![\"Susan](\"https:\/\/lamesacourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Susan-Hall-leader-of-the-La-Mesa-Drum-Circle-shows-how-bellswebtop.jpg\")
<\/a>After people seated themselves in a circle in the community room of the fire station at the January meeting, Hall made an important announcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been asked to be part of the pre-game entertainment for the Padres game on June 14 this summer,\u201d Hall said, smiling big. \u201cI am obligated for 100 people, so I\u2019m hoping you all will sign up for that day. Everyone who is interested in attending can come. Don\u2019t worry about having to practice. We know how to make rhythm together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone cheered and all but a couple of people put their name down on the chart.<\/p>\n
Hall explained that the city of La Mesa is sponsoring the drum circle for that day, providing them with t-shirts with logos.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd don\u2019t forget that we\u2019re in for the Flag Day Parade on May 30 in La Mesa,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
After the announcements, Hall explained the drum circle procedure to the new participants.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone contributes his or her sound to the circle and the music. You choose what instrument you want to play,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Hall pointed to her collection of bells, drums, rain sticks, seed pod shakers, maracas, tambourines and even a xylophone. She picked up a djembe drum and positioned it between her knees, showing how to tap on the different parts of the drum to elicit different tones. Then she invited the percussionists-to-be to choose from boxes of musical instruments.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone ready?\u201d asked Hall.<\/p>\n
She began tapping out a rhythm on her drum and the people joined in. They happily banged on drums and shook bells and tambourines. The fire station filled with a heart-pounding boom. Everyone watched for direction from Hall, who alternately slowed and sped up the tempo.<\/p>\n For another round, Hall picked up some plastic tubes.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are called boomwhackers, and I like to use a shorter tube with a longer one. You can use them on the drums and tambourines, but not on each other,\u201d she said, smiling.<\/p>\n At her direction, the percussionists joined in and a comical, hollow popping sound reverberated throughout the room. By the time Hall made a motion with her hand to slow then stop the commotion, everyone was laughing.<\/p>\n At 7:50 p.m., Hall said it was time for the \u201cCelebration Song.\u201d For 10 minutes, they banged and pounded and shook their instruments. When Hall raised her arms and called out with a whooping cheer, they all followed along until closing time.<\/p>\n \u201cSee you next month! And tell your friends they can come,\u201d Hall said, sighing with a happy smile. She looked over at Angela Large, who was packing up her own Djembe drum.<\/p>\n \u201cHow are you doing, Angela?\u201d Susan asked.<\/p>\n \u201cAs usual, I\u2019m so relaxed. This is a very healing circle for me,\u201d said Large, who had joined in the circle a couple years ago when she had been diagnosed with cancer.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is for me, too,\u201d said Theresa Fox, who had come for the first time that evening. \u201cI\u2019m energized. I feel like I could go run a mile.\u201d<\/p>\n Her daughter Ashlyn Fox, 16, said she would like to come again to the drum circle.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel good now, too. I\u2019ve been stressed out with a lot of different issues,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Nearby, Rob Lohman, a regular with the circle for a little more than a year, was packing up his instrument that he\u2019d made with seed pods attached to a curtain rod.<\/p>\n \u201cI agree. This is a great event, stress-free,\u201d he said. \u201cSusan doesn\u2019t press people to do this a certain way. She\u2019s open-minded. And that\u2019s good because there are so many other things in life that you have to do a certain way.\u201d<\/p>\n The La Mesa Community Drum Circle, open to everyone, takes place the second Thursday of each month, 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Fire Department\u2019s Station 12 (8844 Dallas St.). For information, go to www.meetup.com\/RW-DrumEvents<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/a>
(Foto por Cynthia Robertson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n