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A beat for all feet
By ERNEST HOOPER
Published July 26, 2004
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[Times photo: Skip O’Rourke]
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Rhythmic sounds of thunder filled a makeshift orchestra hall.
The performers thumped djembes, African hand drums covered with goatskins. A curtain blocked the drummers from view, but their sounds conjured images of bare-chested tribesmen in traditional garb.
But the venue was the Plant City Senior Center. And behind the curtain, the music makers were senior citizens, led by a 45-year-old former caterer in a shirt, shorts and Birkenstocks.
Welcome to Jana Broder's world of drum magic.
"I love it," said Dorothy M. Jordan, 77, who carries a picture of Broder in her wallet. "It's good stimulation."
Said 88-year-old Rachel Porter: "You never know what you have to do in life. I belong to a church with drums and I may have to beat the drums for them one day."
Broder's joyful noise has been reverberating through the county. With a red trailer full of drums, she's constantly on the go.
Tuesday she was at the Beth-El Mission in Wimauma, letting kids bang all day. Tuesday night was the weekly class at the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa. Wednesday, the Plant City Senior Center and Tampa's Life Enrichment Center. Thursday, team building with PricewaterhouseCoopers at the Wyndham Harbour Island Hotel, followed by a family evening session at her drum studio in Brandon.
Broder estimates that she plays the drums with more than 500 people every week, and the appeal of the djembe spans all generations.
"It's a passion," Broder said. "When I first came here two years ago, no one here even knew what I was talking about. They hadn't heard of African drums. For one year, everything was for free.
"Now I'm drumming with everybody, deaf groups, cancer survivor groups, mentally ill adults."
Broder says each group gains something different from the drums. For the seniors, it's an exercise that brings warmth to hands, loosens joints and helps with arthritis.
For kids, it's an energetic release. Teens in boot camps and detention centers can hit the drums as hard as they like, without fear of retribution.
"They sound great. They put a lot of effort into it," Broder said. "They seem to get stimulated energetically. In 10 to 15 minutes, they're playing a song.
"The first question they have when it's over is, "When are you coming back?' "
For the adults in team-building exercises, the drums lend a beat of communication that may have been lost in the hustle and bustle of the workplace. For the housewives who frequent the classes at MOSI, it's just a chance to make music and then go home and tell the kids.
Music and fun are the common threads. People who have never been in a band or even mastered an instrument can grasp the simple rhythms. Broder often builds upon the basic beats with added riffs, creating complexity.
"It's appealing and compelling," said Lynn Norton, director of education for the Arts Council of Hillsborough County. "You look at the faces of the people, no matter what age group, and it becomes a moment for them.
"Those faces are why I do what I do, and I think Jana feels the same way."
The Arts Council added Broder to its list of artists who visit senior citizens. Beginning in the fall, she will be part of the collaborative effort between the council and school district, teaching drums to middle school kids. Most appearances are funded through grants.
Broder's journey to drums is as magical as the djembe itself. In the late '90s, she walked away from her catering business in Atlanta, sold her house and all her belongings and tried to drive as far as she could without hitting water.
She landed in northern California, and on her first weekend in the San Francisco Bay area she came across an ad for a drum class.
"I thought, "There's something I've never done,' " Broder explained. "I went to my first class in Berkeley and never stopped. After a while, I was taking two or three classes a week."
A desire to come back east and a need to find a home for one of her other passions, sailing, landed her in the Tampa area. Now she's drumming up what she calls the most rewarding thing she's ever done.
"My joy is just letting everyone do it."
And the beat goes on.
That's all I'm saying.
- Ernest Hooper can be reached at 813 226-3406 or Hooper@sptimes.com
[Last modified July 25, 2004, 23:46:08]
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