Christine Stevens

Christine Stevens, a music therapist, author and drum circle facilitator, teaches drumming and the Native American-style flute as practices of spirituality and sound healing. She holds master's degrees in social work and music therapy and founded UpBeat Drum Circles. She has led drum circles for companies, communities, refugee women and survivors of disasters, among them the first drum circle peace training in northern Iraq. After singing Lakota prayer songs and taking part in Hanbleceya for more than ten years, Uncle Manny Eagle Elk Council Pipe Sandoval welcomed her by adoption into a Native American family. She also carries a pipe for Women's Way Long Dance.

She plays hand drums, frame drums, crystal bowls, flute and voice, often outdoors at sacred natural sites, and stresses improvisation, ceremony and reciprocity with nature. Her offerings include online courses and trainings, the Global Rhythm Sangha each month, and a series of self-paced drumming and flute courses on The Shift Network. Among her books are The Healing Drum Kit, Music Medicine, The Nature Sutras and The Art and Heart of Drum Circles. She lives in Encinitas, California.