Community After Tragedy

One Friday in November, I began a journey from New Jersey to downtown New York City to visit old work friends. It was my first visit since the tragic September 11th attack. Although I've traveled this same route--the commuter train to the Hoboken station from 1996-2000--there were now, of course, changes in the environment when I got to Hoboken.

For one thing, it was the first time I had to ask a fellow commuter how I would get downtown from the Hoboken train station, as in the past, I always took the path train to the WTC. I began to ask a commuter, and that's when I noticed the next big change: A great sense of relatedness and unity amongst commuters. Not that we were void of any sense of that in the past, but now we were faced with a massive perspective shift: As a whole, we've experienced a never-expected nightmare to our previously-thought "invincible" New York City.

The first gentleman I spoke to was extremely helpful and more than willing to offer his help on how I would now get downtown. His knowledge and love for the city was evident.

Then another gentleman came up to me and began speaking. This second conversation I had really reinforced my conviction of the universality and positivity of drumming. Make no mistake: The conversation began in a dark tone, as he depicted to me his firsthand witnessing of September 11th. This man is an employee of a large corporation located a few blocks down from the WTC. Yes, I've heard some details on the news and through casual talk previously. But to hear it from someone firsthand, while seeing the expressed pain and anguish was something else. In my past communication with commuters, yes, we would talk, but often to simply kill time. Now it was evident we were part of the same "family".

Once he found out I was a drummer, and I found out he was a keyboard player, the tone took a tremendous upward shift. It was amazing how that shift even allowed us to get into specifics. We were now glowfully discussing drum techniques such as Steve Gadd's work on "Aja", and Jeff Porcaro's hi-hat sound and groove from "Rosanna". I began to explain some hand technique including the moeller stroke. We started to laugh at the similarity, joy and appreciation we had! One can now sense that we had come to relate to one another on two levels.

No experience can ever erase our September 11th tragedy. However, the friendly environment change I witnessed between NYC commuters now was actually heartening. And, in the case of the conversation I had with this second gentleman, drums were a vehicle that significantly uplifted the mood of our conversation -- which, especially for this gentleman -- brought him a temporary escape from his painful, visual memories.

We know how widespread the positive effect of drums is. Is it any coincidence that drums are now being linked to health more and more? Or why REMO has a department called Health Rhythms? Or why there are programs such as Drums not Guns and Drumming for Success? Or why Dom Famularo and Zoro have such an inspirational effect? I think not ? Add this one to the list.

About The Author

Dan Britt is a NJ drummer/instructor, who conducts clinics in the public schools. His articles/stories have appeared in international magazines such as England's "Rhythm" and Australia's "Music Teacher International". For further information, he can be contacted via email @ danbsticks@aol.com or through www.dannybritt.com

www.dannybritt.com

family-safe home cleaners Morton Grove ..

In The News:

The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.

San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.

FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.

Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.

Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.

Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.

Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.

LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.

Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Community After Tragedy

Positive Attitude Tips