Hello there! Today, we’re going to dive into a magical story called “To Be A Drum,” written by Evelyn Coleman and beautifully illustrated by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson. Our storyteller is the amazing James Earl Jones, who loves reading out loud, even though he started doing it when he was fourteen! Let’s join him and discover the wonders of this tale.
On a misty morning, Mat, Martha, and their father, Daddy Wes, sat together. The fog was so thick that they seemed to disappear, but they were there, ready to listen. Daddy Wes had a special way of telling stories that touched Mat and Martha’s hearts.
Daddy Wes began his story by taking them back to a time long ago, in Africa. He spoke of the earth’s rhythm, a beat that filled the air and made the first people feel alive. This rhythm was like a drum, and it connected everyone to the animals and each other. It was the heartbeat of the earth, and it was magical.
But then, people from far away came and took the first people from their homes. They crossed oceans and seas, and it was a sad time because they couldn’t speak their own languages or play their drums. They felt lost and not free.
Even though they faced hard times, the earth’s spirit was still inside them. They became living drums, using their bodies to keep the rhythm alive. They made music with their feet, voices, and hands. They used their courage, creativity, and dreams to keep the beat going. They were the earth’s people, and they would always be free.
Daddy Wes asked Mat and Martha to listen closely. They lay on the ground, ears pressed to the earth, waiting for the magic. Martha heard it first, the gentle bum-bum, bum-bum of the earth’s heartbeat. Mat had to be still and quiet, but soon he heard it too!
With smiles on their faces, Mat, Martha, and Daddy Wes drummed the earth’s heartbeat together. Daddy Wes told them that now they knew how to find their own rhythm on the earth. Holding hands, they walked away, guided by the earth’s heartbeat.
Just like Mat and Martha, you can find your own rhythm and be free. Listen to the world around you, and let your heart beat like a drum. You have the power to create your own music and make the world a better place!
Feel the Earth’s Rhythm: Go outside with a friend or family member and find a quiet spot. Lie down on the grass and close your eyes. Listen carefully to the sounds around you. Can you hear the wind, the rustling leaves, or maybe a distant bird singing? Try to find the rhythm in these sounds. Share with each other what you hear and how it makes you feel. Can you tap out the rhythm you hear with your hands or feet?
Create Your Own Drum: Gather some household items like pots, pans, or empty containers. Use wooden spoons or sticks as drumsticks. Experiment with different sounds by tapping gently or loudly. Try to create a rhythm that reminds you of the earth’s heartbeat. Invite your family to join in and create a family band. What kind of music can you make together?
Storytelling with Rhythm: Think of a short story or a favorite tale you know. As you tell the story to a friend or family member, use your hands or feet to create a rhythm that matches the mood of the story. Is it a happy story? Try a fast, upbeat rhythm. Is it a calm story? Use a slow, gentle beat. Notice how the rhythm changes the way you tell the story and how it makes your listener feel.
Welcome to Storyline Online, brought to you by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation. My name is James Earl Jones. You might wonder why I’m doing the reading and not you. I’ll give you a hint: as old as I am, I still need practice. I learned to read quite early, around the time I was four, but I didn’t read out loud until I was fourteen because I had difficulty speaking. Today, I’m reading “To Be A Drum,” written by Evelyn Coleman, with artwork by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson.
During a morning mist, the fog swirled around Mat, Martha, and their father. When they sat cross-legged, they couldn’t be seen from afar, but they were there. Then Daddy Wes told them a story in his soft voice, the voice that could gently tap Mat and Martha on their hearts.
Daddy Wes began, “Long before time, before hours and minutes and seconds, on the continent of Africa, the rhythm of the earth beat for the first people. The earth filled the air with spirit. The spirit rose on the wind and flew into our bodies. And our own hearts beat for the first time. We were alive! The beat moved through our bodies and pushed out from our fingers. That is how our drum was born. With the drum, we spoke to the animals and to the people. The earth’s heart beat out the rhythm of all there is. We listened and sounded the rhythms back for her to hear.
Then men from another continent came—men who would not listen to the rhythm of the earth. They took us from our homes and brought us across the oceans and the seas. They tore us apart from one another and did not allow us to speak our own languages. We were a lost people. We were no longer free. We thought we were no more. Then they took the drums away.
But cruelty cannot stop the earth’s heart from beating. The earth’s spirit moved through us still and pushed—not only out our fingers, but out our entire bodies. And we became the drums. Living drums—beating for the whole world to hear and see. We were alive! We would be free.
So when we worked in the fields, we made our feet drums. When we sang songs under starlit skies, we made our mouths drums. When we talked to each other, we made our speech drums. When we stitched our quilts, we made our hands drums. When we fought in wars, we made our courage drums. When we invented things, we made our minds drums. When we fought for our freedom and for our rights, we made our communities drums. When we created music, paintings, sculpture, dances, and dramas, we made our art drums. When we wrote down our wisdom, we made our stories drums. When we recorded our memories, we made our history drums. When we became farmers, scientists, teachers, leaders, entrepreneurs, and tradespeople, we made our dreams drums.
We were the earth’s people. We were the living drums. We would always be free.”
Daddy Wes leaned over and whispered, “Listen, do you hear?” He stretched out on the earth, his arms spread like a bird’s wings. Mat and Martha lay down close beside him and put their ears to the ground, too. They waited for the magic to be theirs. They waited to hear the earth’s heartbeat.
“I hear it, Daddy Wes,” said Martha. “I don’t hear anything,” said Mat. “You have to let go, son,” Daddy Wes said. “Be quiet and still. You’ll grow to be strong if you learn to be still.” Mat let out a deep sigh. His body relaxed like when he floated on the pond. At last, he heard the earth’s heartbeat. “I hear it, Daddy Wes, I hear it too!” he shouted.
Daddy Wes smiled. “And what does the earth say?” Mat, Martha, and Daddy Wes all drummed the earth’s heartbeat together, bum-bum, bum-bum, bum-bum. “Now the both of you,” Daddy Wes said, “will always know how to beat out your own rhythm on the earth.” Then Daddy Wes, Mat, and Martha took each other’s hands and strolled from the field with the heartbeat of the earth guiding their way. You, too, can be free. Become a drum.
