Wow! It’s already week four of the ABCs of the Santa Clarita Valley. We have had A for Animals, featuring details on various places in the Santa Clarita Valley to see animals; B for Bicycle Trails; and C for Central Park.

This week, I decided to go for something I thought would be a bit unexpected: D for Drums. Surprised? Drumming in Santa Clarita actually represents much more, as it references arts and music education and the performances available to families in the SCV through the Performing Arts Center at the College of the Canyons, as well as some hidden Santa Clarita gems, as well.

In case you missed it, last spring more than 7,500 students and 12,000 individuals in total descended on the stadium and field at COC of the for “Rock the Rhythm, Beat the Odds” in an effort to break the world record for the largest drum ensemble. Although Guinness representatives ultimately assessed that the group fell short of the world record – which was set in Hong Kong in 2007 when 10,045 drummers performed together – the event was still a success and an impressive showing. It reflected the power of the “Rock the Rhythm, Beat the Odds” program, in which youth throughout the SCV experienced a hybrid music and rhythm learning program, while also improving their listening skills, focus, team-building, self-esteem and more. It is one of the many K-12 Arts Education Outreach programs of the Performing Arts Center at the COC.

Rock the Rhythm event at COC’s Cougar Stadium | Photo by Stephen K. Peeples

Remo, one of the leading drum-making companies in the world, is located in Valencia and made 11,000 sound shapes specifically for the world record attempt. Until recently, I did not know that Remo was located here in Santa Clarita, and this gives “D for Drums” another link to our community. Plus, Drumline Live, a touring musical version of the hit Fox movie by the same name, wowed audience members at the PAC this past week.

Finally, I cannot move on from drums in Santa Clarita without mentioning my favorite live drum performance group that often pops up at various community events: CanUnDrum, an impressive trash can trio whose performance includes the use of old garbage cans, buckets and other interesting materials, and who always wow the audience. I have seen them at many local events including the Bow and Meows Pet Fair, Santa Clarita Street Arts Festival, Earth Arbor Day and more.

I am not sure where CanUnDrum will pop up next, but I do know that if you catch them at a city event, you (and your kids, if you have kids) will be impressed. It got my toddler interested in drumming, and we created our own drum setup using buckets and sticks in the backyard.

Also, please stop in at The Good Long Road Facebook page to let me know how you are enjoying the series and what your favorite Santa Clarita Valley outings, adventures or explorations are. They  just might make it into an article.

Jennifer Fischer is co-founder of the SCV Film Festival, a mom of two, an independent filmmaker and owner of Think Ten Media Group, whose Generation Arts division offers programs for SCV youth. She writes about her parenting journey on her blog, The Good Long Road. Her commentary is published Saturdays on SCVNews.com.