News
Introduction to drums (My Origin Story)
If we’re lucky, as we go through life we get some clues about what we are supposed to be doing. We find the right things to connect with. Cosmic wake-up calls. The old “Hey Josh! Over here... For me the lights all started blinking the first time I saw someone...
I Learned To Listen The Hard Way.
I learned to listen the hard way. I was on a jazz gig early on in my playing, the saxophonist was soloing, and I was playing, or more like practicing everything I knew and not hearing or supporting them in any way. After his solo, he walked back to stand...
Play Alongs Are A Great Resource!
Play alongs are great for a few reasons. First, most play alongs are recorded to a click track, so the drummer is using a musical metronome while exploring a new groove or style. Second, if you are a band director, and your drummer wants to practice a new groove with...
Things I Say To Students To Remind Myself.
I always ask students "Did anyone look at you during band today?" If answer is "No" parents sometimes look at me sideways. Then I ask the student "What does that mean?" and they respond "That means I'm doing good a job." That is exactly what that means.
Drum Highway @ TMEA - FEB 12-15, 2020
TMEA is a massive state music educators conference in San Antonio. Things are bigger in Texas! These percussionists had not played drum set before, sat down, and got right to it! They followed some of the online lessons and were playing basic beats in no time. It was inspiring to...