The starting point for this paper is a three-month project, which aims to try out percussion-based
group improvisations in nursing homes. The experience during this project as well as its detailed
course will be presented in the practical part of the paper. Prior to this the theoretical principles
leading to a better understanding of the project and its underlying therapeutic work will be
explained. These include an overview of the frame drum as a central instrument, the significance of
making music and thereby considering in particular the rhythmic element, as well as basic
observations and reflections, which aim to examine the influence of reciprocal resonances in the
therapeutic work with elderly people.