The PASIC 2026 Interactive Drumming sessions offer a diverse range of workshops for percussionists of all levels, focusing on technique, cultural rhythms, wellness, community engagement, and entrepreneurship. Highlights include Carl Dixon’s Brazilian samba pandeiro workshop, the Draper family’s rhythmic “Drum Safari” for children, Jeremy Kirk’s Polynesian rhythm clinic, Eric Swanson’s guidance on building senior drumming businesses, Jeni Swerdlow’s group drumming for stress relief and connection, and John and Jitka Yost’s immersive Sound Magic gong bath for relaxation. Evening drum circles provide additional opportunities for creative expression and community building. The program aims to broaden participants’ musical skills, promote well-being, and inspire new career possibilities in percussion.

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Whether you’re looking to sharpen your technique, expand your teaching toolkit, explore new career opportunities, or simply reconnect with the joy of making music, this year’s PASIC Interactive Drumming sessions offer something for everyone. From hands-on clinics rooted in global traditions to sessions focused on wellness, community engagement, and entrepreneurship, attendees will discover fresh perspectives on what it means to be a percussionist in today’s world. The conference lineup spans an impressive range of topics, including building a profitable community drumming business, mastering the infectious grooves of Brazilian pandeiro and the vibrant rhythms of Polynesia, and embarking on a rhythmic “Drum Safari” that introduces musical traditions through animal-inspired percussion. Participants can also explore ways to bring drumming into senior communities, experience the restorative benefits of group drumming, and unwind with Sound Magic, an immersive session that uses vibration and deep listening to promote relaxation. And when the day’s workshops conclude, the jams will continue with the Late-night Drum Circles.

Carl Dixon
Pandeiro Fundamentals: Techniques and Rhythms for Samba
Carl Dixon’s workshop is designed for participants who have never played the pandeiro, as well as those with prior experience who wish to expand their knowledge and proficiency on the instrument. Pandeiros and printed handouts will be provided for all participants, and Dixon’s instrument will be amplified to ensure that everyone can clearly hear the characteristic sounds. The workshop begins with a concise, yet detailed overview of the techniques used to produce the primary sounds of the pandeiro in traditional Brazilian samba music. The second portion introduces the three foundational samba rhythms for the instrument. Dixon then teaches a pandeiro arrangement of a popular samba song that incorporates these rhythms. Several musicians will join him to sing and perform on cavaquinho and accompanying percussion instruments commonly used in samba. The session concludes with demonstrations of advanced techniques, contemporary concepts, and applications of the pandeiro beyond samba and Brazilian music. 

Carl Dixon is Assistant Teaching Professor of Percussion at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he has directed the Brazilian Bateria Percussion Ensemble since founding it in 2011. He is also the Musical Director of the Boulder Samba School, a community drumming ensemble he co-founded in 2009. Dixon has been a featured guest artist and clinician at universities, community organizations, and percussion festivals throughout the United States. He has performed with Brazilian artists including Casuarina, Moyseis Marques, Dandha da Hora, Paula Santoro, Alessandro Penezzi, and Ronaldo Andrade, as well as with several samba school baterias. Dixon studied extensively in Rio de Janeiro with internationally recognized samba percussionists and bateria directors, including Jorge Alabê, Mestre Ailton Nunes (Mangueira), Mestre Marcão (Salgueiro), and Mestres Gustavo and Guilherme (Salgueiro).

Brandon Draper, Teryn Draper, Eva Draper, and Ivy Draper
Drum Safari
Brandon Draper and Teryn Draper invite children of all ages to join Drum Safari, where they meet different animals from around the world, each represented through rhythm. After meeting these rhythmic ambassadors, every child receives a percussion instrument, and the jungle jam begins. As the animal rhythms come together, an exciting sense of community develops. 

The program originated in 2005 at Vista Grande Community Center in Sandia Park, New Mexico, where the Drapers first tested their vision of creating inclusive musical experiences that honor cultural preservation and rhythmic innovation. Their work earned them recognition as Kennedy Center Teaching Artists in 2014. Now based in Kansas City, they tour each summer for library reading programs and festivals throughout New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Iowa, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska, reaching approximately 42,000 children and families annually through about 175 performances.

Educators and percussionists Brandon and Teryn Draper developed their distinctive approach to music education under the mentorship of Arthur Hull and “Bongo” Barry Bernstein. Their daughters, Eva and Ivy, now perform with them, continuing the family’s tradition of music education and innovation.

Jeremy Kirk
POLYrhythms:Rhythms of Polynesia
Jeremy Kirk’s clinic is a hands-on, interactive session exploring traditional rhythms from across Polynesia. Attendees will learn rhythms and performance practices from Tahitiantoere drumming, Samoan siva afi drumming, and Hawaiian ipu heke and pahu drumming, all presented within their cultural contexts. This session is ideal for drum circle facilitators seeking to broaden their rhythmic vocabulary, composers searching for authentic rhythmic materials and instruments, and educators wishing to strengthen culturally responsive teaching practices. 

Percussionist, educator, and ethnomusicologist Jeremy Kirk is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at Glenville State University in Glenville, West Virginia. He previously served as Chair of the Division of Performing Arts and Associate Professor of Music at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas. Kirk combines traditional Western percussion training with extensive knowledge of world music to cultivate a distinctive global perspective in teaching and performance.

Eric Swanson
Drumming Up Senior Business in Your Community
In Drumming Up Senior Business in Your Community, Eric Swanson explains how to identify needs within a community, determine the instruments and equipment required, evaluate the impact of drums and percussion for first-time participants, refine facilitation skills, organize successful drum circles, develop and market a business, and generate income through this work. 

Eric Swanson joined the Clinton, Iowa, elementary school orchestra in fifth grade as a drumset and percussion player. He later studied snare drum and rudimental drumming, took drumset lessons with Gene Knight, and performed in bands throughout high school. After earning a B.A. in Communications from Iowa State University, he began teaching drumset while managing a Guitar Center store in Chicago in 1999. He has performed in his own rock bands since 1984 and recently launched Rhythm Based Events for Creating Connection, focusing on programs for older adults. Swanson is currently mentored by John Yost of Rhythm Revolution in Chicago and volunteers at Shriners Children’s Hospital.

Jeni Swerdlow
Rhythm Renewal: Group Drumming to Release, Reconnect, and Restore Balance
Jeni Swerdlow’s workshop is an immersive, hands-on group drumming experience designed for participants of all experience levels who wish to deepen their facilitation skills and expand their professional toolkit. The workshop explores how rhythm can support nervous-system regulation, stress reduction, social interaction, and creative collaboration while remaining accessible to participants of diverse ages and abilities. The session focuses on creating rhythmic experiences that are safe, engaging, and meaningful, helping groups move from tension to ease and from disconnection to shared enjoyment. Participants experience facilitation approaches that are clear, adaptable, and readily transferable across diverse populations and settings. Practical considerations for using this work professionally are also addressed, including strategies for positioning group drumming within wellness, community, and organizational contexts. Attendees leave with practical tools, increased confidence, and concrete ideas for expanding their facilitation practice. 

Jeni Swerdlow is a master facilitator, trainer, performer, and Registered Art Therapist with more than 25 years of experience in designing and leading rhythm-based experiences that foster connection, communication, well-being, and creativity. She is the Founder and Chief Rhythm Activator of DRUMMM® Rhythmic Events, a nationally respected organization providing interactive drumming and rhythm programs in corporate, educational, healthcare, nonprofit, and community settings. A Remo-endorsed Drum Circle Facilitator and Village Music Circles Global Trainer, Swerdlow is deeply committed to facilitator education and mentorship.

John and Jitka Yost Sound Magic
John and Jitka Yost present Sound Magic, an opportunity to decompress and experience a unique inward journey through the power of vibration and deep listening. This 50-minute immersive gong bath invites participants to step away from analytical listening and into a somatic, meditative sound experience. The physical vibrations of sound naturally entrain the brain, guiding it from beta into alpha and theta wave states associated with relaxation, creativity, and restorative awareness. As the nervous system settles, participants are supported in reaching a deeply relaxed yet alert state — an ideal counterbalance to the high-stimulation conference environment. Percussionists and sound practitioners John and Jitka Yost will weave a rich tapestry of resonant textures using gongs, crystal bowls, Tibetan singing bowls, chimes, and complementary overtone instruments. Rather than emphasizing performance, this lab session focuses on intentional sound, sustained resonance, and the physiological and psychological effects of vibration. Participants are encouraged to listen deeply, rest fully, and experience sound as a medium for integration, reflection, and renewal.

John Yost is an MC Global Drum Circle Facilitation Trainer and gong artist who teaches Japanese taiko and West African djembe. He has taught and performed throughout the United States, Japan, and Europe. Jitka Yost is a licensed massage therapist, Reiki practitioner, and yoga instructor.  

DRUM CIRCLES
Late-Night Drum Circles will be held Thursday and Friday nights at 10 p.m., and the  Closing Drum Circle will be held at 4:00 p.m. Saturday. They are available for all PASIC attendees who want to be creative, improvise, and express themselves musically in a fun and supportive environment.