LIVERMORE — The Livermore Drum Circle (LDC) marched back onto the scene with outdoor gatherings on the first Thursday of each month.
The circle is an inclusive, improvisation-based activity facilitated by Livermore resident and music therapist Phil Didlake. Didlake began the drum circle in 2009 after he tired of traveling to circles in other areas.
“We are a grassroots, community effort,” Didlake said. “There are different types of drum circles, but we focus on community.”
Didlake said the LDC revolves around three principals — improvisation, inclusion and facilitation. All ages and abilities are welcome to come and share their music.
“I’m not the teacher,” Didlake clarified. “I provide most of the material, and basically, I support the group, welcoming everyone in. I find a pulse and give people permission to add on creatively.”
Didlake grew up in a home that frowned on drums for religious reasons. When he found his first drum circle in Santa Cruz, he felt he found a whole new meaning for his life. That connection led him to seek other circles and eventually form the LDC.
Jody Harcourt of Livermore has been participating in the LDC for two years. She said she appreciates the multigenerational and diverse musical community Didlake created.
“I look forward to the first Thursdays of the month and especially enjoy Phil’s drum circle facilitation and how there is room for everyone to contribute their musical ideas,” said Harcourt. “The circle is well organized, and I feel very comfortable and creative while drumming, helping out or just listening.”
During the 12 years the circle has been drumming, Didlake has partnered with different groups, including the Cheza Nami Foundation, a local organization geared toward promoting diversity and cultural awareness.
“We partner with Cheza Nami because I have created a community who is comfortable learning new traditions,” Didlake said. “A lot of our music came from the African diaspora; you can trace the instruments and traditions. As a white man with an African drum, I am in the crosshairs of a lot of cross-cultural interaction, so we are all working on how we can step in or out of our roles.”
Didlake partners with the Exceptional Needs Network, a nonprofit serving families with special needs children. Didlake also facilitates drum circles for senior home communities and corporate events.
After he started the LDC, Didlake attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, where he became a board-certified music therapist.
“Berklee is world-renowned for teaching music therapy and are on the cutting edge of new techniques,” said Didlake. “I worked in a lot of hospitals, working with those going through treatment, and I really had exhaustive training in bringing these kinds of programs to clinical settings that are evidence based. I have taken all that training and am now back in Livermore.”
While at Berklee, Didlake met his fiancé, Jenny Madrigal. Madrigal is also a board-certified music therapist, and together the couple has founded their business, Rhythmic Innovation, LLC., providing music instruction and music therapy services. Didlake handles group sessions, while Madrigal handles clients and business operations.
Madrigal said her favorite part of the job is bringing the talents of students to light, especially to their families.
“Music is such a positive avenue for change and such an amazing thing socially to share,” said Madrigal. “It’s such a gift to empower students and people with music.”
Madrigal said she helps students of all ages achieve a variety of goals, including improving motor skills, concentration, social skills and neurological issues. She stressed the idea that music can be a vehicle to improve nonmusical skills.
“A person does not have to be musical to be a recipient of music therapy,” she said. “It can reach many people with different challenges from all walks of life.”
Madrigal was inspired to pursue music therapy as a career because voice lessons helped her overcome a speech impediment as a child. She now enjoys spending her days helping her clients overcome their challenges.
Despite some slowdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Didlake and Madrigal are continuing their therapy sessions and drum circles with as much passion as ever. Didlake said he hopes to continue to spread the word about both.
“We believe each person has musical ability, and we really want to inspire that or reinspire that in every person we come in contact with,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons we have the community drum circle, because we don’t always have to have a performance on a stage or in front of an audience where there is judging. It’s more about the enjoyment and the wellness and the community connections that come through that. That’s the mission of the drum circle — to empower, build friendships and strengthen the community through music making experiences.”
For more information on the LDC, visit livermoredrumcircle.com.
For more information on Rhythmic Innovations, LLC., call 925-579-3368 or visit rhythmicinnovation.com.
