Teaching
- Repairs
-
Instruments - Portfolio - Accolades
The
Drum it Forward Program:
The
idea of "Drum it Forward" struck me
when one of my students once told me
he would like to play the drum kit at
school but it was in such a state of
disrepair it wasn't allowed. I
realized that school budgets were
cutting back on the extra-curriculars
(like music class) and sadly the kid's
musical opportunities were suffering
because of it. I decided then to try
to help by offering my services as a
drum doctor at a major discount (often
free) and to re-purpose all my used
heads, cymbals and sticks when
possible.
It
caught on and here I am 10 years
later, still gathering heads and
broken cymbals from drummers that go
through these items frequently and
setting up schools and students with
something they could not previously
afford. Let's face it - drum gear is
not cheap so if we can pass on an
item that can still be used instead
of sitting in a pile in your
basement, why not donate it? We know
it has some value otherwise why else
would we be keeping it.
I remember when I was starting out
and someone was kind enough to give
me his "old" drum heads. As he was a
working drummer and needed to have
fresh new heads for recording, the
ones he was replacing were far
better than what I was dealing with
on my little orange sparkly drums.
Needless to say he made my day and
my kit never sounded so good!
I
now keep a stock of used drum heads
and various parts and pieces that
allows me in my quest to help young
players fix their drums at a reduced
cost. This is due in part, to the
generous donations from other drummers
and schools of their own unused
collections of extra pieces that seem
to accumulate over the years. In this
I am able to re-purpose and reuse
these items in the hopes of bettering
someone else’s drums or helping out a
school on a reduced budget.
Please
- if you are a drummer, school
or studio and have any extra
drum parts and pieces,
stands, old/cracked
cymbals, or drum
heads - consider
donating them to this cause.
I
am conducting a tour of the
Columbia Basin region this
spring and summer (2018) to
visit any school that is
interested and needs help with
their drums and percussion
instruments. I am donating 2
hours of repairs and any parts
I can provide to each school
that wishes. Any repairs
beyond that will receive 20%
discount on any labour. While
out on this tour I will
collect any extras along the
way from other generous
drummers to perpetuate this
program and keep the rhythms
going!
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It
is surprising what a difference a few
small parts can make when re-purposed
for some one in need. We can use
almost anything you have to donate,
including: