The beauty of hand drums is that a child of nearly any age can grab one and get a sound. So how can classroom teachers incorporate this enjoyable activity into something that's actually educational? For young students especially, a drum circle can be liberating. Children can be given various responsibilities--as participants, circle organizers, or both--and they can see, hear, and feel their contributions immediately. Anne Fennell, music teacher at Vista Academy in Oceanside, California, says that a drum circle "must be a sequenced event where every moment is a teachable moment." In her classes, she demonstrates specific techniques on the drums and then steps out of the center, inviting her students to lead in the same manner. Using an approach similar to Orff-Schulwerk, she focuses on language as the basis for rhythm. While working on her lesson plans, Fennell keeps the National Standards firmly in mind. This article describes activities she has incorporated into her classes, with the corresponding standards.