GUESTBOOK || JA INTERVIEWS || INNER DIRECTIVES || POETRY
JOKES || Q & A || DIARY EXCERPTS || MUSIC REVIEWS || BOOK REVIEWS
BOOK REVIEWS
Cycle of Self Empowermentby Dom Famularo
(reviewed 05/08/03)
Yoooooo dig!
Today is a wonderful day. I'm here in beautiful downtown Cologne, Germany and I have opted to spend my afternoon browsing a wonderful book lent to me by a former student and friend named Ronnie.
The book is: "The Cycle of Self Empowerment" by Dom Famularo.
Nice book!
Yaaay! Ok there you have it! It's my new "jam technique" of book reviewing... Haha j/k
Well... Here's my "jam technique"...
Jam Technique = a method of operation characterized by speed and economy of action which responds to the present moment much like a jazz musician responding to the other musicians in a "jam session".
I may not have the time to play in a band with every musician I meet as long as I have with David Bargeron, for instance (18 years), but I have enjoyed jamming with perhaps thousands of musicians.
What a joy. Similarly today I took in a basic overview of the book "The Cycle of Self Empowerment" by Dom Famularo.
This jam technique review takes you with me on my real time journey through the book. My jam technique book review simply offers a handful of impressions from each chapter as I browsed through the book. It is not intended as an official complete book review. In a sense I am jamming with the book... offering impressions and my own ideas as well.
To get your own impression of the book I recommend reading it! Go to www.amazon.com!
The Cycle of Self- Empowerment by Dom Famularo
First of all, let's check out the front and back cover and the flap...
Hey Groovagegettinoffyourbuttasaurusfunkypeople.
If ever there were a book that pertains to us as drummers this is it. I can tell just from glancing at the cover... I mean check out the author first of all... he's one of US!
Yaaay. Drummers unite.
It's metarhythmic how this book came to me... it was recommended by one of my students... today I'm on the road with David Bargeron. We recorded so quickly and thoroughly yesterday, that he gave me the day off.
So it's meta-rhythmic that I have the time to read a book today and it's meta-rhythmic that the book is presented to me by a former student, Ronnie (yo Ronnie, whasaaaaaaaaap! Yoooooooo dig!!!!)
Usually I spend my time recommending books to my students! Dig that!
What goes around comes around.
But what makes it meta-rhythmic is that the original act of recommending books to my students came around in a way that facilitates the process of transcending the mundane. I find it wondrous and beautiful that action led to the free day and the kind gift of the book and the enjoyment I felt reading it.
Meta = beyond or transcending
Rhythm = "two or more elements of change" (meta dictionary)
The title is fantastic: Dom Famularo's "The Cycle of Self Empowerment" concerns itself with something which I can see is of concern to most musicians.
I feel that as artists we often want to create cycles. For instance we create cycles of 4ths or 5ths or various cycles such as 8 beat cycles or 7 etc. I also find we as artists enjoy choosing!
We don't just want to play the same old music that others have played. I find something beautiful about the artist's journey to express that which is unique to his own self and true to his own self.
I find it encouraging to note that the cycles we create by playing music can create so much positive feeling in our audiences and in the world.
I love Dom's light hearted sense of humor throughout this book. It's already apparent on the back cover:
"If at first you don't succeed you're in good company."The back cover encourages us...
"Some people make waves, some people ride the wave and some people spend all their time looking for the beach."
"Ready to rip up that membership in the Coulda-Woulda-Shoulda- club"
"Jump in and get ready to laugh, be touched and delve into a powerful tool that you already own... Your Self Empowerment!"I have met Dom many times over the years and it is refreshing to see this important side of him by reading his book.
It is wonderful to see him actualizing himself as a lecturer. He makes the point that his ancestor Vincent Famularo was a servant of a 14th century pope who sometimes spoke as a "mouth piece" for the pope.. Heartwarming to note that Famularo actually means (in Latin) "Somebody who serves by speaking". Nice huh?
Well here's to Dom:
My jam technique book review simply offers a handful of impressions from each chapter as I browsed through the book. It is not intended as an official complete book review. In a sense I am jamming with the book... offering impressions and my own ideas as well.
Chap 1 The Inspired Journey
Dom loves to tell stories. He recounts a story of his coming into his own and growing out of his childhood by contradicting his father's two rules of reality:
1 Most people don't like their jobs.
2 Most people don't make enough money.
Searching for his own meaning Dom was accused of seeing the world through "rose colored glasses"... but Dom uses that rosy theme and begins and ends the book with it, celebrating it as a cause for positive results instead of as a negative thing.
Chap 2 The tombstone test.
In this chapter Dom inspires us to think "What if we passed away right now... what would we think appropriate to put on our tombstones? Lots of regrets? Positive things? Negative things? Would others want to write the same positive things we would be inclined to write about ourselves? Nice food for thought.
Chap 3 Making Waves:
Dom encourages us to make waves. He utilizes a wonderful anecdote about one of my former bandleaders, Dizzy Gillespie and my mentor in drumming Alan Dawson...
Alan once remarked that Dizzy Gillespie (who collected hats) was wearing a particularly hip hat one night... Dizzy remarked that if Alan liked it he should accept it as a gift. Dizzy said the best way to preserve the joy of owning the hat was to give it away.
(By the way gritalizers, yes Dizzy was a generous and beautiful cat - and quite an important philosopher and mover and shaker. (Miles Davis counted him as his mentor) wow. I enjoyed going for instance to the Bahai Temple with Dizzy in Chicago.)
So Dom was inspired to make waves! He paid $40 for a hat from a couple who needed the money and gave the hat to a young boy who needed the joy!
Chap 4 "Blind Ambition"
Dom recounts a very touching story illustrating the importance of sharpening the focus and deepening one's goals.
He recounts how a young aspiring drummer spoke out of deep seeking spirit and asked a question about drum soloing.
Little did Dom know that this young gentleman hadn't spoken a word in the past two years... guess what, people, I'm shedding tears right now just thinking of that scenario. The student was a child who stammered markedly...
"Dommmmmmm wwhwhwhwhweeeennn you ttttaakkeee take a sollllllllloooo," etc. ...turns out the kid asked "When you take a solo do you plan out what you are going to play or just play what you feel?".
Nice question, huh?
Well as a person who took years and years of speech therapy myself as a child because of my 70% deafness, I can relate to this kid's struggle and I applaud Dom for listening...
Dom illustrates with his moving story that "Man sharpens man". The young boy actually helped Dom to make his ambition less blind. Less vague. The boy helped Dom understand his raison d'etre as a drummer: to "inspire aspiration..."
Chap 5 Declaration
If you aren't interested in this book by now, lol I dunno whasssap wit dat!!!
I'll make the rest of this a bit shorter.
Dom explains here the importance of making a "Declaration". He uses the Declaration of Independence of 1776 as an example of stating one's goal and going for it.
Here Dom makes me remember my own... "To be and become my highest self in the process of creating profound human happiness."
Chaper 6: Frustration is not an F word:
Dom makes the point that it is valuable to expect and embrace frustration rather than be defeated by it.
And I agree... to that I would say (surprise) let us "Just Advance".
Chap 7: Success means failure...
in this chapter, Dom illustrates many examples in history in which success entailed many failures.
I agree... wasn't it Albert Einstein who said I try 99 times and the 100th time I succeed!
He makes the point that failure can be looked upon as a positive opportunity rather than a negative.
I agree. That's why I utilize "responsibility practice". I try to inspire my students to respond to errors as opportunities for growth, not just respond with the 8th brain in charge (blind emotionalism).
Chap 8 talks about Choice power:
How important! Dom encourages us to realize we CAN make choices in life. That we hold our own destiny in our hands.
I agree wholeheartedly.
My father Frederick Dennard has taught me that all my life! He would agree as would Daisaku Ikeda in his book "Choose Hope" (a dialogue with David Krieger on nuclear disarmament).
Chap 9 talks about widening your "x".
Dom is gifted in getting his readers to think bigger... and in learning to learn from humble "unlikely" sources such as an audience member making an "x" with his arms or a student stuttering through a question.
Chap 10 encourages us to open our windows and inspire others. He gives a cool exercise which I won't give away.
Instead I'll give away one taught to me on my tour with David Bargeron, May 2003 in Innsbruck, Austria at a place called "Decadenz"...
Challenge: Create four equilateral triangles using only six toothpicks.
Chap 11 encourages us to be well balanced in our growth and development in the areas of intellect, emotion, spirit, and material.
Chap 12 shows the actual Cycles of Empowerement the book is named for. I strongly identify with and am inspired by the emphasis on character development as a means of living the lives we choose and creating positive cycles.
Chap 13 "The Flame" talks about the importance of realizing our raison d'etre.
Of course this is a precursory synopsis, but it conveys some of the inspiring subject matter of the book!
Chap 14 Passion
Dom says it's passion that fuels the flame.
Chap 15 Dom says "The energy from our dreams inspires and challenges others to dream"
Chap 16 talks about vision... the "how to" thinking process that goes with the "What if" of dreaming.
Chap 17 talks about getting out the "tool box" character traits which facilitate our journey of self empowerment.
Chap 18 talks about seven footings of self empowerment: morals, values, ethics, personality, virtues, principles and character
Chap 19 presents the actual 34 tools of the Cycle of Empowerment:
Perseverance
Compassion
Imagination
Courage
Accountability
Strength
Hope
Commitment
Responsibility
Patience
Wisdom
Faith
Expression
Communication
Maturity
Honesty
Trust
Sacrifice
Encouragement
Loyalty
Self-Discipline
Respect
Gratitude
Benificence
Enthusiasm
Integrity
Self-esteem
Assertiveness
Humor
Humility
Dedication
Life-balance
Honor
Justice
Chap 21 "Steps"
Dom encourages us to know before we go.
Chap 22 This chapter summarizes the completed cycle.
Chap 23 talks about the all important realms of interaction with that ubiquitous element: PEOPLE.
Chap 24 talks about the importance of absorbing and adopting and adapting.
Chap 25 says "keep it simple".
Chap 26 says enjoy the processes. Hey I certainly enjoyed the process of reading this book... I read it while basking in the gentle sun of the park at Moltkestrasse in Koln, Germany...
He stresses the importance of enjoying the process of life as a means of keeping the flame burning plus adding the fuel of passion and staying on track.
Chap 27 Dom offers ways to deal with adversity such as utilizing the "power of the pause" ...this enables us to react with our own wisdom rather than putting the 8 brain or 4 brain in charge- Dom says "Control your words and actions. Don't let them control you."
Chap 28 Dom offers an encouraging alphabet with things such as: Why "assume" when you could... "ask"... Why "berate" when you could "bestow" Etc etc.
Chap 29 Nice points he makes here about links... he says we each have some weak links - weaker aspects of our personality we can work on. The chain breaks at the weakest link.
Chap 30 I liked this chapter ‘cause it's one of my weak links in 2003:
"ORGANIZING SUCCESS"
He offers inspiration and concrete ideas on organization and communication expressing how as Woody Allan says: "80% of life is showing up"... If we don't show up because we are too disorganized, Dom says, "then we're missing a lot."
Chap 31 This is an interesting chapter encouraging us to learn our history and heritage and understand and utilize our gifts from our ancestors.
Chap 32 Dom offers wonderful aphorisms in "fortune cookie" form.
Chap 33 Dom finishes out the book nicely as he began it encouraging us to be positive and have vision and utilize "rose colored glasses".
Peace, y'all
Let's Advance with Justice.
I like Dom's definition of justice (he treats it as a verb): "To treat fitly or fairly" with due appreciation. To enjoy properly..." ...nice...
I definitely give this book a 95%. It's great.
In the metarhythmic grading system 94% - 95% =exceptional = "A" = Setting aside minor detail, this performance warrants a perfect score: For my taste, some spots could have benefited from a more linear or logical approach, but hey, Diversity ROCKS!
I think this book also warrants some groovy "plus points"...
+1 super confidence and flair.
+3 moving to tears.
+4 making the world a better place.
So the overal rating I gave it is
95 points +1+4 = 104 points out of 110. :-)
Thanks!
Peace! :-)