Starting with our heartbeats, we all live with and by rhythm, and there is a very basic need for all of us to be in touch with it. For many, rhythm as it pertains to and even drives music, is a very important part of being human. One man who is deeply connected to rhythm and for whom making music has been a career for about 60 years, is drummer Eddie Tuduri. During rehabilitation following a broken neck in 1997, he had someone bring his drum sticks to the clinic and began a miraculous recovery, defying everyone’s expectations that he would never walk again. Eddie also had a spiritual awakening as other patients were enlivened and uplifted by joining in, discovering the joys and healing powers of music making at its most elemental. The Rhythmic Arts Project (TRAP) is not a drum circle, we are a peer studied, published educational program addressing individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Differences and their typical peers by embracing a unique methodology that encompasses rhythm as a modality to address basic life and learning skills as well as reading, writing and arithmetic. The approach includes visual, tactile, auditory and perceptual motor matches combined with speech to achieve results. TRAP provides its students with the tools and confidence needed to succeed in the world. TRAP is now a worldwide project with online courses, and is a truly inspiring and successful enterprise. More info here: traplearning.org
Which brings us to the benefit concert at the Lobero Theatre No. 7, 2018 featuring Michael and Amy McDonald, Bill and Tamara Champlin, the incredible vocalists Carl Graves and Ellis Hall, all backed by a soulful big band of top notch musicians, with five TRAP drummers joined in the fun for one number. Here’s a teaser video, and if you want to see the whole concert, click on this link: https://traplearning.org/gallery/trap-concert-series/
