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Although I didn’t realize it, my approach to teaching was formed in my freshman year of High School. As a young boy I was prone to tapping and sometimes banging on anything standing still. It seemed I had a natural interest in rhythm. So following that interest I decided to join the freshman band to play drums. I went to the band teacher, whose name I'll omit, to ask him if I could have a chance to learn to play drums. He looked at me for a minute and then said, “Play a paradiddle.” Well, I didn’t know a paradiddle from a jackhammer. I told him I didn’t know how. Once again he looked at me for a minute and his reply devastated me. “You can leave. You will never be able to play drums.” That statement stayed with me for many years. Every time I heard a drummer on a song I liked, it would pop up. When I had the opportunity to see a live drummer, it resonated through me so that I would be depressed for days. All this came to an end when a friend of mine let me mess with his drums. From that point on I never thought of that statement in the same way. The thought I now think is: Encourage All…Criticize None. The study of drums is a reflection of life itself: “What we put into it, we get back a hundred times over.” |
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There is an underlying fact about life: we all have expectations. We expect our lives to be complete and fulfilling. Some will realize their expectations, some will not. Why some and not others? Some believe. Others wish. There is a fundamental difference with these choices. Believing gives power to your expectations. They can be seen in your mind’s eye. Wishes have no power at all. They come from a belief that you are helpless to meet your own expectations. The life you lead is in your own hands…or your own mind. Believe in yourself. Know you can accomplish your expectations. You expect to be a Musician…a Drummer. Believe it! Then that is what you will become. You see, I already believe in you. I have expectations of you. I promise to do my very best to help you meet that one expectation in your life. That is for you to become the very best Musician/Drummer you can. Not everyone will want to do this as a life choice. Just go with the flow of your life. Follow the road you want. If it is just to play in a band or in school, good for you…do it. If you want more, dig your your heels in. It’s a lifetime pursuit and well worth the effort. Anything you desire in life requires effort to gain. Your obligation, to yourself and me, is to put the effort in. This means…you have to work at it. Practice!!! I will give the tools to get to there. But…I also expect you to do the work. Practicing will pay you back a hundred fold. It is not easy to practice. Some days you just don’t want to. If you do, though, you will be gaining a life’s skill that will stay with you forever. Learning Music/Drums is like learning life. You get out of it what you put into it. Good luck and have fun. Go for it!!!
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