The Ceremonial Drum™ is an 8-week online course guiding you into rhythm, ceremony, and embodied expression through the lens of the West African djembe drum & the shamanic drum.
Led by me, Katie, of Drum Temple & master djembe drummer Eddie Dorman
In this course we will:
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1. Learn to drum for meditation, grounding, & emotional release.
2. Connect with core rhythms & chanting inspired by medicine music, world music, & ritual.
3. Connect with ancient rhythmic & cultural teachings.
4. See how drumming can help you in daily life as a tool for transformation.
5. Return to your inner Primordial Pulse so you can operate in sync with yourself and the world around you.
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6. Develop musical and spiritual confidence to become UNSHAKEABLE in your essence.
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7. Activate the ancient voice and inner song for deep release & remembrance.
feel the power of CEREMONIAL DRUMMING
so you can
BREAK FREE
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video from The Drum Temple Experience Orlando
Who is The Ceremonial Drum™ course for?
anyone who...
​​1. Is on a path of spiritual discovery and KNOWS rhythm is an essential piece.
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2. Feels called to the beat of the DRUM, especially the djembe & shamanic drums.
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3. Is looking for a path to deeper SELF EXPRESSION and PERSONAL DISCOVERY.
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4. Wants to connect to RHYTHMIC TRADITIONS from around the world.
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5. Is ready to RECLAIM your birthright and power as a rhythm keeper & vocal activator.
This is also for you if...
​1. You are ready to share your HEART through musical expression.
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2. You play guitar and want to CONNECT to the beat of music and rhythm of strumming & picking.
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3. Want to learn to regulate your NERVOUS SYSTEM through hand-drumming.
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4. Are ready to RELEASE and have FUN through primal drumming.
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5. Are ready to accompany your singing or OPEN YOUR VOICE using the drum.
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6. Want to use the regulating qualities of drum, voice, and song to become more GROUNDED in their lives and relationships.
Student Praise
What a beautiful ending to launch me into new beginnings…
In 8 weeks of djembe drumming with Drum Temple, I learned things I didn’t know were possible.
What I get to take with me onward into my sacred purpose path:
A new level of confidence, deep connection with the drum, another tool for somatic work, a deeper connection with my feminine, a deeper connection to the rhythms of my cycles, healing my hips, healing my mother wounds, a deeper relationship with my heart, rhythm balance, listening for the foundation
Get you a drum and seek out Katie!
With deep gratitude. Aho!
Ali Zamora, RemedYo
Do you feel the call of the sacred drum?
Weekly Curriculum
Week 1
Intro to Djembe & Shamanic Drums/The Primordial Pulse
Basic technique & rhythms, Primordial Pulse meditation, readying the body for rhythm & return.
Week 3
Drumming for Medicine Music & Ritual Experiences
The role of the drum in ritual. How we choose rhythms based on the energy of songs and spaces. How rhythm shifts energy.
Week 2
Reconnecting With the Elements Through Drumming
Evoking different energies through rhythm and reconnection. Physical and energetic awareness of rhythmic impact.
Week 4
Using the Drum in Meditation, Trance, & Nervous System Healing
Drawing from the priestesses of Ancient Egypt, Sumer, Greece, and Mesopotamia as well as modern day neuroplasticity principles.
Week 5
Traditional West African Djembe Study with Master Drummer Eddie Dorman
Rhythmic roots, how the djembe has evolved, spiritual applications, traditional rhythm and dance study, and performance from master drummer Eddie Dorman.
Week 7
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World Rhythms & Rhythmic Landscape Study
Rhythms from Argentina, Colombia, & Cuba adapted for the djembe and shamanic drums. Why do different rhythms arise from different terrains?
Week 6
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Using Drums for Vocal Opening & Activation
The drum and voice are inextricably linked. We will understand why and how we can use the drum to support vocal opening and vice versa. Prayer chanting, toning, tuning the vessel through drum & voice.
Week 8
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Rhythm Creation & Prescription
Creating your own rhythms/prescription based on your current experiences. Connecting with other drums and their medicine based on what you need. How do we go forth with this new information? How do we apply the principles of the Primordial Pulse in our lives?
Let’s learn to speak the language of rhythm together.
The Ceremonial Drum™ Masterclass is an initiation into rhythm as a living practice.
The Drum & Our Divinity
Across cultures, rhythm has served as a bridge between humans & the divine.
Shamans, healers, priestesses, and everyday people have turned to the drum to ground the nervous system, open the voice, release emotion, & enter altered states of consciousness for GUIDANCE & INSIGHT.​
In this course we will explore the power of the drum through the lens of the West African djembe & shamanic drum, the drumming priestesses of Ancient Egypt and Sumer, and rhythm keepers from cultures around the world.
And we will honor how rhythm has traveled, transformed, and woven itself into modern ceremonial and musical spaces. Throughout the journey, guest teachers will join us, offering their own lineages, cultural perspectives, and lived experience with rhythm, ceremony, and healing.
Meet Your Instructors
Katie Berns Lee (K'haht'ya כהתיה)
Katie is a Jewish American primal hand-drummer, songstress, musician, activator, connector and creator of Russian and Polish heritage.
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She believes that rhythm activates vibrational messages from our body and soul—so let us use it to communicate the messages coming through us during times of great responsibility and transformation.
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Through her music and spiritual practice and study, Katie connects deeply to indigenous and ancient cultures from West Africa, Latin America, Mongolia, the Middle East, and folk America, and her mission encourages a return to original ways of feeling, expressing, and being as stewards of this Earth.
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Eddie Dorman
Eddie Dorman is a West African percussionist and teaching artist committed to presenting djembe as a living cultural practice grounded in lineage, community, and storytelling, informed by years of study with master drummers and direct experience within the tradition.
His approach centers clarity and access, guiding students beyond technique toward understanding the drum’s purpose, and he collaborates with schools, community organizations, and wellness spaces through immersive, experience-based learning.
FAQs
​1. Do I need to know how to play music or hand drums to join?
No experience is necessary--this is all levels. It depends how deep YOU want to go.
2. Do I need my own djembe & shamanic drums to take the course?
YES. Especially to be able to deepen into study on your own and live this experience so that you can become a testament of pulse and embodied rhythm. Recommendations for drums will be sent as soon as you register.
3. I don't have rhythm. Do you think this is right for me?
The real truth: EVERYONE has rhythm. When we are children, we are often told by others that we should not sing or play music, or that we are not good. EVERYONE on this planet carries the codes to the Primordial Pulse within them.
4. I can't make every class. Will the recordings be available for replay?
While it is recommended to come to each class live, we understand life happens. YES, the replays will be available.
5. I do not want to be a professional percussionist. Is this still for me?
This course is for anyone who wants to embody their inner truth on a whole new level. It has nothing to do with performance, and yet, if you are a performer, returning to your truth will enhance your transmission tenfold.​
6. Is this course for men and women?
YES. While most of my events are for women, this is for everyone! Take advantage.
7. Is it normal to feel nervous about expressing myself in such vulnerable ways?
YES. And please know that, in this space, you will be held, encouraged, and able to hold boundaries if something truly feels outside of your zone of safety. We are here together to grow through safety, community, and rhythmic learning.
FAQs
​1. Do I need to know how to play music or hand drums to join?
No experience is necessary--this is all levels. It depends how deep YOU want to go.
2. Do I need my own djembe & shamanic drums to take the course?
YES. Especially to be able to deepen into study on your own and live this experience so that you can become a testament of pulse and embodied rhythm. Recommendations for drums will be sent as soon as you register.
3. I don't have rhythm. Do you think this is right for me?
The real truth: EVERYONE has rhythm. When we are children, we are often told by others that we should not sing or play music, or that we are not good. EVERYONE on this planet carries the codes to the Primordial Pulse within them.
4. I can't make every class. Will the recordings be available for replay?
While it is recommended to come to each class live, we understand life happens. YES, the replays will be available.
5. I do not want to be a professional percussionist. Is this still for me?
This course is for anyone who wants to embody their inner truth on a whole new level. It has nothing to do with performance, and yet, if you are a performer, returning to your truth will enhance your transmission tenfold.​
6. Is this course for men and women?
YES. While most of my events are for women, this is for everyone! Take advantage.
7. Is it normal to feel nervous about expressing myself in such vulnerable ways?
YES. And please know that, in this space, you will be held, encouraged, and able to hold boundaries if something truly feels outside of your zone of safety. We are here together to grow through safety, community, and rhythmic learning.
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