When Sundiata Kata first began his career as a children’s music teacher 45 years ago, many didn’t see the drum as the therapeutic tool it is known to be today in the field of music therapy.

“When I first started out, it was very challenging to get people to understand the power of music and the effect that it has on individuals and the success that we’ve had,” said Kata, who is now the director of music at the San Diego Center for Children.

Since those times, much has changed in people’s understanding of the true value of music. In fact, Kata’s impact through music on troubled youth in San Diego was honored in 2009 when June 18 was declared “Sundiata Kata Day” by the town’s mayor.

With a rise in research indicating a variety of physical and emotional benefits of music therapy– and group drumming in particular –the presence of evidence-based music wellness programs designed to help improve quality of life has grown immensely in recent years.

Related: Exploring Music Therapy: Group Drumming, Drum Circles

At the San Diego Center for Children, music programs are used to help calm and bring children with different challenges, such as PTSD, together, according to Kata.

“We have found in our research that music works,” he said. “We have found that music is one way, one of our tools that we use, to bring them together and help to center and help to be able to articulate their feelings and their needs.”

One way Kata and center staff use drumming as a therapeutic tool is through a new drum technology designed to be accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Introduced by the Santa Clarita-based drum manufacturer Remo, Inc. earlier this year, Comfort Sound Technology is a composite drumhead material that delivers a unique quality of sound by eliminating or suppressing higher frequencies and delivering a low fundamental tone. The sound may not be overstimulating to individuals with sound sensitivities, such as those with autism, Alzheimer’s disease or PTSD.

“It’s just amazing the results that we’re getting from that,” Kata said. “A lot of the children have difficulty with sound. … The drum technology, Comfort Sound Technology, really lowers that sound to a range where it’s more acceptable and it’s pleasant and it seems to have a calming effect on the kids when we’re working with them.”

In addition to playing or listening to the drum, the center’s children can sit under the drum table itself for a gentle sensory experience.

“The vibration that comes out of it has a soothing effect,” Kata said. “You can feel it through your whole body. It’s just amazing.”

“The drum is making a full comeback,” he added. “When I first started, it wasn’t looked upon as a therapeutic tool, but now it is, and so I’m very excited about what’s going on.”

Music Therapy – Therapy With Drums

Santa Clarita hometown manufacturer Remo Inc. has partnered with leading neurologists and drum education experts to develop evidence-based wellness programs that use rhythm as a tool to support better living. Music therapists often use these tools for their music therapy work. Sometimes people refer to this as drum therapy. One such program, called HealthRHYTHMS, utilizes drumming as a tool for communication and personal expression by guiding participants through a 10-step process. Other Remo wellness programs consider the needs of people with autism who drum, and people with Alzheimer’s and PTSD who also use the drum to improve the quality of their lives. Remo, Inc. is one of the leading drum manufacturers, making drums with recycled material.