Appreciation for Katy’s Work
Monica Wiedel-Lubinski, Arts Program Coordinator, Director of The Nature Place at Irvine, Irvine Nature Center for their annual PumpkinFest’s drum circles, October 2010.
“Feel the beat – put it in your feet!” is her call; an invitation to join the Drum Circle. MusicHealsUs delivers a heart-pounding, interactive experience for visitors of all ages which greatly enriches our programs at Irvine Nature Center. The drums are mesmerizing and lure visitors from all over our site to join in. Katy’s foot-stomping, drum slapping encouragement makes for a joyful, musical event. We didn’t want the drumming to stop! Katy’s enthusiasm to drum and her contagious, fluid, group approach to music-making is why we continue to invite MusicHealsUs back to our events again and again. (Not to mention, the variety of drums she shares with the group is wonderful!) Thank you for facilitating this wonderful program!
Kartik Srinivas, participant in Darhyl Lyons’ Memorial Drum Circle & other Takoma Park drum circles, October 2010
As a mutual friend recently commented, you really are a “BFF” (Best Friggin Facilitator)! The way you pour yourself and your energy into your drum circles is truly infectious. Depending on the setting, your circles have been exuberant, somber, reflective, and/or energizing–and, more often than not, many of these over the course of a single circle.
Thanks so much for your dedication to this art and for sharing with your community. I know I speak for many others when I say that we appreciate your work–and you!–tremendously.
Rev. John Baker, for the drum circle Katy led at the St. Aidan’s annual camp out, September 2010
We had a great time and hope to have you back, at least for next year’s camp-out if not sooner. You obviously love what you do and your enthusiasm for drumming is infectious. Thanks!
Sophia Paulos, for Katy’s facilitation of the Inspiration Drum & Dance, September 11, 2010
Just wanted to say thanks again for facilitating a moment of human peace projection. We all need that. I really had a good time. I needed a Saturday night full of healthy, healing, human community time. Again, thank you.
Zvika & Ayelet Krieger, for a Drumming Ritual Katy led the night before their wedding, July 2010
My wife and I wanted to create a ceremony for the night before our wedding that would allow us to set an intention for the big day, center ourselves amidst all the pre-wedding chaos, find a way to connect with all our friends in for the wedding, and receive blessings from them in a way that wouldn’t be possible at our wedding. We didn’t really have a strong vision for the ceremony, but we knew we wanted some sort of primal/physical element to it, and drumming seemed like a great way to tap into that energy. A friend suggested that we contact Katy to facilitate the drumming at the circle.
Katy was an absolute gem from the very beginning. We had an initial phone call with her where we explained our vision and intentions. We felt a bit awkward trying to explain our half-baked idea to someone we never met, but she just got it right away. She struck the perfect balance between respecting our vision and offering her own ideas. She is such a pro at this, she knew exactly what would work and what wouldn’t. When we met in person to further flesh out the vision for the ceremony, she had so many great ideas about the space, the set-up, the logistics, ways to integrate the drumming with the other components of the evening, and how to work the flow of the evening’s schedule. She never imposed her ideas on us, and we had such great synergy brainstorming together. She also did a great job of respecting our religious traditions and helping to find ways to integrate them into the evening.
On the night of the event, she was stunning. She set the perfect tone with her warm introduction and tutorial, and crafted beautiful visualizations throughout the evening to frame and guide the ceremony. She made everyone feel at home and willing to drop any pretensions. Her leadership style is very organic, and she was able to adapt the evening on-the-fly to cater to the energy and spirit of the participants. Her improvisations and last-minute ideas were great. Her drumming segments were a great synthesis of fun, passion, spirituality, intention, unity, and blessing. She was able to inspire a room of 40 young professionals (the vast majority of whom have never beat a drum) – they really got it!
The evening was the perfect way to enter into our marriage. In many ways it was even more powerful than the wedding itself. It surpassed our wildest dreams, mostly thanks to Katy’s help. She was a total pleasure to work with. She is incredibly professional, punctual, and responsible – which is rare in such a free-spirited field! – while still holding that wild and soulful energy. Thanks for everything, Katy!