Playshops & Trainings
Who Attends VMC Playshops & Trainings?
People just like you attend Village Music Circles™ trainings. Participants come from diverse backgrounds, professions and cultures. Over the past 20 years, VMC has trained over 5000 Drum Circle Facilitators in 15 countries. Many have no previous experience with music and some are accomplished musicians. Some are mid-career professionals seeking a new twist to their existing skills and others are seeking to develop a new profession as a Drum Circle Facilitator.
Participants have included:
Music Therapists
Music Educators
Group Leaders
Musicians & Drummers
Music Conductors
Community Organizers
Psycho-social Workers
Youth Activities Organizers
Community groups & Families
Kids with Disabilities
Kids-at-risk Professionals
Trainers & Facilitators
Educators
Medical Professionals
Corporate Trainers
Music Teachers
Group Presenters
Ministers & Spiritual Leaders
Students & Homeschoolers
Life Coaches
The playfully challenged seeking inspiration
Types of Playshops & Trainings
Village Music Circles™ impactful and exciting learning experiences are for anyone seeking to use music as a joyful tool to empower and unite people of all ages, backgrounds and cultures. Join the fun and learn how you can . . . Build Your Community Through Rhythm!
Basic Facilitators' Training (3-day)
Basic Facilitation Skills
Drum Call • Stop Cuts • Sculpting
A weekend packed with information and hands-on facilitation experiences. Designed to give participants the confidence, tools and inspiration necessary to facilitate a rhythm-based event and build their own rhythm community. More about Basic Facilitators' Training
Facilitators' Intensive Training (6-day)
Basic & Intermediate Rhythm Facilitation Skills
Techniques • Technologies • Philosophies
Held annually at the Hawaii Facilitators' Playshop, this week-long training provides extensive practical experience in a safe environment to facilitators of all levels with peer, mentor & advanced facilitator support. More about Week-Long Intensive Facilitators' Training
Facilitators’ Challenge (3-day)
Intermediate & Advanced Rhythm Facilitation Skills
Advanced Techniques • Philosophies • Leadership
The Facilitators' Challenge is designed for VMC graduates who are actively using VMC’s technologies in their programs. Facilitators will be challenged and tasked with a variety of experiences designed to enhance and further deepen their skills. They are given special attention and instruction at their own level of development during the VMC 3-day Trainings. The Facilitators' Challenge provides extended opportunity for practice and exploration of personal style and technique. More about the Facilitators' Challenge
Mentors' Experience (10-day)
Advanced Leadership Training
Leadership • Advanced Facilitation • Community Mentoring
A 10-day leadership training for community facilitators ready to mentor others through rhythm facilitation and community-building processes. Learn advanced community-building techniques and group process skills while leading and mentoring Week-long participants through basic facilitation processes. More about the Mentor Experience
One-Day Introductory Seminar
Introduction to Drum Circle Facilitation
The purpose of this 1-day “Introduction to Drum Circle Facilitation” is designed to deliver enough information and experience so that participants can successfully facilitate a drum circle using basic techniques, and to give you a window into the vast world of possibilities that the art of drum circle facilitation offers. More about the One-Day Seminar.
Professional Development Weekend (3-day)
Formats, Applications & Populations
Communication • Organization • Presentation Skills
A weekend for experienced DCFs looking to build a business as a drum circle facilitator. This professional facilitator-development program builds business skills, provides process facilitation training, and offers a format for developing your own style while delivering intention-based rhythm events to all types of professional organizations.
What is the difference between the Mentor and Challenge Trainings?
Click here for a detailed explanation.
The Village Music Circles community is international and includes diverse people of all backgrounds, religious affiliations, ages and cultures. From therapists to human resource managers, ministers to camp counselors, teachers to corporate executives, doctors to teenagers — each adding their own song, rhythm and spirit; playing an important part in building our global rhythm community.
Trainings can be found in Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Australia, Italy, England, Norway, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Scotland and UAE.
You do not have to be a musician to play!
No experience is necessary!
"I will have to expose more of my weaknesses and possible wrong decisions. Learning how to swim over and over, every time. Yes I know, it's not really dangerous. The only thing I risk is to grow from my learning experiences."
"Not everyone there was a drummer and that did not matter... there were people from all parts of the community, and we ALL created beautiful music together."
—Jaqui MacMillan
"The drum circle is a perfect vehicle for beginning relationships with people. When the circle ends, I want to continue those relationships so that I can stay connected with those people. We can deepen our relationship through music so that we can become better friends when the music stops."
—Laurie Precht, USA