My Name is Ool Pardi. I was born in Estonia, a small country on the northern tip of Europe, bordering Russia. There are many journeys in life and mine brought me and my family to America when I was 17 to start a new life. I have resonated with Native American culture since childhood and have always felt a pull to immerse myself in the sounds and spirit of the tribes.
I bought my first drum when I was 26 years old. It was a Sioux ceremonial drum. Soon after I bought an Alaskan Fire drum. I had no idea how to play them and for many years I lacked the confidence to try...and so a silent conversation began while I searched for a healing meditation.
Over the years, as my spiritual journey continued, the drums called to me louder and louder until finally in 2014, I took a drumming class from Spirit Hawk of the Ojibwa Nation. Around the same time I also was given the name StrongHeart by Chief White Buffalo, at a gathering in Alcona County, MI. It was then that the long silence was over and StrongHeart DrumMedicine emerged. Today I play in yoga studios, churches and private residences in the mid-Michigan area with my wife, Kellie. Together we create a unique meditation experience using native instruments from around the world.