Our drumming circle has been growing steadily, with new participants joining us each month. Even when travel keeps some away, our smaller gatherings have created space for deep listening and connection. Many of our newcomers have never drummed before—and that’s the joy of this circle and also drumming in particular. No expertise is needed, only a willingness to step into the rhythm.
Elaine continues to lead with grace, holding the group together with steady guidance. Each gathering also includes a reflection from Dr. Pautz—sometimes a meditation, sometimes insights from medical research on the health benefits of drumming—bringing an added depth to our time together.
This week (Septmeber 10, 6-7 pm, Dr. Pautz will share a short video clip of Michael Jackson in Brazil, where a community raised funds for a drumming school for children. These boys learned how to use drumming to earn small amounts of money for food and support, offering an alternative to stealing in order to survive. It’s a powerful reminder that whether in small or large ways, we can each plant seeds of hope and healing in our communities. No child, anywhere in the world, should have to go hungry.
At our circle, a small love-offering box is available for those who wish to help keep this event alive and sustainable. Your generosity helps us continue creating this space of rhythm, healing, and joy.
✨ Special Note: These next two weeks also mark Persephone’s 24th anniversary! We’ll be celebrating this milestone during our drumming gatherings, and we’d love for you to join us in honoring it.
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Yes I am daring. If anything is incorrect in what I am posting, please be nice about it. This is a conversation I had with ChatGPT, I am posting this for educational reasons, and I just really feel this is incredible. A productive way of supporting the world.
Yes — your Brazilian friend is referring to the story behind one of the two music videos Michael Jackson filmed for “They Don’t Care About Us” in 1996, and there’s some truth in what you were told. Here’s the background:
- The song itself
- They Don’t Care About Us was released in 1995 on Michael Jackson’s album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I.
- It’s one of his most politically charged songs, highlighting injustice, racism, poverty, and governmental neglect.
- Two music videos
Michael Jackson created two separate videos for the song, both directed by Spike Lee:
- Prison Version (shot in the U.S.) – showing imagery of incarceration, police brutality, and human rights abuses.
- Brazil Version (shot in Bahia and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) – showing drumming, samba, and the life of people in the favelas (poor neighborhoods).
- The drumming group – Olodum
- In Salvador, Bahia, Jackson collaborated with Olodum, an Afro-Brazilian percussion and cultural group.
- Olodum was founded in 1979 and is famous for using samba-reggae drumming both as music and as a social project.
- The group’s mission was (and still is) to offer young people from poor communities a positive alternative to crime, drugs, and poverty through drumming, cultural pride, and performance opportunities.
- By appearing with Olodum in the video, Jackson brought worldwide attention to them and their social cause. Afterward, Olodum’s international profile grew dramatically, giving them more resources to expand their cultural and educational programs.
- Community impact
- While Michael Jackson didn’t personally found Olodum, his collaboration gave them a huge boost.
- The video was filmed in the favelas despite objections from Brazilian authorities (who feared it would portray poverty to the world). But locals welcomed Jackson, and the shoot created jobs, visibility, and pride in the communities.
- The exposure helped Olodum attract more funding, support, and students — strengthening its role as a safe space where kids could learn drumming instead of being pulled into crime or street survival.
👉 So, your friend is partly right: Michael Jackson didn’t start the school, but his collaboration amplified Olodum’s reach, which indeed was aimed at giving street kids a meaningful and legal way to earn, learn, and stay out of trouble.
Absolutely — you’re right on point. Michael Jackson didn’t found the drumming school, but by spotlighting Olodum through his collaboration, he helped channel global attention and resources toward their mission — and that kind of exposure can make a world of difference. And yes, the real marvel is in the lasting impact: countless kids have benefited from staying off the streets, finding purpose through music, and building brighter futures.
You asked: Does the school still exist? Yes — and it’s very much alive and thriving.
Olodum School Today
- Ongoing since the 1980s
Olodum’s Escola Olodum (also called Escola Criativa Olodum) began around 1984 as part of the “Rufar dos Tambores” social initiative. It offered free percussion classes to children and teens from the Maciel/Pelourinho community. Since then, it has grown into a lasting institution dedicated to arts education, cultural expression, and community empowerment Wikipediapesquisaescolar.fundaj.gov.br. - Part of a larger cultural organization
Today, Olodum functions as both an NGO and a cultural institution. Alongside the drum school, it runs theater and dance groups, produces carnival costumes and merchandise, and manages other cultural and social projects Wikipediapesquisaescolar.fundaj.gov.br. - Positive social impacts and expansion
The school continues to deliver percussion, dance, singing, cultural production, and even leadership courses to children and youth in Salvador — especially from the historic Pelourinho and surrounding neighborhoods. Beyond the immediate area, Olodum has formed partnerships with public schools in disadvantaged suburbs, reaching around 300 children through its programs The Rio TimesUpr. - Educational innovation and pride-building
According to Utah Public Radio, Olodum’s school is committed to building self-esteem and expanding horizons — even supporting basic literacy, despite being a cultural (not formal academic) institution. Workshops cover percussion, dance, singing, cultural production, and more. All are open to children of any ethnicity or background Upr.
Summary
- Yes, the Olodum School still exists — and it’s a vibrant, multifaceted cultural and educational institution in Salvador.
- It continues to deliver free courses in percussion, dance, singing, cultural production, and more — all aimed at empowering youth through art and heritage.
- The school is part of a broader social movement that has grown and adapted over decades, expanding into theater, performance, community outreach, and partnerships with public schools.
- Its reach has extended beyond music — enhancing self-esteem, literacy, pride, and opportunity for countless young people.
