On Feb. 25, the Biola Conservatory of Music held its monthly drum circle at the Fireplace Pavilion. The event was open to musicians and non-musicians alike, and allowed Biolans across campus to come together and make music.

“The coolest thing is seeing people from all different kind of areas of the university come together and have fun,” said Matthew Ordaz, percussion studio artist and director of the percussion ensemble. “You don’t even have to make conversation. It’s not like if you’re shy and you don’t like doing small talk, you can just come and just hit the drum and immediately you’re creating a bond with other people and creating family.”

For the first half hour, only music majors joined the circle. Eventually, however, other students saw the fun and decided to join in.

“I enjoyed it,” said Brad Hartman, senior studio art major. “It was a lot of fun to kind of hop in. They had some extra drums kinda laying around, so I just jumped in and joined them.”

Another one of the drummers in the circle that evening was freshman worship arts major Julio de Paz. He and Ordaz seemed to play volleyball with their rhythms, passing them back and forth.

“I love the drum circle,” de Paz said. “It’s amazing. It’s a great way to bring the community together. It’s fun just playing with different people, different cultures and experience new rhythms.”

By the end of the evening, the circle was complete, and the polyphony was rich. Through the fresh dark after the setting of the sun, the constant beat could still be heard.

The Drum Circle is a monthly project run by Ordaz, and shared by the conservatory. The project began last semester and will continue through this semester. The date for the March drum circle will be announced on the conservatory website as well as the conservatory’s Facebook page.