Rufus Glassco

In 2005 Rufus began facilitating drum circles, in both French and English, and started working for the Royal Conservatory's Living Through the Arts Program in 2008, delivering workshops to a variety of clients with special needs, addictions and mental illness.

In 2009 he was asked to join the Royal Conservatory's Learning Through the Arts Program, where he teaches curriculum to students through fun and engaging drumming and percussion workshops. At the same time, he provides professional development and detailed lesson plans to the teachers he works with, to empower them to use drumming and music as teaching tools.

In 2009 Rufus travelled to the US to learn the evidence-based HealthRHYTHMS protocol, which he began facilitating soon afterwards..

In 2011 Rufus became Ontario's first HealthRHYTHMS Adolescent Protocol facilitator, and in 2012 Rufus was the first facilitator in Ontario to be trained in Advanced HealthRHYTHMS strategies. He is based in Toronto, and facilitates classes, workshops and corporate training throughout the GTA and Southern Ontario.

Rufus has gained considerable experience in the last few years working with people who have had strokes and other brain injuries, people with Downs Syndrome and developmental disabilities, people living with AIDS and HIV, people living with and recovering from cancer, people recovering from addiction, adults and youth with mental illness, adults and youth with autism and special needs, youth-at-risk, older adults, and people with dementia, aphasia, and Alzheimer's, and with their caregivers.

Rufus is currently preparing to launch a research project to see how the HeathRHYTHMS protocol can help people who have experienced trauma (especially veterans, reservists and active members of the Canadian Forces) to recover from operational stress injuries, such as PTSD, anxiety and depression.