A Drum? Not to Me!

When the teacher said the movement was called Bass Drum, I thought I had misheard. Her hand movements didn’t reflect the image that the word drummed up. I was imagining a drum that you beat on the top. Was she caressing the sides of a drum? I felt uncomfortable trying it.

I decided instead to picture a tree in front of me. I enjoyed feeling as if I were caressing the sides of the tree, making circles on the trunk that filled the space between my hands. It still made no sense, but I stopped thinking and simply practiced. 

Later, I realized my error and remembered what a bass drum looked like. I share this anecdote when teaching the movement.