«DrumPower» – Annual Report 2024
In 2024, various projects were carried out in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Based on a German-language and an international DrumPower training, new projects were initiated in Germany, Sweden, Great Britain, and Ukraine, which will continue in 2025. Another DrumPower training in Japan was also prepared.
ApplicationsTrommelPower Munich was able to carry out many different projects at elementary, special needs, and middle schools in the 2023/24 school year. The restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic are still being felt, and there is a great need for psychosocial support in many classes. The teachers at the schools are very aware of this. A great deal of catching up to do has been identified, especially in the 4th grade classes, and the demand for TrommelPower projects has been and remains correspondingly high. In total, TrommelPower Munich was able to carry out 8 half-year projects and 13 shorter projects.
Students feedback:
- You should have the courage; you can't go wrong.
- I learned that I can drum and sing well.
- When we had arguments, some people remembered that there are other solutions besides hitting or hitting.
- I learned to empathize with other people's feelings.
- I learned that you can have a lot of fun with music.
- I learned how to say stop.
- I learned how to use less violence.
- I learned how to resolve an argument.
- I learned how to listen carefully to others.
- When we had arguments, some people remembered that there are other solutions besides hitting or hitting.
- Class cohesion was better during the project than before.
Teachers Feedback:
- Shy children increasingly dared to take on certain roles.
- Students who initially showed little interest participated actively.
- I saw an increase in self-confidence in some students.
- Some students were able to express themselves more, while others learned to step back in certain situations.
- I would like to see the project at my school again, and for a longer period of time.
- Better cohesion and greater awareness of one another.
- A very fruitful reflection of the entire process over the past few months.
- The performance, in particular, made some of them very proud; to present something together in front of an audience.
Further Drum Power projects were carried out by various trainers with the support of the Barbara Weidinger Music Foundation, for example at the Schrobenhausen Elementary School, the Aitrachtal Middle School, the Grafinger Straße Elementary School, and the Wittelsbacherstraße Middle School in Munich.
In the Erlangen-Nuremberg area, as in previous years, various Drum Power projects took place in 2024 at the Eichendorffschule (middle school) and the Emmy Noether Gymnasium in Erlangen, as well as at the middle school in Zirndorf. In Zirndorf, 5th and 6th grade students performed at the school's music evening, and students from the Eichendorfschule provided live rhythmic music at the Erlangen Forest Christmas Festival.
In Passau, the first Drum Power projects were carried out in the integration class of the St. Anton Elementary School. A short film documentary of this project was broadcast by niederbayerntv and can be viewed at the attached link: https://passau.niederbayerntv.de/mediathek/video/musiktherapie-in-der-integrationsklasse-der-grundschule-st-anton/
On the initiative of headmistress Katrin Schöffel, DrumPower projects were carried out at the Dr. Albert Liebmann School's various locations in 2024. The long-term idea is to make greater use of the psychosocial effects of music in everyday school life in order to develop a personality-enhancing, prosocial, and artistically creative atmosphere and to best support students in this climate. For this purpose, four teachers from the school are participating in the current trainer training course. The DrumPower work is integrated into a more comprehensive artistically creative school development concept, which was developed based on the DrumPower school development concepts in collaboration between the headmistress and Andreas Wölfl.
International
After the TrommelPower projects in Palestine were terminated due to the war, the various initiatives were documented in 2024 and plans for further development after the war were drawn up.
In May 2025, the first projects supporting refugee communities were implemented in Amman, Jordan, and Beirut, Lebanon, and Luisa Röbbelen is preparing to resume and continue activities in the region from Germany.
Two national working groups have been established in Ukraine and Sweden as part of the 2024/25 additional trainer qualification program.
In Ukraine, elements of the DrumPower method were used or presented in therapeutic work with veterans and war-disabled individuals, and in self-awareness and continuing education with psychologists, educators, and art therapists. The DrumPower Ukraine working group is preparing to implement the project method in schools. Due to the war, project implementation is limited; the situation requires modifications to project content and formats. Initial feedback demonstrates the importance of nonverbal music therapy in strengthening personal and community resilience, coping with trauma, and dealing with aggression and destructiveness. The response to working with elements of the DrumPower method has been very positive.
DrumPower Sweden is planning several DrumPower projects at schools in the Gothenburg and Stockholm regions in 2025. Two music therapists will work together at each school to implement the projects. Further projects for the 2025/26 school year are already planned. The entire initiative is financially supported by Musikbojen, a foundation promoting music therapy with children and young people in Sweden.
Annual Meeting 2024
At the Trommelpower annual meeting on October 27, there was again increased interest in meeting and discussing projects. The division of the event into an online part for information exchange and an in-person part for gathering and practicing various forms of improvisation was intensively utilized by those interested for the second time. A larger group participated in the online meeting, including participants who hadn't been able to attend for a while. A lively and engaged group also met at the in-person event in the afternoon, sharing playing ideas and discussing specific projects.
Music Therapy Network in Prevention and Health Promotion
Participation in the national network meeting on music therapy in the areas of prevention and health promotion, founded in 2022, continued in 2024. In addition to the exchange of ideas, the main focus was on preparing for the 2025 music therapy conference of the Institute for Music Therapy at the Free Music Center in Munich and a pre-conference on music therapy and prevention in advance of the EMTC Congress in Hamburg.
Continuing training courses
In May 2024, a German-language and an international DrumPower training were successfully launched at the Free Music Center in parallel. Participants are currently implementing Drum Power projects at various schools and mental health facilities as part of their continuing education. The next German-language Drum Power training begins in February 2026, and the next international training course in May 2026. Further information can be found on the website of Freies Musikzentrum München e.V. and in its program.
Both DrumPower Training groups (German-speaking and international) conducting.
Academic Discourse
Academic discourse took place in various networks this year. In particular, the discussions within the Prevention Network and in the context of preparations for the 2025 Conference and the EMTC Congress in Hamburg – a DrumPower workshop, a roundtable on music therapy work with adolescents, and a pre-conference on music and prevention are planned – promote the discussion of scientifically sound content and findings. Furthermore, in the international context, the transfer of the project method to other social contexts requires a differentiated analysis of the different project requirements and a scientific evaluation of the respective practice.
Professional Support and Supervision
All DrumPower projects are carried out under professional support and supervision.
Funding
DrumPower projects with children, adolescents, and young adults can usually only be realized thanks to special support and funding. For this, our special thanks in 2024 go to the Munich Department of Culture, the Barbara Weidinger Music Foundation and all other sponsors and supporters.