ABOUT DRUM PARTY
Discover the why of Stephanie’s mission: using rhythm to heal, connect, and empower through personalized sessions, corporate team building, drum circles, & festive events.
Meet Stephanie Spreeman
In Her Own Words
I was born in a small town in South Texas to a Native American and Irish family. For a time, life was good. We eventually moved to Roswell, New Mexico, where my father worked as a motorcycle mechanic and flat-track racer.
Tragedy struck early in my life. My mother was only 21 years old and eight months pregnant with my sister when she passed away from toxemia that turned into eclampsia. It took both their lives. I was just two years old. My father, heartbroken, never remarried.
Growing up as an only child was lonely—until middle school, when a band director came to our school. He brought instruments with him, and I was instantly captivated. I fell in love with the French Horn and couldn’t wait to tell my father.
He listened patiently as I excitedly shared my dream. After a long pause, he said, “You can join the band, but you have to start with the drums. Once you learn rhythm, then you can move on to the French Horn.” Disappointed, but not discouraged, I agreed—and that decision changed my life.
Years later, while raising five kids of my own, I realized a French Horn cost around $700, while my drumsticks, practice pad, and triangle had only cost $75. We weren’t wealthy back then, but we were happy and healthy. My father had been a wise man.
When I finally joined the band, I couldn’t have been prouder standing in the back with my triangle. That moment sparked something powerful in me. I practiced for hours each day—first in percussion sectionals, then full band, and later jazz band. I mastered multiple percussion instruments, won medals at State Solo & Ensemble, and earned trophies in marching and jazz band competitions.
Band became a place of belonging—a space where it didn’t matter who you were, where you came from, or what your background was. We all came together for one purpose: the music.
Percussion sectionals began every morning at 7 a.m., and I often walked to school through our quiet Texas town. It was during one of those early walks that everything changed. At just 16, I was hit by a drunk driver at 6:30 a.m. My left leg was shattered, and I suffered a serious head injury. Doctors told my family I was lucky to be alive.
That moment marked the beginning of my journey with PTSD.
I share this story with you because it’s why I’m so passionate about THE HEALING EFFECTS OF DRUMMING. Music—especially percussion—has helped me heal, grow, and persevere through some of the hardest moments in my life. It gave me rhythm not just in music, but in living.
And now, I can’t wait to share its healing power with you.
Stephanie Spreeman
