Rhythm YOUniversity

Drumming Health & Wellness Experiences for Community Members and Care Teams – Serving San Luis Obispo County, CA

Facilitated by Dee DiGioia, HealthRHYTHMS Facilitator, and founder of Mindful Kindful YOUniversity

A Rhythm “Prescription” for Holistic Health & Well-being!

Rhythm YOUniversity offers evidence-based, facilitated group drumming experiences designed to reduce stress and support emotional, social, and physical well-being. These unique rhythm-based wellness sessions are grounded in the science of Remo’s HealthRHYTHMS® protocol, which integrates decades of research into the power of recreational music-making in a group setting.

Developed by a team of experts—including neurologist Dr. Barry Bittman, music therapist Christine Stevens, and Karl Bruhn, founder of the Yamaha Music & Wellness Institute—HealthRHYTHMS combines the wellness benefits of rhythm, connection, and creative self-expression to promote personal and group empowerment.

Our Rhythm YOUniversity sessions bring people together through the universal language of drumming, creating moments of intra-and interpersonal connection, self-expression, and creativity in a supportive group setting.

Rhythm YOUniversity Programs Are For Everyone:

From individuals seeking personal well-being to family members, caregivers, and professionals in the wellness and healthcare fields—Rhythm YOUniversity experiences are designed to support all who participate.

Whether in medical settings, mental health programs, senior living communities, or general wellness spaces, these rhythmic experiences foster connection, reduce stress, and nurture whole-person well-being.

- - Hospitals and Wellness Programs (including chronic illness support)

- - Oncology & Infusion Centers
  - Rehabilitation Units
  - Pediatric & Family Health Centers
  - Hospice & Palliative Care
  - Outpatient Recovery Programs
  - Mental Health & Behavioral Support Programs
  - Senior Centers & Retirement Communities
  - and more!

Includes Support for Families and Caregivers:

Caregivers often carry invisible emotional weight. These sessions provide a shared, uplifting experience that helps participants feel grounded, connected, and seen—offering moments of relief, renewal, and resilience.

Includes Support for Healthcare Staff:

Staff support and well-being is essential in the high-demand environment of health and wellness care. Rhythm YOUniversity sessions offer a playful yet powerful pause — a chance to decompress, reduce stress, reignite joy and purpose, strengthen bonds with colleagues and the people they serve, and support mental and emotional health.

HealthRHYTHMS research shows group recreational drumming reduces burnout and job turnover—making rhythm a valuable tool for organizational wellness.

Photo with Dee DiGioia – Drumming at Adventist Health- Sierra Vista for a special event.

The Power of Rhythm and Entrainment

Drumming engages the mind, body, and emotions in a way that supports relaxation, focus, and overall well-being. As rhythmic patterns develop, they naturally promote brainwave entrainment, gently guiding participants toward a state of balance, calm, and centered awareness.

As individuals begin to attune to the rhythm, many describe feeling more peaceful, more joyful, and more connected—both within themselves and with those around them. This goes beyond recreation—this is the power of rhythm in motion.

Entrainment is a well-documented phenomenon in which our biological rhythms begin to synchronize with external rhythms. It’s what occurs when your foot taps to a beat without conscious thought, or when a group of drummers naturally falls into a shared groove without verbal coordination.

In a group drumming setting, entrainment can lead to a sense of coherence and connection, as participants’ internal rhythms—such as heart rate and brainwave patterns—gently align. The experience often fosters a shared sense of presence, relief from tension, and a greater sense of belonging.

Many participants report feeling more grounded, uplifted, and reconnected after group drumming—often expressing that the experience taps into something deeply restorative and meaningful.

While these sessions are not a clinical intervention, they are grounded in evidence-based practices and designed to support emotional, social, and physical well-being in a safe, inclusive, and engaging way.

Photo – Mindful Kindful YOUniversity Drumming Circle

The Benefits of Group Drumming
Drumming is more than just fun—it has been shown to support overall well-being and is recognized as a valuable complement to conventional medical and mental health care.

Research findings for group drumming experiences includes:

- - Reduces stress and anxiety
  - Emotional release and healing
  - Emotional resilience
  - Enhances focus and mental clarity
  - Strengthens the immune system (Ex- Studies have been done that show playing drums for one hour a week raises the T-cell levels of the body to fight cancer.)
  - Provides pain relief
  - Encourages self-expression and creativity
  - Promotes a sense of connection and belonging – improves bonding
  - Supports physical coordination and motor skills
  - Reduces burnout, turnover, and drop-out rate

What’s Included in a Session:

These facilitated experiences offer empowering, engaging, and trauma-sensitive activities based on the HealthRHYTHMS evidence based protocol facilitated by Dee DiGioia, HealthRHYTHMS Facilitator and founder of Mindful Kindful YOUniversity.

- - mindfulness practices
  - rhythmic play activities
  - creative self-expression
  - guided imagery

*No experience is needed.

*Drums are provided.

CUSTOMIZABLE EXPERIENCES:

Rhythm YOUniversity sessions are accessible and adaptable for all ages, abilities, and needs. Whether it’s a one-time wellness event or a longer-term series, sessions are tailored to fit your setting and goals.

Choose your Format:

FREQUENCY:

- - - One time event
    - Limited series (e.g,. – 10 weekly classes)
    - Ongoing series (e.g., – monthly drop in )

DURATION:

- - - 60 min sessions
    - 75 min sessions (recommended)
    - 90 min sessions

Let’s Collaborate:

Are you interested in bringing Rhythm YOUniversity: Drumming for Wellness to your health facility or community center?

Let’s create meaningful rhythm-based experiences that uplift, connect, and support health and well-beinging—for patients/clients, families, and care teams alike.

Serving San Luis Obispo County, CA

Sound Journeys for Health Centers are also available.

Contact Dee DiGioia 805-270-5523

Dee DiGioia is the founder of Mindful Kindful YOUniversity in Baywood-Los Osos and a passionate Drum Circle Facilitator, Sound Journey Guide, and mindfulness-based nature connection leader. Her expertise as a Drum Circle Facilitator has been honed through extensive training from world-renowned programs, including:

1. Village Music Circles (with Arthur Hull)
2. Rhythm 2 Recovery (with Summer Lall)
3. Drum Leadership Training (with Jim Donovan)
4. Upbeat Drum Circles (with Christine Stevens)
5. Beat the Odds (Arts & Healing Initiative) – Social & Emotional Skill Building Delivered in a Framework of Drumming
6. HealthRHYTHMS (Remo)

Dee brings heart, rhythm, and purpose to every circle she leads. After retiring from a career in special education in 2024, she now devotes herself full-time to promoting peace and uplifting communities across San Luis Obispo County through rhythm, connection, and well-being.

Rhythm2Recovery delivers therapeutic programs and professional development, that utilize fun and engaging rhythmic musical activities to support social and emotional development. Based on the latest neuro-science. this approach has been shown to support increased emotional regulation, improved social connection and reduced levels of anxiety and other elements of psychological distress.

Beat the Odds® (BTO) is an evidence-based, trauma-informed program that integrates the power of contemporary drum circles and group counseling to build core strengths such as focus and listening, team building, leadership, expressing feelings, managing anger/stress, empathy, kindness, and gratitude. The one-day, experiential training covers all activities and key guidelines in the program, which offers positive affirmations, emotional coping strategies, and guided interaction with rhythmic activities in a collaborative, creative, and fun environment. Beat the Odds® can serve a whole classroom at a time as well as offer an effective tool for community building with staff and families. It can easily be adapted for any age group. Training highlights include the scientific basis for the use of rhythm in social-emotional healing and well-being. It also includes findings from a UCLA research-based Beat the Odds effectiveness study showing that BTO can significantly reduce a spectrum of behavior problems in children, such as those associated with inattention, withdrawn/depression, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, attention deficit/hyperactivity, oppositional defiance, and sluggish cognitive tempos.