We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jeni Swerdlow. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jeni below.

Jeni, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My mission at DRUMMM Rhythmic Events is to connect the world in rhythm, one beat at a time.

This year (2024) marks 25 years since I said YES to my journey on the drum. The year was 1999. At the time I was a visual artist suffering from a creative block and an art therapist who was experiencing job burnout from working with survivors of sexual and physical abuse.

While I wasn’t one of those “always tapping on things” kid, I had been fantasizing about being a drummer for years. There was just one problem: the little voice in my head that kept telling me NO, that I couldn’t do it, that I wasn’t a drummer. I listened to that voice for a looong time, until one day I found myself suddenly homeless after a fire, jobless, and heartbroken from a recent breakup..

With nothing more to lose, in January 1999 I said YES to drumming for the first time. It was at a West African drum class with Michael Taylor at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. That very first class lit a fire in me that couldn’t be contained!

I felt alive, free, inspired, and connected to everyone and everything in the universe in a way that I had never experienced before. I found myself, my power, my creative spirit, and my voice in the beat of the drum. And once I started, I never wanted to stop!

I started bringing my drum into work with me at a residential treatment center for juvenile sex offenders. Lo and behold, my clients were into the drumming (almost) as much as I was. They were having breakthroughs in our sessions and developing a deeper therapeutic relationship with me.

That’s when I decided that I wanted to bring this experience to a larger audience. After training with master facilitator Arthur Hull and music therapist Christine Stevens I quit my job and founded DRUMMM in August 2000 with the intention of building connections through rhythm.

That feeling of connection that I experience when I drum is what compels me to help companies and communities find their rhythm through my facilitated “drummm circles” and interactive rhythm experiences. Drumming is something that humans are hardwired for. It’s a universal language that we all speak, regardless of age, culture, gender, or ability.

Scientific research shows that group drumming has far reaching implications for fostering a positive workplace environment, reducing stress on a cellular level, boosting the immune system, activating the brain, improving the mood, reducing pain, and so much more.

My mission is to be that bridge for people so that they can explore, play, and discover for themselves what happens when we align in rhythm and synchronize with one another through the beat of the drums.

Fast forward to 2024. I’ve now drummed with hundreds of thousands of people all around the globe from every sector of society. I’m living my passion and purpose every day through DRUMMM by giving people a chance to experience what’s possible when we say YES to drumming.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Jeni Swerdlow. I”m the Founder and “Chief Rhythm Activator” at DRUMMM Rhythmic Events. My team and I facilitate “drummm circles” and interactive rhythm experiences for companies and communities in the San Francisco Bay Area and worldwide.

Established in 2000, DRUMMM helps over 15,000 people a year discover what’s possible when we align with one another through group drumming. Group sizes range from 5-500+ participants, and yes we really provide instruments for eveybody to play!

What I’m most proud of is being able to make the experience of drumming engaging, accessible, meaningful, and fun for literally any group or occasion. This includes senior level tech company executives, nursing staff, wedding guests, conference attendees, festival goers, elementary school students, seniors with dementia, people with disabilities, you name it!

I know that I’m going against the grain by refusing to succumb to “niche marketing”, but that’s the amazing thing about rhythm – it’s for anyone and everyone, and we can all benefit from the experience. My motto has always been “Build it and they will DRUMMM!” And the world seems to agree.

People come to me because they want to connect with something vital in themselves, be a part of something bigger, raise morale, inspire creativity, motivate their team, generate enthusiasm, release negativity, think differently, reenergize, celebrate a milestone, get out of their heads and into the moment – and have an amazing time doing it.

It’s not just my passion for drumming that compels me. It’s having a sense of purpose, an overwhelming desire to make the world a better place through rhythm. I truly care about every event participant, and I’m commited to giving them the best experience possible, whatever the group or occasion.

I ask myself throughout each event, “How can I best serve this group right now?” By watching, listening, and sensing I help guide each group to their highest musical and human potential. It looks and sounds different every time but it always works. People come back again and again so I figure we must be doing something right!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

It was March 2020. Covid 19 was hitting the U.S. hard and the shutdown had just started. My work with DRUMMM dried up literally overnight. All the events on my calendar were cancelled as we all hunkered down at home.

Initially I had a “Can’t Do” mentality – I can’t work any more, I can’t leave my house, I can’t be with others. I have no direction, no passion, no purpose. You know, all the things that Covid took away.

Yet my spirit told me I had to find a way to continue living my mission – connecting people with themselves and one another through rhythm. So with nothing but a 9-year old PC laptop and a new Zoom account I knew nothing about, this relative luddite jumped head first into online rhythm event facilitation. I started offering an online Restorative Rhythms event and Universal Drumming classes several days a week to help offset the stress, isolation, anxiety, and loneliness we all seemed to be experiencing.

So there we are drumming together virtually on zoom, and suddenly I realize that people are actually connecting, finding their rhythm, creating and expressing themselves, and transcending the boundaries of their homes and the limitations of their physical reality. The experience was not only uplifting – it was downright liberating! For many it became a lifeline during these dark times.

So I keep going. People keep coming – schools, businesses, communities. I keep trying new things, I attend other people’s events, And little by little I discover what IS possible, what DOES work, what we CAN do. Turns out there’s so much! And then I realize I’m inspired. Like, REALLY inspired. To keep learning, to keep sharing, to keep teaching. The next thing I know I’m leading online trainings worldwide on how to facilitate virtual drum circles.

Then a bank in Malaysia decides to close their 4-day virtual sales conference with 500 employees from 18 countries by drumming together online for an hour – at 2 AM California time – without actual drums. Initially I’m excited, then the terror sets in. What am am I actually going to do with these bankers to give them that “drum circle” experience on zoom?

And then I take a deep breath (many actually), remember who I am, and I do what I do. This is what I did:

• I reached out to my community for support and guidance.
• I asked myself “How can I serve this circle?”
• I became clear on my intentions: to integrate the experience with the theme of the conference (Connecting the Dots), to unite them in rhythm, to help them release stress, and to celebrate life beyond the conference.
• I planned and planned and planned – I had a plan A, plan B, and plan C.
• I practiced and practiced until the tech and transitions were smooth (or at least smooth enough).
• I gave myself permission to play, to be in the moment, and to forgive myself for the mistakes I was about to make.
• I reminded myself to keep breathing, keep smiling, and to TRUST THE PROCESS.

Then it was Lights, Camera, Action! And sure enough, it was a HUGE HIT, as were the countless events that followed.

My biggest take-away from this “pivotal” experience:

• Life is an ongoing process. If you wait until things are “perfect” you may never be ready.
• Do It Anyway. “Good enough” is Good Enough.
• The definition of courage is being scared but doing it anyway.

Turns out my Covid 19 mantra has become one of my biggest affirmations: “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
– Christopher Robin (from Winnie the Pooh)

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

One of my favorite sayings its, “The role of the revolutionary artist is to make the revolution irresistible.” From the look and sound of the beautiful, colorful drums – to the photos and videos of people enjoying the experience – to the countless testimonials of satisfied clients and participants – I want to invoke curiosity. By sharing the experience on my website and various social media platforms, people get a taste of what DRUMMM is and it whets their appetite for more.

I’m also a big fan of the “show don’t tell” mentality. I want you to experience “first hand” what it feels like to unify in rhythm while drumming together with a group. Since most of us in the U.S. don’t consider ourselves particularly “rhythmic” it can be hard to imagine actually being able to drum without it sounding like a bunch of chaotic noise.

My solution to this problem: get the drums into as many people’s hands as possible. To that end I offer community events that anyone can attend, teach classes that people can drop in on, and partner with organizations who provide programs to their communities.

Once people get a taste of the DRUMMM experience, they usually want to do it again. As a result we often get invited or referred to do subsequent DRUMMM events at participants’ workplace, corporate retreat, wedding, baby shower, kid’s birthday, retirement party, etc. It’s like I always say, “Build it and they will DRUMMM.”

Contact Info:

• Website: www.drummm.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drummmrhythmicevents
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drummm
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drummm/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-MO5XJYnx3kjBqZ3VQ9IQg
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/drummm-rhythmic-events-berkeley

Image Credits

Susanna Goldenstein and Urban Design & Media