Congratulations to Thomas L., who recently won the PMEA District 12 audition and will be participating in the District Band Festival (and also District Chorus)! District 12 is comprised of all high schools in Chester, Delaware and Philadelphia counties, so there is a lot of competition for these festivals. A lot of work went into preparing for the audition, which required pieces on snare drum, xylophone and timpani. A short clip is below.
The Studio is Growing!
Thank you very much for your support. The studio would not be what has become without you.
In November 2018, this percussion studio was a true start up. It has now become a full time business with student members of all different ages and ability levels.
On September 1, 2022, I am opening a second studio location: groove Oxford Arts Alliance.
I am looking forward to bringing the same high quality instruction on drum set, rudimental, hand drumming, marimba, electronic percussion and content creation, recording and media production to the Oxford Arts Alliance.
For rates and availability, please email me.
RIP Alan White (1949-2022)
This past week, one of the giants of rock drumming, Alan White, passed away. He was one of my favorites, and had an extraordinary career. We talked about his work in this month’s Virtual Drum Hang.
While his story has been capably told elsewhere, a few highlights should be noted. Mr. White was one of the few musicians (possibly the only drummer) to have recorded with two Beatles in their solo careers, having appeared on John Lennon’s Imagine and George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass.
At age 20, Mr. White was famously recruited over the phone by John Lennon to play in a concert in Toronto with the Plastic Ono Band. They rehearsed on the plane from London to Toronto for the gig. The guitar player in that band? Some guy named Eric Clapton. The result was an album entitled Live Peace in Toronto 1969. You can read more here. You can hear Mr. White’s trademark huge flams on the live version of Give Peace a Chance from that recording.
However, what Mr. White was famous for was his 50 years of dynamic, powerful and imaginative playing behind the drumset with English progressive rock giants Yes. Below is a playlist of what I consider to be his top 5 recorded studio performances.
In Person Lessons to Resume June 6th
Very pleased to announce that in person lessons will resume Saturday, June 6th. The studio will be cleaned (again!) and we will observe the following protocols:
Masks are REQUIRED of students and any family members to enter the studio. No exceptions.
Social distancing will be observed.
No handshakes, fistbumps, etc. Peace signs or shaka signs are encouraged however.
Students should make sure they have their own sticks. We will not need headphones because all the practice tracks will played through the PA.
If you have a fever, or have any symptoms, please do not come in. We will make arrangements to provide a credit or video lessons.
If students or parents are uncomfortable with in person lessons, that is totally respected, and we can continue by video. There are some significant upgrades to the studio happening in the next two weeks to enhance our ability to deliver education over video.
There will be a separate announcement about Virtual Vinyl, the Summer Groovefest, and related activities coming soon.
(PS…this announcement assumes that Chester County is moved to the Yellow Phase by June 5th as the Governor’s office previously announced).
