Drum Together
Shared rhythm. Stronger connection. Greater readiness to participate.
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Drum Together is a facilitated rhythm, movement and group wellbeing program for education and community settings.
Through accessible drumming, movement, rhythm games and shared musical experiences, Drum Together helps groups strengthen connection, cooperation, participation, belonging and shared regulation.
No previous musical experience is needed.
More Than A Drumming Activity
The drumming is the entry point.
Drum Together uses rhythm, movement, percussion, call-and-response, and group challenges to create shared experiences of connection, participation and belonging.
Participants are supported to join at their own level, listen and respond to others, lead and follow, cooperate, and build confidence through shared success.
Sessions may include accessible drumming, body rhythm and movement, rhythm games, shared musical creation and choice-based opportunities to contribute.
Drum Together is not simply a music activity or drum circle. It is a structured and responsive group experience shaped around how people are participating, relating and working together.
Drum Together sessions have a clear structure, but they are not delivered rigidly.
Facilitators pay attention to the energy in the room, readiness to participate, levels of connection and cooperation, and whether the group needs activation, settling or reorganisation.
This responsive approach is supported by reflective practice: noticing what is happening, considering what the group needs, and adjusting the session intentionally.
Rather than focusing only on individual behaviour, Drum Together considers how the group itself can become a source of connection, encouragement and shared regulation.
This is part of what we mean by the group helping the group.
Rhythm, movement, pacing, choice and shared participation are used intentionally to help people join in and help the group work together.
Responsive to the group in front of us
Evidence and learning from practice
Drum Together sits within Growing Well Together, shaped by its founders combined experience across music, education, care and community settings. GWT has grown through their collaboration, bringing together longstanding ideas, shared reflection and complementary strengths.
Reflection on facilitation, including experience in OSHC settings, continues to refine how the framework and activities are expressed and applied.
What we are observing
Practice experience from Drum Together sessions in 2025 and a school pilot in 2026 has provided examples of children joining shared activities, contributing ideas, responding to group cues and showing awareness of others.
Shared rhythm creation offers opportunities to practise listening, cooperation and leadership. Facilitator reflections also acknowledge challenges, including moments when volume or group energy made participation harder, and the adjustments made to pacing, instructions and support in response.
Participation, inclusion and belonging
Drum Together has included children with diverse strengths and support needs, including neurodivergent children. Facilitators use choice, varied entry points and responsive support to help children participate and contribute in ways that are manageable and meaningful.
Our focus extends beyond attendance to how children connect, express themselves, contribute to shared experiences and find a place within the group.
Children wanting to return
Following the 2025 program, all children in the cohort asked whether they could join the 2026 program. Scheduling constraints prevented their re-enrolment, but their requests suggest that they valued the experience and wanted to participate again.
Family feedback from the 2026 pilot has also included reports of children enjoying and looking forward to attending.
Building our evidence
These are descriptive reflections from practice, based on facilitator observations, children’s responses and family feedback. They offer encouraging indications of engagement, connection and participation. They do not establish lasting outcomes or demonstrate that the program alone caused the changes observed.
We continue to use reflection and feedback to understand what supports participation, where barriers remain and how delivery can be strengthened.
Where Drum Together happens
Drum Together is offered across education environments and community settings.
Pathway selection and progression
Year levels provide an indicative guide. Pathway selection is agreed with the school and considers students’ developmental readiness, strengths, support needs, previous experience and the intended outcomes for the group.
Expression and Leadership will generally suit students who have completed a previous Drum Together program or bring comparable experience and readiness. Participation does not require independent mastery of every skill.
Each eight-week program has its own agreed goals and review. Some students may benefit from a further program within the same pathway, with activities and goals adapted to consolidate learning or extend participation. Progression is considered collaboratively and is not automatic at the end of eight sessions.
Any further program is recommended through review and agreed separately with the school.
Drum Together for Education
For preschools, schools, OSHC services and other education settings.
Drum Together is commonly delivered as a progressive eight-week small-group program, with weekly 60-minute sessions led by two Growing Well Together facilitators.
For schools, groups are typically 6–8 students, with developmental pathway and cohort suitability discussed with the school before delivery.
GWT provides drums, percussion, visual supports and program materials. Pre-program scoping, responsive planning and evaluation are built into the engagement.
Other formats are available for early years, OSHC, community and shorter-term engagements
For community organisations, youth services, family programs, regional initiatives and other community-based groups.
Drum Together for Communities uses shared rhythm and creative participation to strengthen inclusion, connection, confidence and positive group engagement.
Community engagements are co-designed with partner organisations within the established Drum Together framework. This allows the program to respond to the participants, setting and purpose while retaining the integrity of the Drum Together approach.
Drum Together for Communities
Ways to begin
Drum Together can begin at different levels depending on your participants, setting and intended outcomes. Session length is agreed to suit the group’s age, readiness and engagement format, with shorter sessions available for younger children. Additional time can be arranged for staff professional learning.
Drum Together: Experience
A flexible one-off, pop-up or introductory session that brings people together through shared rhythm and participation. It can stand alone or provide a starting point for a longer Drum Together program. Duration and activities are tailored to the participants and setting.
A Drum Together Experience may also be paired with a brief staff professional learning component. This gives educators or organisational staff an opportunity to participate in or observe the session, explore the practice principles behind the activities and consider how selected strategies could support their own setting.
Short Series
A connected sequence of sessions that allows familiarity, confidence and group connection to build over time.
A Short Series may suit a particular cohort, wellbeing initiative, transition period or short-term community project.
Multi-week Program
A progressive program that gives participants time to build relationships, confidence and shared group practices.
Our standard school program runs over eight weekly sessions, commonly with groups of approximately 6–12 participants. Sessions build familiarity and connection, then extend opportunities for cooperation, shared leadership and reflection. Activities and pacing respond to the group’s age, strengths and support needs.
Planning begins with a conversation about the group and intended outcomes. Staff involvement and feedback help inform delivery and review progress.
Shorter series and tailored programs are also available by agreement.
For schools, Growing Well Together’s standard structured multi-week program is delivered across eight weekly 60-minute sessions. Activities, pacing, repetition, challenge and participation options are adapted responsively while retaining the program’s intended outcomes and developmental progression.
The options above describe the format of the engagement. The pathways below describe how Growing Well Together works with your organisation and staff.
Drum Together Delivery Pathways
Drum Together can be delivered directly by Growing Well Together
or through a supported relationship with local staff.
Direct Delivery
Growing Well Together plans and facilitates Drum Together directly with the participant group.
Educators, workers or organisational staff may participate, observe or support the sessions depending on the setting and purpose of the engagement.
Direct Delivery may also include a staff learning component, such as guided observation, facilitated reflection or a brief professional learning discussion following the participant session.
This option suits organisations seeking an experienced facilitator for a Drum Together experience, short series, multi-week program or community initiative, with the option to extend the value of the engagement to local staff.
Supported Delivery
Growing Well Together works alongside educators, community workers or organisational staff through planning, modelling, co-facilitation and reflective discussion.
This approach helps local staff build confidence using selected rhythm-informed and relational practices within their own roles and setting, while Drum Together remains facilitated and supported by Growing Well Together.
Supported Delivery may suit organisations seeking greater continuity, staff learning and stronger local practice capacity.
Future Facilitator Pathway
Future pathway—currently in development
Growing Well Together is developing a governed training pathway for selected practitioners and organisations. Further information will be shared when this pathway is ready.
How outcomes are identified and reviewed
Each Drum Together engagement begins with a conversation about the participant group, the setting and what the partner organisation would like to strengthen. This helps establish clear intended outcomes while allowing delivery to remain responsive to the group in front of us.
Depending on the format and length of the engagement, review may include:
facilitator observation and reflective documentation
feedback from educators, staff or partner representatives
participant voice and feedback where appropriate
a brief end-of-engagement summary and discussion of possible next steps
Attention may be given to changes in connection, participation, cooperation, confidence, belonging, shared regulation and readiness to engage.
Evaluation is proportionate to the engagement, non-clinical and developed in consultation with the partner organisation.
Clear intended outcomes. Relationally attuned delivery.
Explore Drum Together
for your setting
Tell us about your organisation, the participants you support and what you would like to strengthen.
Growing Well Together can help identify the most suitable starting point, delivery approach and level of staff involvement.
Following an initial conversation, we can provide a clear proposal outlining the recommended format, indicative investment and delivery requirements for discussion with leaders, decision-makers or funding partners.
If you’d like to explore how Drum Together could support wellbeing in your setting, we’d love to connect.
What people often ask
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No. Drum Together is designed to be accessible to people with different levels of musical experience, confidence and readiness to participate.
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Education programs commonly involve approximately 6–12 participants.
Community group size depends on the participants, environment, purpose of the engagement and level of facilitation required.
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No. Drum Together is a structured, non-clinical group wellbeing program. It draws on educational, relational and creative approaches to support connection, participation, cooperation, shared regulation and belonging.
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No. Participation is encouraged without being forced.
Facilitators use choice, pacing and different entry points so people can observe, contribute and become involved in ways that feel manageable while remaining connected to the group experience.
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Yes. Staff can participate in or observe Drum Together, and an Experience may be paired with guided reflection or a brief professional learning discussion.
This helps staff understand the practice principles behind the session and consider how selected rhythm-informed and relational strategies may support their own setting.
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You do not need to decide before contacting us.
We will discuss your setting, participants, intended outcomes and available resources and help identify an appropriate starting point.
Looking to strengthen practice beyond the sessions?
Rhythm Reset Ready provides practical rhythm-informed professional learning for educators and staff teams.
Practice Partnerships support organisations wanting to strengthen and embed relational practice over time.