Lyle Povah is a singer/percussionist/guitarist, writer, recording artist, teacher and entertainer with a special interest in African drumming. He has studied and performed worldwide and is a pioneering musician/educator, particularly in the areas of health and creativity, leadership, community building, eating disorders, autism and intergenerational learning. He travels throughout North America and Europe presenting at conferences, leading corporate team building sessions and bringing musical fun, wellness and learning to a wide variety of musical arenas, including health care centres, youth at risk programs, seniors centres, schools, church groups, detention centres and community events. Lyle has shared music with kids at B.C.'s Children's Hospital one day a week for the past 16 years and regularly visits hospitals across Canada and the U.S. For the past 8 years, he has worked with the UBC Sauder School of Business, leading manager training and executive development programs. Corporate clients include ICBC, Health Benefit Trust, BC Ferries, Harbor Properties (Seattle), HSBC, Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals, TD Canada Trust, Sun Microsystems, Vancouver Airport Authority and many other companies, universities and banks. Lyle also leads the longest running weekly "drop in" Community Drum Circle in Canada, an intergenerational and intercultural musical event moving into its 11th year.
Lyle is regularly engaged as an artist-in-residence at local schools, and had the pleasure these past summers of offering drumming and music programs at Zajac Ranch, Canada¹s first full time camp for children and youth with chronic or life threatening illnesses in Mission B.C. Various groups such as kids with Down's Syndrome, Kidney Disease, Cleft Palate, and Epilepsy participated. He is a residential facilitator at the Bridgepoint Centre for Eating Disorders in Milden Saskatchewan, a wellness centre that hosts 3 day to three week retreats. He also leads weekly drum circles at the St Paul's Hospital Eating Disorders Program. CD recordings include "Just Kidding, After All These Years" for kids and "Peace Through Music" for adults. He recently completed a two year "Music in Health Care Settings" training program at the Open Ear Center in Seattle and led a 2 day workshop "The Drum Circle — Expanding our Community" at the Center in 2006.
Lyle led opening and closing sessions for the Canadian Forum on Arts and Health in Vancouver and presented a workshop "Drumming into Health — a Dynamic Prescription for Wellness" at the international conference for the Society for the Arts in Healthcare (SAH), in Edmonton Alberta. He is a regular guest with the "Give Peace a Chant" Musical Community, participated in the closing day of the World Peace Forum and this past summer led a drum circle for the Creative Peace Network, working with Palestinian and Israeli youth on initiatives for peace. He tours the Pacific Northwest every summer, events ranging from week-long teaching retreats to summer camps, rafting and drumming adventure and music festivals. Lyle is on the faculty at the Haven Institute for Professional Training and leads "Drum Talk — a Rhythmical Dialogue with the Self". He has a private practice using sound to promote wellness in Vancouver, British Columbia. He can be reached at 604-736-6487 or info@lylepovah.com