OTHA DAY
DRUM TO THE BEAT
Drum Circles With A HeartBeat!
413-884-5088 413-664-9840 othaday@drumtothebeat.com
Otha facilitates fun and lively drum/rhythm circle events from the deep belief that rhythm has the power to build community, promote well-being and create joy. Working with groups of participants from 4 to 400, he supports awareness of the presence of rhythm in every act of living knowing that “your HeartBeat is the Rhythm of your soul.”
Otha leads Drum and Rhythm Circles for Corporate and Business Events, Sports Teams, Colleges, Libraries, Pre-Schools through High Schools, Wellness Environments, Summer Camps, Community Celebrations and Religious Groups. As a facilitator, Otha is also available for Conference Key-Note presentations and Motivational Speaking events.
From 2008 Otha serves as Adjunct Faculty at Williams College in Williamstown Massachusetts teaching a Course titled “Rhythm-Based Communication and Creativity“. Additionally he will serve on the faculties of the Community College of Vermont and the Southshire Community School both in Bennington Vermont.
Otha participated in the 2006 East Coast Drum Circle Facilitation Playshop led by Arthur Hull, the Father of the Modern Drum Circle movement (www.drumcircle.com). In private lessons, workshops and classes he has studied African, Caribbean and Japanese drumming with Nationally and Internationally known performers and teachers in the US and at The 2006 Tribe of Doris Intercultural Drum Camp (www.tribeofdoris.co.uk) in the UK.
Otha is a Professional Member of the Drum Circle Facilitators Guild (www.dcfg.net) and attended the Guild sponsored 2nd Annual Drum Circle Facilitators Conference in South Carolina in February 2007.
After earning Master of Music Degrees in the fields of Piano Performance, Piano Pedagogy and General Music Education from Eastern Illinois University, Otha took additional study of Group Piano Pedagogy in the Doctoral program at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
Otha has operated successful Individual and Group Piano Studios for more than 25 years in Illinois, Colorado, Connecticut, Vermont and Massachusetts. For several years he operated a large Kindermusik (c) studio in Williamstown Massachusetts. At Williams College he has taught courses on “Music of the Harlem Rennaisance”, Music Theory and Jazz History. He has given many concerts as a solo pianist performing both the standard solo classical repertoire and also specializing in the Classical Piano Music of Black Composers. In addition to facilitating Drum Circles he currently teaches Classical and Jazz piano to students of all ages and levels.