as a means to explore and manage fear. Participants will work together to create percussive rhythms and compositions that represent their fears and then transform these rhythms into positive expressions. This activity will foster collaboration, emotional expression, and the development of strategies to confront fear through music.

OUTCOMES:

• Help participants identify and express their fears through percussion. Foster musical creativity and percussive improvisation.
• Promote healthy emotion management, especially fear. Develop strategies to confront and overcome fears.

DURATION: 30 min.

MATERIALS:

• Various percussion instruments (drums, cajones, tambourines, maracas, etc.) or any improvised materials for percussion.
• A suitable space for the activity.

SKILLS RELATED:

• Emotional expression through percussion. Musical creativity.
• Fear management.
• Non-verbal communication.
• Development of strategies to confront fear.

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Step 1: Gather participants in a suitable space for percussion. Explain the main theme of the activity, which is fear management, and how percussion can be an effective way to express, transform, and confront emotions.
• Step 2: Create 3 groups. Each group should create a rhythm through percussion that evokes a sense of fear, as if they were war drums. Once they have a defined melody, they should transform it into a melody that conveys happier and more positive emotions, so that the created rhythm initially incites fear but eventually leads to a completely cheerful rhythm.
• Step 3: Each group will perform their rhythm to the rest of the participants, encouraging others to participate if they feel prepared and wish to do so.
• Step 4: Finally, reflect on the ability of music to convey emotions and how it can be used to turn negative emotions into positive ones.

TIPS:

• Foster a supportive and respectful environment where participants feel safe to share their fears and express them through percussion.
• Encourage participants to be creative in transforming the rhythms of fear into empowerment rhythms.
• Emphasize that it is not about having perfect percussive skills but about emotional expression through music.

REFLECTION:

• How did you feel when creating a rhythm that represented your fear? Did it help you express your emotions?
• What changes did you make to the rhythm to transform it into an expression of overcoming? How did that process make you feel?
• What fear-confronting strategies have you discovered through this activity that you can apply in your daily life?