Eddie Tuduri: The Rhythmic Arts Project 05.02.07

Rhythm Therapy
Eddie Tuduri Founder of TRAP

The Rhythmic Arts Project was founded in 1997 by Eddie Tuduri. The project is essentially an education program utilizing drums and percussion to address many basic life skills in the field of developmental disabilities. Though applications work very well in other health care situations, we have made significant progress in this population and are for all intent and purposes working most diligently in this area. The project brings together percussionists and drummers and other volunteers in concert with administrators, activity directors and aids at various facilities, now growing in popularity throughout the United States. The Rhythmic Arts Project is meant to enhance existing therapeutic modalities. By integrating drums and percussion into proven methods of healing and teaching, this innovation has spawned a new and enjoyable learning curve. The application varies depending on the population served yet remains simple and basic in its presentation. Eddie Tudurdi's professional drumming career began when he was only 14 and he landed his first record deal at 16.  He's recorded and toured with a host of famous talents including the Beach Boys.  In 1997, he broke his neck in a body surfing accident.  "Rhythm Therapy figured considerably in my recovery," he said.  He went on to found TRAP and sign on corporate sponsor Pearl Drums in Nashville.  Pearl's TRAP package includes 30 some professional quality percussion instruments at a fraction of its retail cost The Rhythmic Arts Project Web Site

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Health Care Professionals Testimonials

I first met Eddie Tuduri while he was recovering from his spinal cord injuries approximately four years ago. My wife is a specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and had taken care of Eddie while he was in hospital recovering. She mentioned to me  one day that I should stop by the hospital to witness rhythm therapy. At that  time I did not have a clue what rhythm therapy was, but I was soon to experience  something that is difficult to put down in words. In the physical therapy room or whatever space was available at time was filled with 10, 15 sometimes 20  patients as well as their families. Each of these patients had a unique  disability. Most were learning to use their bodies again. The sessions usually  started out slowly but once the patients felt comfortable they did not want to stop. The enthusiasm on the faces of both patients and family will always be  etched in my memory. The rhythm therapy also seemed to bring the family, friends  and the patients together in a way that everyone felt a part of the healing process. I think that rhythm therapy is an invaluable tool in both healing and  communication. 

Howard Zisser, M.D. - Director of Clinical Research - Sansum Medical Research Institute


From the beginning of our first “rhythm sessions” it was evident that there was something magical about Rhythm Therapy. The primary focus of having camaraderie and fun are an immediate crowd pleaser. Patients have the opportunity to participate at their own ability level. The teamwork of the musician and the therapist provide an optimal situation where the musician provides the musical leadership, while the therapist addresses rehabilitation goals and facilitates the patient’s development of all types of skills. Skill areas addressed include social skills, cognitive skills, physical strength and coordination skills, and recreation skills. As patients face the challenges of returning to a new lifestyle often complicated by disabilities, Rhythm Therapy provides opportunities for success, which build self-esteem. The focus of Rhythm therapy is on ability, not disability.

Respectfully, Libby Whaley, MHA, CTRS - Co-Founder (TRAP)

Hidden beneath the drums, shakers and tambourines is magic.  Eddie's Rhythm therapy sessions are not about making music, but rather creating enrollment, motivation and possibility.  Patient's become enrolled in the activity and are motivated to participate and that is where possibility comes alive. I have seen patient's move their hands, stand up or count aloud for the first time in these sessions, much more fun and spontaneous than a laborious repetitious exercise move.  Therapy needs to have a sense of purpose and be meaningful for patients to success. Given these essentials, we begin to see new skills, and feelings of self-esteem and confidence carry into other areas of life. That is the beauty of Rhythm Therapy

Denise C. Dowd, OTR

I have been working in physical therapy for the past thirteen years and as a physical therapist I have had a vast array of experiences working with individuals with a variety of diagnosis. These include stroke, with one sided weakness or often both sided weakness, traumatic brain injuries with cognitive impairments, spinal cord injuries both paraplegic and quadriplegic, multi-trauma orthopedicinjuries, as well as developmentally challenged individuals.

 As a physical therapist, I assist these individuals to increase strength, range of motion,improve functional mobility, gait, balance, coordination and overall gross motor movements.Working in the acute rehabilitation setting, I was introduced to rhythm therapy for the first time.  I was both amazed and impressed with what was being experienced by these individuals.  To see their faces

light up with what they were accomplishing through making music. Utilizing every aspect of their mind, body, and soul.  Individuals with little use of their extremities beating the drum, holding up the shaker, hitting two drum sticks together, all to the beat. Individuals with impaired speech and memory humming to the beat.  It was as if they all came alive.   I feel that rhythm therapy is a very important and crucial part of an individuals rehab process and most of all well being. It utilizes all aspects of the human being.  The mind, balance, strength, coordination, memory, speech, sensory, visual, and auditory systems.    The Rhythmic Arts Project is a very special type of therapy that taps into the utmost potential for theseimpaired individuals to regain what has been lost and to lead a more normal and natural life.

Jennifer Schuld, MPT - Physical Therapist

I first experienced "Rhythm Therapy" 4 years ago when assisting in a class that my patients had participated in while they were in the hospital. These were persons with a variety of diagnoses including stroke, spinal cord injury, head injury, etc. Some were learning to walk again, some to talk again, but all of them were learning to live again. The first steps are always the hardest, and sometimes it's very difficult to find just the right motivating strategy, to find what works. I was both amazed and impressed by what I saw and experienced with these folks. There is definately something to be said for the power of rhythm.

   As an occupational therapist, I am trained to analyze activities. It's my job to choose activities for my patients which provide both physiological as well as psychological benefit.  Rhythm Therapy is one of those. I've seen people beat on drums when they've not moved their arm or hand prior. I've heard people counting to the beat, before they've been able to say hello.

   Rhythm therapy makes so much sense, especially for those who have diagnoses like Autism and other related disorders. These are folks who have not gone through the normal stages of development or have not experienced proper integration of their sensory systems in order to respond to external (and sometimes internal) stimuli in a normal way. For them, rhythm is basic, it's natural, and it's grounding. It has been used as a self-regulating tool to allow for more appropriate and purposeful responses to the environment.

   I've seen it work. I've experienced it myself. Rhythm is primal, innate, and necessary for life.  The Rhythm Arts Project recognizes this, and presents it in a method that is packed with therapeutic value.

Vicki Maier,  Occupational Therapist

BIOLOGY OF PERCUSSION STUDY PREVIEWED

A  neurologist in Meadville, Pennsylvania, has found a way to help beat illness:  drum circles. Dr. Barry Bittman says new research suggests that beating a drum for one hour enhances the immune system and reduces stress. The study shows that  drumming in a circle with other folks can cause positive changes at the cellular level that may fight off cancer and viral illnesses However, just banging by yourself doesn't seem to help. Bittman says the drumming must be done with others and everyone has to keep on the same rhythm. Dr. Bittman discussed his findings last week at the 9th Annual World Congress of Music Therapy in  Washington, D.C. For more information on Dr. Bittman's study, please refer to  the sites listed below.
http://www.touchstarpro.com - http://www.mind-body.org - http://www.ecap-online.org