I've been thinking so much about the use of drums and hand percussion in worship lately. I'm not a huge fan of the trap set in church (not that I haven't seen/heard it used amazing well!). The problem I find is that it can drown out the other music or it forces over-amplification of other instruments and vocalists.
Hand drums/percussion seem to be a great alternative. My wife (an ordained UCC clergy person) attended worship at Broadway UMC in Indianapolis and remarked on their effective and inclusive use of percussion during worship. They have a box of instruments in the sanctuary (many Orff style instruments), that they allow anyone to grab from and use during worship. I think this is an amazing idea. Let's take the musical making to all God's people.
Percussion is a pretty easy thing to add, and most people are able to pull off a simple beat without and real difficulty. We trust them to sing in time, so why not play?
Here's a nice video of a percussion workshop at San Francisco's St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church to get you started.
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