Show Notes:
What happens when we make music together without worrying about getting it right?
In this episode of The Slow Dive, host Farida Rafique speaks with Diana Lynn Wallace, a Los Angeles–based musician, community music facilitator, and creator of Urth Rhythms and Inside Outloud! Vocal Improvisation Workshops. From gospel music in her father’s church to drum circles and dementia-care communities, Diana shares how rhythm, singing, and improvisation create opportunities for presence, expression, and belonging.
Together, they explore the freedom to make mistakes, the importance of feeling witnessed, and how slowing down can help us find our rhythm with ourselves and one another.
In this episode:
Diana’s gospel roots and her path to community music facilitation.
Creating welcoming spaces for drumming, singing, and improvisation.
How slowing and simplifying a rhythm helps a group get in sync.
Diana’s experiences bringing music into dementia-care communities.
Drumming as an outlet for emotion and the connection possible in smaller circles.
00:00 — Meet Diana Wallace: music, rhythm, and community
05:00 — Gospel roots and her first experience of communal music
08:41 — Why making music together feels essential
11:01 — Improvisation, instruments, and remembering your own music
13:29 — Choosing drums and sounds to meet different moods
16:01 — The djembe’s many voices
18:05 — A drum-circle practice built on invitation, not judgment
23:20 — How slowing the groove helps a group find entrainment
25:18 — Letting go of expectations as a facilitator
31:30 — A participant’s journey from hesitation to singing
36:01 — Building engagement through music in dementia care
45:25 — Using drumming to express anxiety and emotion
49:09 — Why smaller circles now feel more meaningful
Takeaways:
What becomes possible when we stop worrying about making the right sound and give ourselves permission to join in?
After a long hiatus, The Slow Dive returns with a conversation about the joy of making music together—and the connection that can emerge when everyone has room to participate.
Host Farida Rafique welcomes Diana Lynn Wallace, a Los Angeles–based composer, singer, percussionist, improviser, and community music facilitator. Diana is the creator of Urth Rhythms and Inside Outloud! Vocal Improvisation Workshops, inviting people to explore rhythm, voice, movement, and spontaneous music-making in welcoming, inclusive spaces.
From gospel roots to communal rhythm
Diana traces her love of communal music to her father’s church, where gospel singing, clapping, stomping, and tambourines brought people together. Those early experiences continue to shape her work and her belief in the fulfillment that comes from participating in music together.
Through drum circles and vocal improvisation, she invites people to discover what they can contribute, even when they feel hesitant about playing or singing.
Making room for expression
At the heart of Diana’s approach is an invitation to explore sound without labeling it right or wrong. Reflecting on nearly 12 years of facilitation, she describes how her understanding of success has shifted: the focus is on helping people feel witnessed, included, and free to make mistakes.
She shares the story of a longtime participant whose initial hesitation gradually gave way to helping with circles and joining vocal improvisation—a reminder that confidence can grow when people have time and encouragement.
Finding a shared rhythm
What happens when a drum circle falls out of sync? Diana slows down and simplifies the groove, giving participants room to listen and find their way together.
She describes this process through entrainment, or coming into a shared rhythm. In her circles, slowing down offers a practical way to support participation and connection.
Diana also explores how different instruments can meet different moods, from the deep resonance of dunun drums to the expressive possibilities of the djembe and bongos.
Music in dementia-care communities
Diana shares experiences using familiar songs, instruments, personal attention, and encouragement in dementia-care settings. She describes seeing participants become more engaged during sessions and reflects on the importance of meeting each person with care.
These are observations from her facilitation work, offering a personal perspective on music as an opportunity for participation, expression, and human connection.
Emotion, presence, and smaller circles
The conversation also explores drumming as a tactile outlet for expressing emotion. Diana shares why she increasingly values smaller circles, where participants have more opportunities to contribute and connect—and where the physical demands of facilitating are more manageable.
Throughout the episode, one idea keeps returning: everyone has something to offer.
ABOUT DIANA LYNN WALLACE
Diana Lynn Wallace -Creator of Urth Rhythms & Inside Outloud! Vocal Improvisation Workshops
Diana Lynn Wallace is a Los Angeles–based composer, singer, percussionist, improviser, and community music facilitator whose work explores the transformative power of rhythm, voice, movement, and collective music-making.
As the creative force behind Urth Rhythms, Diana creates joyful, inclusive drum circles and rhythm experiences for schools, wellness programs, retreats, and diverse communities. A Remo-endorsed Drum Circle Facilitator and experienced teaching artist, she uses music to foster connection, creativity, empowerment, and well-being.
Diana is a longtime musician, composer, and performance artist with Invertigo Dance Theatre, creating and performing original music for dance and site-specific performance. Her work with voice includes circle singing, vocal improvisation, and spontaneous harmony, inviting people to explore their voices and create music together in the moment.
Across her work, Diana is passionate about creating spaces where people can express themselves, connect authentically, and experience the joy and power of making music together.
