How rhythm workshop in Turlock helped grieving families beat a path toward healing

On a recent evening at Jessica’s House in Turlock, a “community rhythm workshop” allowed children and adults to express their grief in a circle of healing through drumming.

Philadelphia-based professional percussionist Josh Robinson guided participants through the process of making and playing drums.

“I started playing a steel pan drum in the hospital while my grandfather was ill many years ago,” he said in a news release from Jessica’s House, which was established in 2012 as a grief support ministry for children who have experienced the death of a parent or sibling. “After seeing the impact it had on my grandfather, the hospital staff and myself personally, I realized I could help people through drumming.”

When people have energy and emotions and don’t know where to put them, it can be frustrating and confusing, he said. “But music, in an instant, can be your voice. Even for quiet children, you put a mallet and a drum in their hands and they are no longer quiet. Drumming not only helps to heal after loss but can help with processing challenges, and expression beyond the limits of words.”

Erin Nelson, the founding director of Jessica’s House, has worked with Robinson several times over the years at various grief expression events. She sought to bring a rhythm workshop to the community for families working to heal after the death of a loved one.

“When you come together with others with a similar story of loss and express emotions in nonverbal ways, it helps decrease feelings of isolation and helps you process your experience,” she said in the news release.

More information and resources can be found at www.jessicashouse.org.