AARP Eye Center
Bang The Drums All Day
By Alejandra Owens, October 23, 2009 04:28 PM
From Barbranda Walls
Want to release the pressure? Beating it out in a drum circle may do the trick.
John Fitzgerald, a pony-tailed musician from Carlsbad, Calif., enticed passers-by at Vegas@50+ to sit and jam in the circle he set up outside the exhibit hall at the Sands Convention Center. Some looked at him warily as he invited them to pick up a cow bell or maracas and join in the driving rhythm that pulsated throughout the corridors. Others jumped right in and got into the groove.
No previous musical experience was required. I started off on a drum and quickly caught on to the beat. I then switched to a wooden percussion instrument I couldn't even identify and gleefully tapped on it. Others in the circle smiled and welcomed those who came in to play. Fitzgerald directed us to drop in and out of the beat, sometimes leaving the drums to take center stage and then the percussion to be the star.
"Now don't you feel better?" Fitzgerald asked me when I left the circle. Indeed, I did. It was a fun way to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the day.