The vibrations from the music were just that strong. At one point, you could even feel the floor shaking.
Not that anyone noticed too much. They were all caught up in watching and feeling the performance by Sheltered Reality, a nonprofit group of perfectly synchronized drummers pounding to the beat of fast-paced, high-energy songs like "Cuba Libre" by Gloria Estefan and "Micky" by Toni Basil.Ê
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"Our shows are definitely emotionally charged," said Steve Schlosser, founder and executive director of Sheltered Reality, which has dozens of drum groups in cities and towns all over the country. "I like to say we are 'Stomp' to music."
But the music and percussion performances are just half of what Sheltered Reality is all about. The other half is the motivational message the group puts out to its drummers and audiences.
"We're out to change the world for the better," Schlosser remarked.
"We do not play music simply to entertain. We have a message: You can have a dream, and you can succeed."
They do that by sharing their Steps to Success, which now total six, but one or more have been added every 18 months or so:
1.ÊTake a Chance - do something you've never done before.
2.ÊNever Give Up.
3.ÊDo Whatever It Takes.
4.ÊBelieve in Yourself.
5.ÊBe a Friend.
6.ÊBelieve in God.
Along with those steps, Schlosser shares real-life stories of kids who have experienced positive changes because of Sheltered Reality. At Sunday's show, he told the audience about Matt, a 15-year-old high school student who attended a Sheltered Reality performance and was goaded into "Taking a Chance" (Step One) and performing as one of the guest drummers on stage. "Matt is one of those kids who is very smart, but not athletic," said Schlosser. "He was made fun of at school and didn't have a lot of friends."
On stage at the Sheltered Reality show, Matt was paired with Vicky, an experienced Sheltered Reality drummer who was there to help him learn the song and choreography. That didn't happen.
"Matt did not do a good job drumming," Schlosser said, bluntly. "He was off beat, both drumming and jumping. He wanted to give up, but Vicky smiled and kept telling him he could do it, that he should 'Never Give Up' (Step Two)."
That kind of encouragement and support was all it took to make a difference for Matt. The teen later e-mailed Schlosser to say he was joining the Sheltered Reality drum group in Salt Lake City.
Today Schlosser isn't shy about telling people that Matt is the worst of Sheltered Reality's some 400 drummers. "He's just not able to get the rhythm and can't get the coordination.
"But that's not why Matt joined Sheltered Reality," Schlosser is quick to point out. "He joined to have a friend . . . Sometimes that's all we need to become empowered, to pay it forward."
College Dissertation Leads to Drum Group
The music and the drumming are really the tools Sheltered Reality uses to reach and excite people, primarily young people, into believing they can make a difference and empowering them to action. It's an idea Schlosser came up with while working toward his Ph.D. in motivational theory at the University of Iowa.
"I wondered, could music be a tool to reach young people, to teach audiences about the problems kids face and then help them to make a difference in the lives of these kids?"
Schlosser made that the thesis for his dissertation, and in 1997 he founded Sheltered Reality as a way to collect data.
"I spent two years with Sheltered Reality collecting data for my dissertation, and when I realized it worked, I dropped the dissertation and just focused on helping kids with Sheltered Reality," he said.
The target audience for Sheltered Reality has always been young people, but originally the performers were all adults and they didn't drum, they were a vocal group. Schlosser, a longtime drummer who had also taught music for his local drum store, transformed Sheltered Reality into a drum group when he realized he needed something more powerful to reach people.
"I thought, if I don't excite them emotionally, they won't go out and do something," he said.
Schlosser created a percussion performance to go along with Gloria Estefan's "Cuba Libre," taught it to the members of Sheltered Reality and audiences went nuts. He quickly dropped the vocal aspect of the show and made it exclusively drums.
Originally the focus of Sheltered Reality was raising awareness of young people who are homeless. The group's name is a shortened version of the saying "Sheltered From Reality."
About five years ago Schlosser added the Steps to Success to the shows. "We speak of dreams, things they want to do with their lives," he said.
"There's nothing better for them to succeed at."
As part of the Steps to Success message, Sheltered Reality members take on a mission or service project once a month. They have done things like work in a soup kitchen, adopt Army platoons, make blankets for women's shelters, work in food pantries or even sleep outside in cardboard boxes as part of a fundraising project to raise awareness for the homeless.
Drum Group Starts in Franklin County
Since it was founded in 1997 with one drum group in Burlington, Iowa, Sheltered Reality (now based in West Branch, Iowa) has grown to include over 30 drum groups all over the country. The newest group is right here in Franklin County.
Last year Carrie Maune approached her church, Zion United Church of Christ in Union, about sponsoring a Sheltered Reality group here. Her son, Collin, had been a member of the Sheltered Reality group in St. Louis for about a year and the organization had impressed her.
"As I learned more about the group, I saw the potential for young adults," said Maune. "The drumming is a cool way to get their attention, but it's that second part - kids learning to make a difference - that I really liked."
She presented the idea to the Zion Church Council and asked for three sets of drums to get started.
"I thought that would be enough to see if the community would embrace the idea," said Maune.
The council was on board with the idea and also agreed to provide a place for the group to practice.
Right now there are only about half a dozen members in the Union-Washington group, but more are encouraged to join, said Maune. All ages are welcome. In other Sheltered Reality groups, members range from ages 4 to 77.
"A lot of parents join with their children, which is really neat to see," said Schlosser.
No drum experience is necessary to join. The more experienced members teach the newer ones what they need to know.
"We play about 17 songs, and the first two anyone can learn in about five minutes," said Schlosser.
There is no limit on the number of drummers who can be in the group. The smallest groups have as few as five or six drummers and there are "mega" groups with as many as 30 to 40 members.
Practice is held every other week, and every six weeks, Schlosser comes in town for national practice. All of the Sheltered Reality drum groups learn the same performance so that members can join in any show no matter where it's held, said Schlosser.
Members of Sheltered Reality pay a monthly fee of $45 with discounts for multiple family members and scholarships available for those in need. The fee covers the cost of Schlosser flying to the various locations to lead practices.
800 Shows in Two Years
Sheltered Reality drum groups perform at schools, churches, youth groups, fairs, festivals, conferences and other venues. For shows at public schools or events, the message is easily adapted to stress "character building" without mentioning God.
Sheltered Reality is a faith-based nonprofit group, but there isn't any single denomination that it is affiliated with, and people do not have to belong to a church to join the group, said Schlosser.
For the first couple of years, Sheltered Reality performed about 30 shows a year. That number jumped to over 800 shows for the two-year period from 2007 to 2008.
"More than 300,000 people have heard the message," said Schlosser. "That's a complete blessing from God."
For information on the Union-Washington Sheltered Reality group or to sign up, people should contact Brad Urban at Zion United Church of Christ, 636-583-2814, or Maune at 636-239-5204.
