A drum circle is a community. To make good music, members need to work together.

Drummers will listen to each other. They can tell when someone drops out of rhythm.

Like a friend who picks up the phone, a concerned sideman might call him back in with an encouraging beat.

Last Saturday, B.J. Morgan from the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad facilitated two drum circles, one for grades six through 12 and another for youths in kindergarten through fifth grade, in the Murrieta Public Library community room.

Through intimate concerts, films, discussions, hands-on workshops, volunteer opportunities and youth programs, the museum enables people of all ages to find their way into the world of music-making.

Morgan leads drum circles all over San Diego County; this was his first time bringing the program to southwest Riverside County.

"Ah-ha!" Morgan exclaimed after demonstrating a beat to the first group of children, who successfully repeated the sound as if they were fellow tribesmen responding to his message from across a vine-choked jungle.

Moving from traditional African beats to something more contemporary, Morgan asked, "Who listens to [the rock group] Queen?"

The children hesitated and he continued, "What is the basic beat to the song ‘We Will Rock You?’"

Several confident hands gave Roger Taylor from the seminal English band a run for his money. The children looked at each other and smiled and laughed.

They weren’t, as the song lyrics proclaim, "a big disgrace."

Many of the workshop participants were seasoned musicians before they stepped into the circle. They included 16-year-old Rogelio Meza, a Murrieta Vista High School student and library volunteer.

Meza taught himself how to play guitar two years ago. And, like many musicians, he’s open to experimenting with different instruments. He said playing the djembe, a skin-covered hand drum, was something he liked to do and it felt natural.

Toward the end of the jam session, Morgan asked the youths to set their djembes aside and take up the Advertisement
tune with other instruments.

He dispersed a range of other percussion instruments like cowbells and the granddaddy of them all: a bass drum that plays the role of keeping all the drummers in sync.

Arthur Hull, father of the modern facilitated drum circle movement in America, said in his book "Drum Circle Facilitation" that an ensemble must create a musical dialogue with space in their playing for each other’s contributions.

In their playing, drummers may express dynamics in volume and intensity while creating musical harmony and rhythmical relationship, Hull wrote.

Luke Martinez, a 12-year-old student at Shivela Middle School in Murrieta whose principal instrument is the trumpet, said, "It was cool playing the djembe and experimenting. I liked how everyone got to play something different at the end."

The drum circle also provided the youths a supportive environment for self-expression and group cohesiveness.

For them, activities like these may help them recognize how important they are individually, especially when they combine their uniqueness and become a community, Morgan said.

The Murrieta Public Library is encouraging the entire community to read throughout the summer by offering programs and events for all ages.

Library staff member Joyce Lea Brown, who helped organize Morgan’s visit, said the library has two separate themes this summer for different age groups with age-appropriate programs for each.

The "Be Creative" theme focuses on reading and program activities for children and teens, while the "Express Yourself" programs are intended for the young adult and adult audiences.

On June 30 at 6 p.m., ventriloquist James Adams will perform at the library.

The programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Murrieta Library and various local businesses. They are free and open to the public.

The library is at Eight Town Square on Adams Ave. and Kalmia St. in Murrieta. Call (951) 304-2665 or visit www.murrieta.org/services/library for additional information on city library programs.

For additional information about the Museum of Making Music, visit www.museumofmaking

music.org.