Kansas City Star: October 10, 1996 DRUMMING UP BUSINESS Lenexan Barry Bernstein uses rhythm therapy to build corporate morale By James A. Fussell, Staff Writer It was a sweltering day in the Northland, and Barry Bernstein was yelling. Yelling and whirling. Whirling in a circle, belting a hand-held drum as fast as an arm could pound. More than 100 RE/MAX real estate agents -- some in ties, some wondering what they were doing there -- stood around him. "RUM-BULLLLLLL!" Bernstein screamed on the grounds of Stroud's Oak Ridge Manor as he spun like a runaway drill bit.> And the business people rumbled. Boy, did they rumble. They spanked drums, shook shakers and rattled jingle sticks until -- as one agent put it -- "you couldn't hear yourself think." And then they stopped. Bernstein, 42, smiled as BB-sized balls of sweat rolled off his red-flushed forehead. Gee! Aren't business meetings fun? They are when they're run by Bernstein, a Kansas City native whose "Unity With a Beat" workshops encourage employees to -- quite literally -- beat the drum for the company. Call it what you want -- drumming up business, playing for profits or the rhythm method of management -- such "corporate drumming" programs have caught on with companies around the country. Apple computer, Bristol-Meyers Squibb and other organizations have used similar music programs to increase cooperation, develop problem solving skills and build business harmony. One RE/MAX agent just rolled his eyes. "Sounds like something from California," he muttered. Don't be fooled. This isn't some flower power retread with a gimmick trying to capitalize on the Kumbaya closeness of the peace and love generation. Bernstein is a registered music therapist with a degree from the University of Kansas. He has worked with salesmen and school districts, music companies and medical centers, people who have had strokes and Vietnam veterans. And you want testimonials? No less than Mickey Hart, longtime drummer for the Grateful Dead, is quoted in Bernstein's brochure, calling the Lenexa resident "the Johnny Appleseed of rhythm-based music therapy." High praise coming from Hart, a Grammy-winning musician, and one of the world's leading experts on multicultural drumming traditions. Today Bernstein wears many musical hats. He is not only a business consultant, he's a children's performer, storyteller and musician. He has produced two cassette tapes -- including a relaxation tape and a CD called "Songs of the Spirit." His recent emphasis has been on helping businesses. His workshop -- which he markets under his company name "Healthy Sounds" -- is finding fans in Kansas City's corporate community. One is Bernie Onelio. "I get a very warm feeling from this," said Onelio, co-owner of RE/MAX of Kansas City/Liberty. "It almost brings tears to my eyes when people come out and are positive about their work and the company, so I'm very pleased." Listen to Linda Orth, a RE/MAX sales associate who, frankly, had her doubts about the seminar. "For a while I was trying to figure out what the real purpose was," she said. "But I think I have concluded that togetherness, unison and the impact of the whole thing promotes positive things." March! Like some sort of percussive Pied Piper, Bernstein began to march. Across a field, around a tree, banging his drum as he went. The agents followed, 100 of them, whacking drums and shaking shakers, maintaining the group rhythm as they moved together behind a single leader. Hold it. Corporate climbers? Marching behind Bernstein? With apologies to Buffalo Springfield, something was happening here. What it was wasn't exactly clear. Wait a minute -- it was irony. How else do you explain that the leader of this seminar, the "corporate consultant" being ballyhooed for his benefit to business, was a bushy-bearded, bongo-carrying son of the '60s and personal friend to perpetual hippie philosopher Wavy Gravy? The incongruousness was not lost on Bernstein (who would appear to be more comfortable in sandals and a vest, but will tailor his dress and program to fit his clients needs). But far from being a distraction, Bernstein thinks the natural contrast he provides to button-up businesses helps employees relax and get more out of the program. "It adds a little interesting spice to the whole thing that I offer," he said. What his workshops offer, according to one of his brochures, is "a unique opportunity to get in tune with themselves and the people around them. As a result, participants gain a greater insight into their potential and the positive contributions they can make in an organization." Bernstein, who is married with two children, has been a music therapist 15 years. During that time he has collected more than 650 drums, shakers and other percussion instruments, including a brass Balinese gong the size of a manhole cover that he keeps suspended from a frame in front of his fireplace. He does not come from a musical family but learned to love music as boy, riding with his traveling salesman of a father as they racked up the miles selling hosiery and children's clothing. He remembers the interminable waits, and how he'd beat back the boredom by drumming his fingers on the dashboard while he listened to the radio. He remembers listening to "Taxman" and "Rain" from the Beatles, "Hound Dog" from Elvis Presley, and songs from Crosby Stills Nash and Young. "Mostly the way I was connected to popular culture was music," he said. "The radio -- the AM radio. I remember Walt Bodine on WHB. And Wolfman Jack." Soon he began seeing rhythms and patterns everywhere -- in turn signals, windshield wipers, a series of water grates in the road. Anything. Then he would make songs up in his head to the rhythms. Now he does it for a living. But how can drums and music help a business? "Music helps create a sense of balance, whatever the need," Bernstein said. "You may be stressed out of your gourd. This can help you let off steam. But at the same time it can also help you feel energized." In addition, he said, "playing music as part of a group helps employees learn how to better be part of a team while still allowing them to express their individual creative talents in a structured way." Kelly Gerling, a Kansas City consultant who hires Bernstein to work in his own leadership seminars, said Bernstein helped businesses run more smoothly. Gerling thinks corporations have lost something in the "relentlessly focused" pursuit of production and profits: camaraderie, loyalty, a sense of family and fun. Coming together to play music with Bernstein, he said, can help a business restore those qualities, and -- as a result -- realize even larger profits. In pursuit of business harmony, Bernstein has his groups do a variety of exercises. One is a "group juggle," where he has people sit in a circle and pass egg shakers (egg-shaped percussion instruments) to each other. Other times he has them sing a song, or write down reflective thoughts on the importance of music in their lives. With the RE/MAX group he employed a "rhythm weave," -- what he called "organized adult cheerleading" -- where groups chant phrases that reflect areas of company concern. One of RE/MAX's concerns was encouraging employees to take full advantage of new technology. Bernstein helped the group develop the phrase "Tech-up, and take off," which they then chanted mantra-style. Others chants included "Be with the best" and "Change is challenge." In the middle of the program, Bernstein stopped the music to have a talk with the group. Participants shared what they had learned. RE/MAX broker/manager Curtis Stock summed it up best: "If you were like me and you fell behind and got out of rhythm, there were other people around who would pull you back into the rhythm. So if you find yourself in a slump or falling behind, you can always look to the strength of the people around you to get you back on track." Bernstein threw his hands in the air and sprang up and down like a jack-in-the-box. "OK, let's start with this group here," he said, directing one section of the group in a chant repeated in a steady monotone. "Be with the best! Be with the best! Be with the best!" "When we are playing," he said, "we have a steady pulse that you can feel. It's called the groove. And every music, every music's got a groove. So we'll just use that groove, then improvise and be creative. And maybe we'll just experiment a little bit." Then the final group added its mantra to the beat. "Change-is-challenge. Change-is-Challenge" Dum dum dum-dum. Dum dum dum-dum. Most people were smiling now. Most banged their drums in earnest. But a few held back. Their eyebrows raised while their eyes darted left and right to fellow co-workers as if to say "What am I doing here?" If some participants looked uncomfortable, they weren't about to publicly admit it. "No comment," one of the uncomfortables said with a tight smile, as he continued to chant and drum. Most were like Jeff Newberry, a RE/MAX sales associate who stood in the back of the group hitting a circular frame drum with his hand. "If it gets everybody together and puts everybody in great spirits and lets them know about teamwork, then I'm all for it," he said. "Change is challenge. Change is challenge. Change is challenge." All content © 1996 The Kansas City Star
	• TOP • (913) 888-5517 barry@healthysounds.com P.O. BOX 40304 • OVERLAND PARK, KS • 66204

| CLOSE WINDOW |