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Drum Impact
Eric Swanson started as a drumset and percussion player at 10 when he joined the Clinton Iowa elementary school orchestra in 5th grade. He learned snare drum and rudiments, studied drumset with Gene Knight and played in all the bands through high school. Swanson graduated from Iowa State with a BA in Communications and started teaching drumset while managing a Guitar Center in Chicago in 1999. He has been playing in his own rock bands since 1984 and has recently embarked on a new day job – Rhythm Based Events for Creating Connection. His focus has been on seniors, well and brain impaired. He is currently being mentored by John Yost of Rhythm Revolution in Chicago, and volunteering at Shriner’s Children’s Hospital when called upon. His drum circles and Rhythm Based Events business have been growing for the past 6 years and he is in a place where he believes he can help people add value by reviewing process, gear, how to get gigs and answer some of the challenging questions about doing this work.

Drumming up Senior Business in Your Community

Interactive Drumming
Clinic / PerformanceLive

This session explains how to do the following:
1) Identify the need in your community
2) Accessing the sounds : drums and percussion in the hands of people who have never played and are intimidated
3) What types of instruments/ gear/ drums/ percussion and other ways to bring the JOY
4) How to get paid to do this work
5) What are your skills and how would this work for you
6) Marketing – asking for the business, follow-up and follow-thru
7) How do I setup the circle for success by keeping it Stupidly Simple?
...and the always available pitfalls-from gear to being worked over by the client to how to price a Rhythm Based Event and what do I do when the unexpected happens.

I will show the Map of what I do during facilitation; the steps to ensure a good event; how to setup the event; what instrument are necessary, and identify potential troubles and roadblocks. I have been serving as the Drum Circle Facilitator Guild Treasurer for the past 5 years and have been asked these questions monthly by different people who I mentor. I facilitate 3-5 drum circles per week, teach drumset to 12/15 students weekly and play in 3 or 4 original rock-n-roll bands annually.