As playwright William Congreve wrote, “Music has charms to soothe a savage breast.”

As playwright William Congreve wrote, “Music has charms to soothe a savage breast.” Participants in the healing drum circle at Villa Maria Community Center will tell you why.

Eric and Valerie Beal of Poland: Attending for the first time with their daughters, Emily, 3, and Madeleine, 5 months. Emily enthusiastically joined in; Madeleine preferred the rattlelike maracas. “We wanted to experience something new,” he said.

“It’s a nice way to spend some family time. I had heard about this and wanted to experience it,” she said.

Claire Schmieler of Harrisville, Pa.: She participated in a drum circle about two years ago in Florida. “It was fascinating,” she said of the beach gathering at sunset. “It’s another form of a meditation. One of my goals is to ‘live in the moment’ and not the past,” she said, explaining that her husband died a few years ago. “This is something to look forward to ... it gets inside of you, and it energizes you.”

Sister Valerie Miller: She and a fellow nun made the trip to Villa Maria from Pittsburgh, where they are Vincentian Sisters of Charity. A self-admitted workaholic, Sister Valerie said drumming “allows you to be yourself” and “what was bothering you is not so bad.”

Eric and Karen Schaffert of Poland: “I thought it was relaxing,” he said of his first experience drumming. “You don’t have to think about it ... it comes naturally ... it just flows.”

Information: The healing drum circle is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at Villa Maria. There also will be a drum circle during an Earth Day-related event April 26. Call (724) 964-8920, Ext. 3241, or visit www.humilityofmary.org/calendar.html.