After many early pre-school years of pounding on pots and pans, I received my first snare drum at Christmas when I was seven, I'm now in my early sixties. But that Christmas day was one of the longest days of my life. After the thrill of receiving my drum and a test bang or two, it was off for the day visiting family and friends until late in the evening. All that day I heard my drum calling me, "Come back... come back".
And come back I did. I've spent my life playing drums in one for or another from marching bands to Celtic bands, drum circles to solo percussion. Drumming has help keep me going throughout my life.
Because of an early childhood illness I was left with learning disabilities, dyslexia, short term memory loss and a place somewhere in the low end of the autism spectrum and attention deficite. Drumming has helped me keep a focus and cope in the "normal" world, with a very hidden disability.
I'm now a full time percussionist performing with my partner Jennifer White, a composer, lever harpist and storyteller. I also do workshops and deminstrations in what I call "FoundSound", using recycled materials to create rhythm instruments. I present in public library programs,classrooms, work with youth at risk, seniors and developmentally challanged youths and adults.
I will never have the knowledge, speed and talent of Evelyn Glennie, but I do what I can with what I've got, learning more and more in my own way and passing it along to others.
It was hearing the recording of Evelyn's music, then seeing the video stage production of her life story "Playing from the Heart" and her own video "Touch the Sound" gave me the courage that took me out of the sometime drummer into a full-time career, performing and presenting workshops.
I love performing in concert and doing our original material, but I've found my real calling seems to be presenting workshops with those others on the edges of the "Normal" world. Showing them that they may not just march to a different drummer, but may just be that different drummer. Rhythm is in all of us and the inspiration that people like Evelyn have given to so many is the best Christmas present we could receive.
Merry Christmas and thank you Evelyn, and Happy Holiday Season to all who celebrate it with it's many names and traditions.
Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteAfter many early pre-school years of pounding on pots and pans, I received my first snare drum at Christmas when I was seven, I'm now in my early sixties. But that Christmas day was one of the longest days of my life. After the thrill of receiving my drum and a test bang or two, it was off for the day visiting family and friends until late in the evening. All that day I heard my drum calling me, "Come back... come back".
ReplyDeleteAnd come back I did. I've spent my life playing drums in one for or another from marching bands to Celtic bands, drum circles to solo percussion. Drumming has help keep me going throughout my life.
Because of an early childhood illness I was left with learning disabilities, dyslexia, short term memory loss and a place somewhere in the low end of the autism spectrum and attention deficite. Drumming has helped me keep a focus and cope in the "normal" world, with a very hidden disability.
I'm now a full time percussionist performing with my partner Jennifer White, a composer, lever harpist and storyteller. I also do workshops and deminstrations in what I call "FoundSound", using recycled materials to create rhythm instruments. I present in public library programs,classrooms, work with youth at risk, seniors and developmentally challanged youths and adults.
I will never have the knowledge, speed and talent of Evelyn Glennie, but I do what I can with what I've got, learning more and more in my own way and passing it along to others.
It was hearing the recording of Evelyn's music, then seeing the video stage production of her life story "Playing from the Heart" and her own video "Touch the Sound" gave me the courage that took me out of the sometime drummer into a full-time career, performing and presenting workshops.
I love performing in concert and doing our original material, but I've found my real calling seems to be presenting workshops with those others on the edges of the "Normal" world. Showing them that they may not just march to a different drummer, but may just be that different drummer. Rhythm is in all of us and the inspiration that people like Evelyn have given to so many is the best Christmas present we could receive.
Merry Christmas and thank you Evelyn,
and Happy Holiday Season to all who celebrate it with it's many names and traditions.
Robert McMaster
London. Ontario, Canada