Inside Listening and Speaking 4

Unit 4 Assessment

AUDIO SCRIPT

[F1: Female Interviewer; M1: Male Interviewee]

F1: Good evening listeners. I’m excited tonight to have Gene Black on our show.
Gene is an artist, a musician, and a writer. Welcome, Gene. What are you going to be
talking to us about tonight?

M1: Hey, thanks for having me, Marci. It’s always a pleasure to be on your show.
Tonight I want to tell our listeners about my new drumming circle.

F1: That sounds great. I’ve seen ads and fliers for drumming circles, and I’ve been
curious about them. Have drumming circles been around for a long time?

M1: Oh, yes, drumming, and drumming circles, have been around for hundreds of
years.

F1: So you must think that’s a reasonable goal to pursue – that people will see the
value in this. I mean, is there something beyond recreation to it?

M1: Absolutely. Simply pounding or beating something can be therapeutic, and it

seems that doing it rhythmically makes it even more beneficial. In fact, I believe
drumming can result in lower blood pressure; that it can actually slow your
heartbeat as your body adjusts to the rhythm of the drums. There’s the element of
spontaneity, which is related to creativity, to play. Consequently there’s a lowering
of inhibitions. So drumming can really help reduce stress.

F1: You know, it’s funny you mention lowering inhibition. I’m shy. Because of my
inhibition, I don’t perform in front of people. I mean, I do radio rather than TV
shows! No one sees me! I can hide. I can’t imagine myself leaping around beating a
drum.

M1: Think of it more as dancing with the drum. Or, as some cultures do, think of it as
awakening the voice of the drum. Anyway, one of the great things about it is that you
forget yourself. Remember it’s not just you – it’s a drumming circle. There are other
people moving and making sound all around you. As a result, you get lost in the
group.

F1: I suppose that’s another benefit – the whole community aspect.

M1: That’s right. You feel connected. You feel one with the others in your circle. One
with your beat.

F1: Have you heard of any negative effects caused by drumming?

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Inside Listening and Speaking 4
Unit 4 Assessment

M1: Well, I knew a woman who led a drumming circle in her backyard. Her
neighbors complained. Personally, I wish everyone would just chill out. I mean,
there’s music all around us, all the time. Birds make music, but so does traffic, if you
listen. So does construction work, if you really listen.

F1: Well, I prefer the birds, I have to admit.

M1: And drumming, you know, it’s not just sound. We use all kinds of drums. Mostly
drums from Asia and Africa. They’re great to touch. And the different sizes engage
different parts of your body. You move different ways with different drums. And
when you’re in a circle, it’s a powerful noise you make. You feel it in your whole
body.

F1: I imagine it also connects you with something primal, too. Something intrinsic in
us; something from our long-ago history.

M1: Sure. Drums have been used for years. They’ve been used as medicine, they’ve
been used as a way to build energy. And of course they’ve been used for
celebrations. Because we all have some kind of distant memory of this, we all
respond to drums. No matter what part of the world we’re from.

F1: Well, before we quit for today, tell me more about how drumming can be used
today. What kind of work has been done with drumming circles?

M1: OK. For example, at different kinds of festivals, drumming is used to attract
people, to call them in and engage them. At corporate retreats and workshops,
drumming circles are sometimes led to help business people let go of their normal
roles, and also to reduce stress. In hospitals and physical rehabilitation centers and
nursing homes, drumming circles have been implemented due to their success in
promoting health and healing.

F1: Thanks so much for sharing all of this with us. I hope we can get you back to talk
again about another of your many interests.

© Oxford University Press. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use. 2