Activity – Learning Drums

Location – Village Market Music School

I started to play drums in 6^th grade. My friend taught me one beat, and over the course of the year I would occasionally play in the band room, and I eventually succeeded playing the beat. I acquired a drum set of my own in 9^th grade, and that is when I started to take lessons and actually try to improve in my ability. In 10^th grade, when I moved to Kenya, my drum set was placed in a more accessible location to me. That is when I started to really play, and to really enjoy playing. In the beginning of 11^th grade I started to take lessons at the Village Market Music School. Even though I have now been playing drums for about a year and a half I had ever taken really intricate lessons. When I started I was am very able to keep a steady rhythm, play at varying tempos, volumes. I was not very good at jamming (playing along with others without a set music piece) but I was able to jam to slow songs.

            The lessons that I started introduced me to new things, I have been showed exercises to improve my playing ability. These exercises almost naturally happen when playing but they concentrate more what your trying to improve specifically instead of just in general. I take one drum lesson a week and practice at home numerous times per week. I believe that this is the most ethically related aspect of learning an instrument, personal engagement. My personal engagement with improving my drumming ability is very high. I think that one reason why I am more personally engaged with drumming than with playing saxophone is because I more advanced in drumming. It is more fun to play at home then because I’m at the level where the exercises are incorporated into playing and not separate from playing.            Overall I think that learning the drums, through these lessons, has been very enlightening for me. I have been showed aspects that I was only slightly aware of before and I have improved on them. I do exercises to increase my current ability and I am very engaged. I think that the most challenging part is remembering to incorporate my lessons into my playing when I’m just messing around on the drums. However, with time and practice this will come more naturally.