program
Drums Alive!
Drums Alive®, the first fitness trend that combines drumming and movement through a multi-modular approach was identified as one of the key interventions of study for its practicality and holistic approach.
Program Developer Carrie Ekins has a master's degree in Physical Education, Dance with emphasis in Sports Medicine from Brigham Young University and is a doctorate candidate at the University of Chemnitz, Germany. As an international presenter, trainer and educator in the fitness and wellness field, Carrie has been awarded 2012 Program Director of the Year from the IDEA (International Dance Exercise Association) and Best International Presenter 2010 and Most Innovative and Creative Programming for Drums Alive ® 2010 from the ECA (East Coast Alliance). She is known for her creative and unique approach to total fitness through incorporating the mind, body, and spirit into an integrated fitness/wellness program. She has sparked a drumming for fitness movement around the world..
Drumming & Fitness Research
In 2010 Drums Alive® took part in a scientific study THE DRUM BEAT Chemnitz Drumming Project a worldwide, unique research project that was created to answer scientific questions as well as derive and evaluate social and medical measures using the characteristics of drumming and movement. The Drum Beat was inspired by a research project of the University of Gloucestershire and University of Chichester, titled the “Clem Burke Drumming Project” where for the first time worldwide investigations on the physical demands of drumming/percussion were established. The Chemnitz University of Technology [CUT] was invited to participate in this collaborative research thus extending the research focus by using cognitive parameters alongside many others.
The Drum Beat strives to investigate the broader application of drumming, movement and exercise with an interdisciplinary team of scientists, musicians, teachers, physicians, therapists and communal authorities. The teams are working towards establishing interventions and structures to provide positive effects using the common language of drumming and movement.
Drums Alive DRUMTASTIC® is a research based program that applies fitness, drumming, music, and educational concepts designed to improve the health of children and pre-teens by disseminating evidence-based physical education, after school, early childhood, coordinated school health and music education programs to teachers, recreation leaders and coaches serving pre-kindergarten through middle school students.
Teachers learn how to integrate kinesthetic awareness, neuro-muscular skills, cardiovascular conditioning, flexibility, strength and wellness activities by using a coordinated package of curriculum materials. Our comprehensive teacher manual contains over 150 Lesson Plans that addresses the National Standards for Physical Education (NASPC) and Depth of Knowledge (DOK) review questions and discussions; Teacher Assistant Materials which provides “Inclusion Strategies” and “Assessment Sheets;” Music Educational Concepts and Activities; and Brain Beatz/Core Curriculum Learning Games and Activities!
Educators have long understood the connection of movement and learning. Kinesthetic activities have the power to unlock cognitive processes which otherwise remained trapped or inaccessible. According to neurophysiologist Dr. Carla Hannaford, “Movement is an indispensable part of learning and thinking. Children need to move and physically reinforce the content they learn in school in order to make content more comprehensible.”
Academic Beats® provides a brain & body workout. Bursts of high intensity drumming and movement, interspersed with periods of recovery cognition exercises, create an interval training experience that is fun and engaging for all ages. This unique approach to learning increases creativity, enhances learning, reduces stress and awakens intuition and other extrasensory perceptions. Linking educational content with movement has a profound effect on student learning and provides teachers an avenue for igniting excitement and improving overall fitness.
Components of Academic Beats®:
Math in Motion – Connects the link between number relationships in kinesthetic, mental math, reverse thinking, and auditory experiences.
Language Arts in Motion – Skills necessary to communicate through listening, speaking, viewing, and presenting come alive through movement and rhythm activities.
Science in Motion – Utilizes movement to gain a curiosity and understanding about the natural world! –
Social Studies in Motion – Creates excitement, wonder, inquiry, delight, and puzzlement to make social studies more meaningful.
Health in Motion – Helps students develop healthy attitudes and habits that can benefit them throughout their life.
Physical Education in Motion (Kids Beats) – Provides students with a fun and effective way to exercise, release stress, build self-confidence and social competence.
Rhythm in Motion – Is a symposium of the body and mind because it utilizes the body, rhythmical instruments and other creative pieces of everyday materials to provide a fun exploratory environment for learning, movement, and self- expression! Get your feet stomping and your body rockin’ with this innovative program that brings rhythmical sounds and beats into magical moments of motion and fun! Body rhythms and materials such as garbage cans, broom sticks, newspaper and other creative equipment will bring excitement to students and teachers alike. If you are up for a new adventure and want to feel like a musician, you will love this physical, emotional and powerful celebration of rhythm and movement.
Drums Alive® Power Beats Feel and experience the pulsating rhythms, dynamic movements and powerful percussions of this new and unique high-energy dance rhythmical workout. Power Beats combines movement with the power of drumming. It’s a program for everyone! Any one, of any age, and of any ability can do Drums Alive® Power Beats. It’s a workout for the entire body as well as a powerful tool for stress reduction and mental balance. Come and experience the joy of music, movement, and rhythm and feel like a rock star! Break the rules, open the door and enter a new dimension of fitness!
Drums Alive® Golden Beats
Golden Beats stimulates people whether they are young or old, healthy or ill. When we drum and dance we are having FUN! This in return releases endorphins and releases negative feelings. The rhythmical patterns of the drum increases synchronization of brain wave activity which in turn provides feelings of euphoria and improved mental awareness and self acceptance. Golden Beats® is specially designed for the senior population.
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