When a Little Frustration is a Good Thing...

Frustration is something that we ALL encounter in different phases of life.  It could be work, it could be school, it could be something personal.  It does happen to everyone.

Frustration, in some ways, is a positive thing, and I’ll explain why in one minute. 

From a teacher’s standpoint, the level of a student’s frustration is something that I pay very close attention to.  There is hard work, and there is fun.  

We want to balance the hard work aspect of studying an instrument with the FUN aspect of studying an instrument.  There should always be some of both to keep the student engaged and moving forward. 

Why is a little frustration a positive thing?

Because it shows that the Student cares about what they are doing and they want to do a good job and they are willing to spend the energy required to do a good job.  That is a huge positive. 

If you ever have any questions about this or other aspects of the studio, please email me or DM me.  Thanks for your support.  

A Visit from the Girl Scouts

Did you know that the studio hosts group sessions? We can host up to ten guests ideally, but we can also certainly host larger groups. These sessions are a great opportunity for off site team building for businesses or nonprofit organizations.

The studio was happy to host the Girl Scouts from Avondale yesterday at the studio. We talked about the history of percussion instruments, and how different instruments can work together in an ensemble setting, and then worked out an ensemble groove. The girls also got an opportunity to sit behind the drumset and play.

For more information about group sessions, contact us.

Creativity, Rhythm & Words

One of the most important concepts for all our students here is creativity. How can you apply what you have learned in new and unexpected ways?

Spoken word and poetry is a prime example of another mode of performance (with words, rather than instruments) that has rhythmic complexity that might not seem immediately apparent. This is readily evident in metered poetry forms (i.e. a haiku is three lines comprised of 5 syllables, then 7 syllables, then 5 syllables. 5-7-5.)

It is my belief that each person has a natural cadence to their speech, regardless of how quickly or slowly they are talking. Cadence is defined as:

the rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds or words. See Dictionary.com

In developing a few performance pieces in this style I have become more attuned to the cadence of people’s speaking. Last week, I was invited to the Kennett Library to demonstrate this at their monthly poetry reading. It was a fun experience applying percussion and creativity to a completely different mode of performance.

Rhythm truly is all around us, you just have to listen closely.

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Simon Phillips Masterclass Review

Few drummers in the history of rock and roll have appeared on as many albums as the great Simon Phillips. Simon presented a masterclass as Philadelphia Drum Shop in Fishtown this week, and it was a 3 hour tour de force. Simon has recorded with Pete Townshend, Brian Eno, The Who, Toto, Phil Manzanera, Mike Oldfield, Judas Priest, Hiromi, and many more, not to mention a prolific recording career as a bandleader.

I will have comprehensive review with video coming soon, but for now, here are a few pictures of one of the greatest drummers in rock and roll history.