In 2025, grant funding allowed Trust Drum Circles (TDC) to increase their disability-service footprint, delivering adaptive, inclusive music programming to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
To achieve this, TDC paired with multiple nonprofit service organizations in Ohio, including United Disability Services Akron (UDS), The Society of Handicapped People, NPower Services, HELP Foundation, Friendship Circle of Cleveland, and Foundation Fighting Blindness. Through collaborations with local musicians and wellness facilities, TDC provided these organizations with research-backed, rhythm-based engagement workshops that complemented shared missions of skill-building, emotional regulation, life enrichment, and opportunities for individuals to direct their own participation.
How Trust Drum Circles Meets the Moment
Rather than offering passive entertainment, TDC’s model centers on participant-led, all-abilities drumming workshops. Sessions are intentionally adaptive, allowing individuals to engage through hand drums, shakers, a variety of percussion and sound therapy instruments like chimes and rainsticks, and movement to meet individuals’ physical, cognitive, and emotional needs. This inclusive structure ensures that every participant, regardless of support needs, can meaningfully engage, and the approach has translated into consistent, observable outcomes.
What Staff and Participants Are Experiencing
Staff across partnering organizations have reported shared patterns of change following drum circle sessions, including increased engagement, peer interaction, confidence, and visible joy.
Lori Weber, Founder of NPower Services, said she is looking forward to future drum circles, noting that the workshops were an “unforgettable experience.” They were “energizing, joyful, and wonderfully inclusive…Those who were able to get up and dance certainly did, and the joy was contagious.”
Heidi Imhoff, Program Supervisor II-Bravo! at UDS Akron, said, “Our participants absolutely loved these experiences. It was amazing to see their engagement with Maseh, the various instruments, and rhythms. Trust Drum Circles has helped BraVo! meet our goals of building self-confidence, social skills, and introducing our participants to new cultures. These sessions were inclusive and left our group feeling energetic, proud, and wanting more.”
Participant feedback has been equally insightful. After a drum circle event at the HELP Foundation, attendee David Harkness said, “It’s unbelievable how many classes (drumming sessions) we get to have,” adding that the workshops were something he looked forward to and hoped would continue. Kelly Deutsch shared her reflections, saying the drumming helped her “step outside her comfort zone.” She appreciated being able to try new things and express her emotions through rhythm. Frank Sadowski enjoyed the workshops as well, noting that the drumming was “pretty good exercise.”
What the Research Confirms About Inclusive Music
What staff have observed in drumming sessions is increasingly supported by peer-reviewed research on inclusive instrumental music for individuals with IDD. A longitudinal, multisite study published in Advances in Mind-Body Medicine examined the psychosocial development of 60 students with IDD who participated for the first time in an inclusive, school-based instrumental music program with peer mentoring.
Students across eight public schools engaged in weekly music sessions and were evaluated at the beginning and end of the school year using a 10-measure psychosocial observation tool developed by special education professionals. By the end of the program, researchers documented statistically significant gains across all areas of development. Improvements included measurable increases in empathy (14.6%), self-confidence (18.8%), impulse control (24.7%), resilience (24.5%), and the ability to endure stressful environments (29.8%), along with gains in peer communication and participation.
The study concluded that inclusive instrumental music should be considered an integral component of educational and developmental frameworks for individuals with IDD. These findings mirror the outcomes Trust Drum Circles continues to document across disability organizations.
What Grant Funding Made Possible in 2025
The Good Shepherd Foundation of Ohio, who funded TDC’s disability programming in 2025, played a critical role in transforming this research-backed promise into accessible, lived experiences. Funding has allowed TDC to remove financial barriers, purchase drums adaptable to individuals with IDD, deliver multiple sessions per site, and offer consistent programming rather than one-time exposure. The support has also enabled TDC to expand its partnerships with disability organizations, strengthening its reach across the region.
In 2024, TDC delivered one disability-focused session at one organization, providing approximately 25 participant experiences. By comparison, with grant-supported efforts in 2025, expansion has grown to 21 sessions at six organizations, delivering approximately 760 participant experiences (See Figures 1 & 2 below). Together, these gains represent significant growth in program delivery, participant engagement, and regional partnerships within a single year.
The Opportunity Ahead
As demand continues to grow, so does the opportunity. Partner organizations continue to request repeat sessions, and new agencies have expressed interest in bringing inclusive drum circles to their programs. Sustained funding would allow TDC to deepen existing partnerships, expand geographic reach, increase session frequency, and support long-term continuity of creative wellness programming for individuals with disabilities.
Join Us in Expanding This Work
In each drum circle, the pattern repeats itself. A tentative tap becomes a confident beat. A room of individuals becomes a unified ensemble. Differences in ability fade into shared rhythm. With continued investment, the sound of inclusion will keep traveling, one drum circle at a time.
🥁 Contribute: To help Trust Drum Circles continue bringing inclusive, research-backed music programming to disability organizations across Ohio, you can make a tax-deductible contribution at: https://trustdrumcircles.org/donate/.
🤝 Partner with Us: For grant partnerships or funding inquiries, please contact Trust Drum Circles Founder and Executive Director Maseh Nchang:
Email: maseh@trustdrumcircles.org
Phone: (614) 216-8026
📪 Sign Up for our Newsletter: Want to receive monthly news and updates on TDC’s latest programs and community impact? Enter your name and email at the top of our News & Events page: https://trustdrumcircles.org/news-events/
