From ancient civilizations to our current era, music has woven itself through our stories, religions, lives, and our hearts…
The following excerpt is from award-winning author Evelyn Coleman’s beautiful children’s book, To Be A Drum…
“Long before time, before hours and minutes and seconds, on the continent of Africa, the rhythm of the earth beat for the first people. The earth filled the air with spirit. The spirit rose on the wind and flew into our bodies. And our own hearts beat for the first time. We were alive! That is how our drum was born. With the drum we spoke to the animals and to the people. The earth’s heart beat out the rhythm of all there is. We listened – and sounded the rhythms back for her to hear.
The beat moved through our bodies and pushed out from our fingers. The earth’s spirit moved through us and pushed more – not only out our fingers, but out our entire bodies. And we became the drums. Living drums – beating for the whole world to hear and see. So when we worked in the fields, we made our feet drums. When we sang songs under starlit skies, we made our mouths drums. When we talked to each other, we made our speech drums. When we stitched our quilts, we made our hands drums. When we fought in wars, we made our courage drums. When we invented things, we made our minds drums. When we fought for our freedom, we made our communities drums. When we created music, paintings, sculpture, dances, and dramas, we made our art drums. When we wrote down our wisdom, we made our stories drums. When we recorded our memories, we made our history drums. When we became farmers, scientists, teachers, leaders, entrepreneurs, and tradespeople, we made our dreams drums.
We were the earth’s people. We were the living drums.”