May 25, 2007

To Whom It May Concern,

It was our extreme pleasure to host a Therapeutic Drumming workshop facilitated by Zoe Kessler of Diana’s Drum on May 16, 2007.  This workshop was sponsored by a special education budget for emergency nursing professional development.  The workshop was promoted as an adjunct for stress management and wellness.  We had never tried an intervention such as this in the past and were not certain how it would be received by our staff.

This drumming workshop was readily embraced by the nursing staff in attendance. Zoe introduced the values of drumming as a therapy for maintaining wellness.  Staff then eagerly participated in a drumming circle lead by Zoe.  The participants were already well acquainted with each other from their work place relationships and the session flowed with ease.  However, I must attribute much of this success to Zoe’s enthusiasm and gentle persuasive facilitation.  She kept the group momentum going and moved us along with various exercises in drumming.  The workshop concluded with group drumming to accompany a belly dancer.  The arrival of the dancer was a surprise to the group.  We all felt sufficiently relaxed by the drumming exercises by this point in the workshop, and participants eagerly left their seats to try some belly dancing steps. There was much joy and giggling!

Two different evaluations were collected from participants at the end of the workshop.  All evaluations were favorable.  Comments included “the experience of drumming and dancing released my tight muscles”, “good way to release stress”, “great team building exercise”, “loved having fun with peers”, “sociable and safe environment”.   Most participants felt that the workshop exceeded their expectations and they would welcome the chance to participate in another workshop like this one.  Zoe made the entire experience from planning to intervention a delight.

Yours truly,

Janice Whitford BScN
Nurse Educator, Emergency Department

Credit Valley Hospital, 2200 Eglinton Avenue West Mississauga, ON L5M 2N1
905-813-2200 or Toll-free: 1-877-292-4CVH (4284)