More fun with Remo Drums! The Aroma Drum!

Okay, you caught me!  I spent a lot of time at the Remo booth at the national conference for the American Music Therapy Association last week in Jacksonville!

The Aroma Drum is not new.  It has actually been around for several years.  But, recently, I began investigating essential oils like the ones used in the Aroma Drum.  The Aroma Drum comes with four different essential oil diffuser packs:  lavender, pink grapefruit, patchouli and eucalyptus.  You can see the drum up close in this video.  Although the video is a bit contrived, it does get the point across!



I used to think that the aromatherapy component of the drum was just a nice gimmick, but I have discovered that some of the essential oils may have statistically provable anxiolytic effects. My investigation so far has revealed that the lavender essential oil may be the most widely and historically used oil for stress relief. 

One randomized controlled study, by Sultani et al. (2013), found that post-tonsillectomy pediatric patients used significantly less acetaminophen (Tylenol) than a control group. In another study, dental patients spent time inhaling lavender while waiting for treatment (Kritsidima, Newton, & Asimakopoulou, 2010). The patients who waited under the influence of lavender aromatherapy had significantly lower state anxiety levels. 

These are just two of many studies relative to lavender essential oil. In light of the growing research base that confirms historical and anecdotal evidence of the effectiveness of essential oils, I find the combination of essential oils and drumming a wonderful partnership! 

Unlike the lady in the video,however, I think the Aroma Drum used in a drum circle setting might be more effective, especially inside, where the scent could be more concentrated. A drum circle setting where a drum leader or facilitator would be walking around and waving the drum might more easily diffuse the lavender aroma. 

In any case, I think this drum is worth checking out! It is sold by itself or as a set with an accompanying CD and stress management guide. You can also purchase refill packs of the essential oils. Let me know if anyone out there has used one for yourself or in therapy. I am interested to know your thoughts! 

Happy drumming!

 

Kritsidima, M., Newton, T., and Asimakopoulou, K. (2010).  The effects of lavender scent on dental patient anxiety levels: A cluster randomised-control trial.  Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 38, 83-87.

Soltani, R., Soheilipour, S., Hajhashemi V., Asghari, G., Bagheri, M., and Molavi, M. (2013).  Evaluation of the effect of aromatherapy with lavender essential oil on post-tonsillectomy pain in pediatric patients: A randomized controlled trial.  International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 77, 1579-1581.

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More conference fun! Remo Artbeat drums!

Did any of you attending the national conference for the America Music Therapy Association in Jacksonville see the new Artbeat line of Remo drums??  These drums have actually been around since 2010, but now they will be on sale for the public starting in January!

These drums have special textured canvas heads that allow several different kinds of permanent art medium like paints, chalk and more.  Here is a short video that shows the drum being used for art: 

 

I was impressed by the resonance and overall good sound that came from the drums when I played them at the conference! I don't have any links for the new drums yet, but I did play one of the buffalo drums similar to this one at Amazon, just with the new canvas head:
 


I was informed that the drums would soon be available in different sizes and will include frame drums, djembes and even rainsticks or paddle drums! My first idea is to use a large frame drum during a group session to create a large mandala! I have proposed to my students that will be seniors next year to think about doing a fund raiser to purchase a large frame drum and then create a group mandala on the drum as a senior project. This drum can then be donated to the music therapy program as a senior gift! They seem to like the idea and I am very exited about this idea as well as other therapeutic applications. You can find other ideas about combining music and mandala art in one of my other posts here. 

Happy Thanksgiving and happy drumming!

Remo's New Versa Drums!

I had a chance to try out the new Remo line of Versa drums at the American Music Therapy Association national conference.  I was really impressed!  

They were amazingly light, but still had the good sound of a Remo tubano or djembe.  In addition, the ability to stack them and use the heads as hand drums makes them extremely versatile!  I think the name fits!

These drums are definitely worth checking out!  And great for the mobile music therapist!