In drumming circles, the many become one – the adult and the child, the young and the old, the learned and the novice. Individual hands find a rhythm; many beats coalesce, pulse and flow. From apparent confusion, cacophonous chaos, swirling and gyrating, like some gypsy dervish, one internal beat arises. On the faces of participants, smiles turn to joy, joy to abandon, abandonment to freedom. Then the dancing begins.
“People enter the circle for all kinds of reasons”, states Barry Hayward, drum master and long-time facilitator of drumming circles. “They come to the circle for reasons unique to them”. His task, his passion, is to encourage the timid, or invite the bold, to join the circle, in what he calls “improvisational collaboration”.
Drum circles, along with drum building, are as ancient as humanity itself. The drum, closely akin to the human heartbeat, has been used for expression, communication and dancing throughout the ages—ifrom the primitive to the modern.
Barry Wade Hayward, or “Bazza”, was introduced to the magic of communal drumming through an ecology retreat in Hockley Valley, Ontario, in the late ’90s. Through that introduction, he was smitten with the interaction of players and the unifying sense of purpose that drum circles offer.
He was so taken with the power of those early sessions, that he decided to leave his corporate position in the automotive industry and embark on an adventure as a drummer and musician that he lives blithely on a daily basis.
Initially, Barry moved from Toronto to Haliburton, where he tentatively offered lessons, while operating a small business. He began his own drum circles and workshops which soon garnered the attention of the Canada World Youth Program, an organization dedicated to building leadership skills and cultural exchange for young people.
As a member of the Abbey North Drummers, Barry was active in raising funds for educational initiatives to gain control of HIV/AIDS in Kenya. Through a Canada World Youth exchange program, Abby North and Haliburton residents were introduced to young Maasai people from Il Ngwesi in north-central Kenya and the crisis of HIV/AIDS.
The Maasai of Kenya are nomads who travel extensively for grazing lands for cattle, their primary source of sustenance. HIV infections have reached alarming levels among this ethnic group inhabiting north and central Kenya. A concerted effort is underway by the Kenyan government and other international organizations, such as Abbey House, to develop effective programs to disseminate information and promote self–awareness in order to protect the population against the spread and source of the disease.
In 2008, Barry was invited to join a mission consisting of clergy and “ten grandmothers” to visit the Congo. It was a life-altering experience, culturally and emotionally to “bear witness”, Barry states. Throughout his travels in Congo and in a 2009 visit to Angola, Barry immersed himself in the fabric of African life. His fondest memories include a gathering of 900 Angolans, in a church with “no roof”, enraptured in a pure celebration of faith, surrounded by music and collegial embrace.
Around 2011, Hayward migrated to Emsdale, where he established a base for his company, Rhythmicity Human Dynamics, which offers a wide variety of services for drum circles and percussion training. Barry also became increasingly active in the musician community within Huntsville. As a singer, drummer, and guitarist, he found work with a variety of acts, particularly his friend Mark Hockey, performing throughout Muskoka.
For many years, he was a popular morning host at local radio station CKAR 88.7FM, with a special show of world music ‘Musica del Mundo’, which aired on Thursday nights. Prior to the pandemic, his drum circles were a featured part of Huntsville summer music fests such as Nuit Blanche North, Canada Day celebrations, and other similar events. He has also been active in fall fairs and regattas throughout the region.
Drum Circles are his forte. Barry prides himself as a conductor of sorts, bringing families and festivalgoers together for an opportunity to “ discover this wonderfully diverse array of musical instruments, to make music”. He packs close to 200 assorted hand drums- djembes, congas, Doumbek, and percussion instruments of all shapes and sizes and situates them within the circle. His main goal is to motivate the gathering crowds outside the circle into the circle. He begins by drumming a pattern himself, but he soon allows those who join to find their own groove.
At festivals or fairs, Barry’s primary objective is to allow people mainly to have fun but more importantly, to bring folks together, bring them in from the edge of the circle. In a heartbeat, with the pulsing overtones that soon envelop the inner sanctum of the circle, players are somewhat freed of their self-consciousness and intimidation. There they learn alchemy when folks from all walks of life make one massive sound. There is a shared communal experience and realization of oneness.
In his primary work as facilitator, Barry uses the drum and the circle as a teaching technique unique for team building or therapeutic benefit and well-being. As a team developmental exercise, drumming has the power of overcoming fears that many harbour of their own self-worth. Pounding energetically on a djembe to release doubt and stress is a cathartic sense of self-empowerment.
Barry “ Bazza” Hayward is an example of how music finds its place and passion in a human heart. As a leader in the drumming movement in Huntsville “Bazza” is able to bring more than a participatory delight to his audience. He is also introducing them to the “ light” that emanates from sharing a hands-on musical moment together.
Find out more on his Facebook page.
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