Sereno Sky, author of the «Lonely Traveller» novels, yet again brings us a truly soulful report, this time on the healing magic of music within arm’s reach, through the inspiring discovery of a sincere, wonderfully human being, Adam Foote. So very tangibly “serene-o”…

Written by Sereno Sky

Since the instrument commonly known these days as «handpan» was created in 2001 (although similar instruments called steel-drums can be traced back to Trinidad and Tobago in 1930-1940) it has become very popular around the world. After the Swiss inventors of the original «hang» had decided to stop producing that particular instrument, the quest for obtaining similar instruments seemed to grow, and in order to fill the ever-increasing demand, a constant flow of new creators around the globe started to produce their own versions, which became generally known as the handpan.

Well-seasoned players of the instrument have also taken part in this popularity, with people visiting their concerts, buying their music or attending their workshops. In the meantime, we have countless of good players around the globe, with an ever-growing community of new beginners wanting to learn to play the instrument as well.

I have personally been listening to handpan music for many years now, but especially since getting the instrument myself a few months ago has my interest in watching other players increased, as one can get inspiration for their own melodies and grooves this way. A while back, one such player struck me in particular, as apart from playing lovely tunes, there was an additional aspect that caught my attention.

I am talking about an American player from Idaho, Adam Foote. I was intrigued after watching one of his video clips, showing him during a show at a retirement home for the elderly. Not only was he playing his music for them, but he was going around and letting the residents touch his instrument, showing them how to tap it properly in order to make the metal resonate. People were of course very fascinated, as there are probably not many instruments they might still be able to play at this age, besides the fact that since the handpan is a rather new invention, most people still haven’t heard about it, much less seen this UFO-shaped instrument that produces such lovely tunes. Getting a few beautiful tones out of an instrument by a simple touch must be a very special experience for them. So watching him share his instrument was not only inspiring and heart-touching, but also made me wonder about where one would be getting their motivation from, in order to connect with people in such a personal and outgoing manner.

Playing at the retirement home

I have since then watched a few more of his videos in other locations, mainly of him busking and interacting with passers-by on a pedestrian street. Not only is he playing his tunes, but actually stopping from time to time to interact and communicate with people drawn to his instrument. In this sense he really stands out, not just as a performer, but someone using his instrument to truly connect and seek contact with people. So my interest had risen enough to want to contact him, asking him for an interview, and thankfully, I found him to be very eager and helpful in answering some of my questions:

How did you get to know the handpan?

Adam: I have been a percussionist for most of my life. I was the kid who was always tapping on something. At school, tapping on my desk, distracting my teachers and classmates. At home, tapping on the walls, driving my mom crazy. At age 11, my father ended his battle with Bipolar Disorder by committing suicide. It was a tragedy that shook my world. My mother saw potential in my “tapping” and wanted to channel it into something positive to help me cope with my emotions, so she put me in drum lessons. I then began playing the drum set for my church worship band and even formed a garage band with some of my friends during my teenage years.

After high school I discovered hand percussion when I was invited into jam sessions in the college dormitory. After college I married young and had a baby right away, causing me to push music aside. We moved across country away from family, became landlords, and I started graduate school, all while also holding down a part time job. All of these stress factors proved to be too much for us to cope with and we eventually got a divorce. I found myself yet again amidst tragedy and turned back to music to help me cope with my difficult emotions. I participated in open mic nights and jam sessions with my buddies. Eventually I was given an opportunity to fill in as a drummer for a professional band and was completely enthralled by the idea that I could make money playing music. I was on top of the world living my dream. And then the rug was pulled out from underneath of me when I got replaced by another drummer in the band. Although my dream had been shattered, the seed had been planted for me to make it a reality later on.

I was in my last year of my twenties, in between jobs, and short on cash, so I started to donate my plasma in exchange for money. While I laid on the donation bed, I watched YouTube videos about percussion, until a related video popped up of Daniel Waples playing a handpan in a London subway for tips. My first thought, “that sounds amazing!”, second thought “I think I could do that!”, third thought “that could be my chance to be a professional musician!”. However, I spent the next three years with no avail trying to simply figure out how to get one. Until, by chance, I met face to face with the first person I’d ever seen playing a handpan, Squid Samson. He would then direct me to a friend of his who had just started a business making handpans, which then resulted in me owning my first ever handpan.

I had no idea how to start a career as a professional musician, so I just went and opened up my case on the sidewalk and started playing for tips. I took the tip money I made from my first season of busking, put it towards recording my first demo album, and then started passing it out to local venues in search of live music opportunities for hire. A year and a half later, my professional music career had taken off well enough to allow me to quit my day job and pursue music on a full time basis.

From the “Coeur Dreams” album promo shoot

What effect does playing the handpan instrument have on you, and what does it bring you personally?

Adam: As aforementioned, there’s a generational history of mental health issues in my family. With constant emotional turmoil all around me, I learned how to be a support to my loved ones and those who could relate to me due to similar circumstances. As a result, in high school, I was the kid who everyone talked to about their problems because they knew I would understand how they felt. Due to this personal character trait, I ended up being voted the Homecoming King because I was friends with nearly everyone in my school. As I thought about starting college, I knew I didn’t want to follow in the footsteps of my older two siblings who decided to study Psychology. However, little did I know, I too would end up studying Psychology due to its strong pull on me as a subconscious attempt to cope with all of the emotional trauma of my childhood.

I graduated with a Bachelors in Psychology and then later a Masters in Social Work, as I then embarked into a career as a Mental Health Therapist and later an Elementary School Counselor. Although I was successful in connecting with clients and their families, I had a severe authority problem, causing me to have difficulty holding down long term employment. Later I would discover this was because I was emotionally unhealthy. I was trying to heal others before I had first healed myself. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the reason I went into the mental health field in the first place wasn’t because I wanted to help others, but rather it was my subconscious attempt to try to figure out how to cope with my own troubled past.

This perfect storm all came to a raging head about a year and a half ago when I found myself in a massive conflict with my boss that I was unwilling to stand down from. I was then told I could either be fired or resign. Although I was completely devastated at the time, this would prove to be a blessing in disguise, as it forced me to really truly consider taking on professional music as a full-time endeavor. Since I was not working, I had a lot of time for introspection. I also was not sleeping due to an extreme amount of stress, anxiety, depression, and mental health issues. It was recommended I visit the doctor to discuss all of these factors and as a result I was put on an antidepressant and recommended I start seeing a mental health therapist. I began to recognize patterns in my life that made me question the possibility that I too might have inherited Bipolar Disorder from my father. Being a mental health therapist myself, I knew all of the diagnostic requirements for the disorder and saw that these were all apparent in my own personality as well.

However it wasn’t until this past Fall that it all came to an uncontrollable massive eruption. I found myself in a manic episode causing me to be completely unable to control my behavior with suicidal tendencies, which ultimately led me to be placed in psychiatric hospitalization. After the dust of this chaos settled, I too was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and placed on medication to stabilize my mood. You see, this all was necessary for me to help heal myself. And the handpan, or simply music/percussion itself, has played a huge role in my healing process. It was that tapping behavior as a kid that helped me cope with my trauma and again as an adult it has pulled me through hard times.

Now that I have truly put in the work necessary to heal myself, I can now begin to help others. And that’s what my music is all about, namely creating an environment and atmosphere with space to allow others to relax in order to find the peace and serenity to begin to heal themselves as well.

And then of course I was also interested in the social aspect of his music, and how Adam got into playing for the elderly, using his instrument as a means to reach out in such pro-active ways to other people…

Adam: As there was a lot of turmoil during my childhood, my grandparents played a significant role in raising me and my siblings. I believe this is part of the reason why I am so drawn to performing in nursing homes and for hospice care, namely because the residents remind me so much of my grandparents.

About a year ago, I had received a message that my grandmother had a heart attack and was in poor health. She was living on the opposite side of the country, so I was not able to be with her. I was feeling very sad and worried about her, so I turned to the one coping mechanism I knew I could count on to help me, my handpan. I went and did some street performance that night and there was a rhythm inside of me sounding like a heartbeat that just had to come out. It eventually morphed into a song I dedicated to her after her death called “Heartbeat’s End”.

Oftentimes I perform that song in the nursing homes and for hospice care, explaining about how this song is about the final stage of life, transitioning from life to death. It’s something we all will face at some point in our lives and we don’t have to approach it with fear and anxiety, but instead, with trust and faith as we can find peace and serenity there.

Of all the times I have performed for the elderly, there was one experience that stands out far above the rest. I had traveled to a neighboring rural town and had just finished performing. As I was packing up, an elderly woman entered the common area. A staff member introduced her to me, explaining the reason she had not attended my performance was because she was deaf. Being a trained social worker, I felt compassion and didn’t want her disability to limit her from experiencing the magical nature of the handpan. So I asked her to sit down and hold my handpan in her lap while I played it so she could feel the vibrations of the music. Her facial expressions showed feelings of amusement until the very last deep bass note was played and then it turned to surprise as she pointed to her ear and exclaimed “I can hear that!” Thankfully this beautiful moment was caught on video and as a result will now forever be burned into my memory.

Thank you so much, Adam, for sharing your amazing story with us.  

I guess it could be summarized that your tragedies in life have formed you into a beautiful soul who wants to share his music with others, using it to connect with people, encouraging them for whatever difficult times they may be going through. We wish you all the best for the continuation of your musical journey.

Adam Foote can be found playing on Youtube or Facebook under «Ethereal in E».

Album cover pic edited by Emmy K Photography

Disclaimer: This article is allowed by the author for publication in the «Ozorian Prophet», all rights reserved. For publishing this article elsewhere, please contact me at serenoskyproductions@outlook.com.

Cover photo credit: Lightcast Photography (all photos are from Ethereal in E’s FB page)