My Musical Life
Musical History - Musical Artifact
A Musical Artifact from My Past - My Dad's Old Drumset
When I was 18 months old, we spent Easter at my Uncle John’s house. Before we showed up, he decided it would be fun to set up my dad’s old drum set. I was fascinated by the sounds of the instruments. I sat at the drum set every second that I could over the weekend. That was one of my first experiences with a musical instrument. In this particular picture, Uncle John decided I would make a great rock star, so he dressed me up in beads and sunglasses. As a result of my young age, I do not remember the majority of this event, but my parents tell me that the discovery of my dad’s drum set was the beginning of my interest in music. As a result of that weekend, my mom decided my musical journeys should begin with piano lessons. Grudgingly, I agreed to learn piano before starting to play drums. Finally, when I entered the Instrumental program in 5th grade, I got the chance to begin playing drums.
Since then, I have grown exponentially as a musician. I have been transformed from a “drummer” to a percussionist and a musician. Looking back, I am very grateful to my mother for starting me on piano because it gave me a background in music that I apply to my daily playing. Beginning with piano taught me to read pitches, rhythms and to recognize harmonic structure. Because of the “non-melodic” nature of drums, I do not think that I would have learned these skills if I had started on drums. This moment is significant in my life because it was my introduction to the instrument and field of study that I love so much and plan to devote my life to.
A program from my very first Penn State concert. I played with the
Symphonic Band under the direction of Dennis Glocke