Learning to drum can help children with behavioural problems

for the health. And drumming may be best of all. As well as being physically demanding, it requires people to synchronise their limbs and to react to outside stimuli, such as what the rest of the band is up to. It is particularly helpful for children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. Researchers at the Clem Burke Drumming Project—an organisation named after Blondie’s drummer, who was one of its founders—have shown that teaching such children to drum helps them to control their reactions more generally, to focus more effectively on tasks they are given, and to communicate better with other people.