Drummers in College - What's Going On?

Pkells94

Member
Hey guys. I was just wondering how everyone in school or people who have went think about it. I was interested in learning more about other colleges and how drumming works there; music majors, non-music majors, whatever. Tell me the things I wouldn't know unless I was at your school. I'll show you what I mean from my perspective:

Where: Loyola University in New Orleans (Freshman)
Major: Music Industry Studies (Performance track)
Practice Area: 1 drum room with 5 other drummers who use it regularly. You need a key to get into the room. Some other studios have kits that are usable at certain times.
Details: My private instructor is great. We work out of his book doing chart reading, swing, latin etc. I get to play with an awesome big band, jazz combo, and concert band. I really like a lot of the kids that go here. I get to jam or play with kids almost every night playing standards or other stuff.

Pros: The scene. New Orleans is a great city for musicians. I can go downtown and sit in or find great jam sessions. For example every monday night there is this Funk "Super Jam" where they play second-line, funk, hip-hop whatever, and anyone can play. I don't really have a problem finding practice time (most of the time). Even though there is one drum room everyone pretty much gets in when they want. I get a lot of playing opportunities at school. I got to play with the piano player Jeff Gardner when he did a masterclass which was cool. I've seen Brian Blade, Herlin Riley, Johnny Vidacovich (who I can study with when I'm an upperclassman), and tons of other killin' drummers playing around town. And I've already had a few gig opportunities after being here for two months.

Cons: I don't have a kit, or car down here yet, which limits the gigs I can play. Being so far from home and what I know sucks more than I thought it would, traveling by plane every time I need to go home is a pain. I really don't know what I want to get a degree in. And a lot of times I feel like I'd be better of at school closer to home and then going for my graduate degree in New York or something.

Last Question: If you majored in music, do you regret it? If you didn't, are you happy with your current degree and situation?

Feel free to use your own template, that's just an example. I'm just trying to understand how you all feel about college and music, there's a lot of different opinions out there, let me know how it was/is for you.
 
I didnt finished my bachelors in drums , cause the bachelors degree was 6 years long in my country!

I was 22 already and i had 3 more years left ! My financial situation made me join the U.S. Air Force.

to be honest i do not regret going to college , i learned a lot of dicipline , how to read music , and the basic stuff. Yet i have lots of friends that finished their bachelors and major , and they are working in Mc Donalds or any non related job.

Usually drummers that finish college , end up playing for someone , and non-colleged drummers usually end up making their own bands.

If i had the chance and time to go back to college to finish my degree , i do it!
 
I studied music in the late '80s. I didn't study drums, but I took percussion classes and got heavily into drum programming, which led me on the path to playing drums. Through my interest in percussion I hung out with a lot of drummers and I'd say the majority of them gained from learning to play pitched instruments (most of the them learned vibes etc, but everyone had to learn basic keyboard skills). It meant that by the end of the course, even the humble drummer could arrange/write parts etc. Helps you to take control and organise your own bands rather than waiting for work to fall into your lap.

Positives of study? Being around so many musicians (not just teachers) and being able to ask questions and learn from them. Probably the best thing I got from studying was all the aural training. Being able to hear something, break it down in your head and write it out without reference to an instrument has proved invaluable. This skill, along with a solid foundation in harmony and theory, means that it has been relatively easy to teach myself new instruments/styles etc. An education speeds up the learning process after you’ve studied, not just while you're there.

Negatives? Some things were done on a very superficial basis. Big band arranging, for example. You can't learn this in 3 years, it takes dedicated study (as I later found out). But at least I had a musical shorthand for when I did take the plunge and decided to take arranging seriously. So I was able to fast-track my learning (from books, records and scores).

Having said all the above, if you're getting plenty of playing opportunities, then let those around you be your teachers. Hell of a lot cheaper than going to college. Even if you end up paying some of them for private tuition. Be open minded, don't just see music in terms of your principal instrument. Develop all round skills.

Whatever you decide, good luck.
 
I've always thought in terms of living conditions. How much does it cost me to maintain a certain level of lifestyle, and then how do I get that with what I'm doing? I know you're a freshman, but these are things I was taught before high school. Earning the dollar is important as it enables me to do what I want in this great world of ours. So, if you have all these playing opportunities, how do you turn them into a steady income so you don't have to get a job outside of what you went to school for? Because lets face it, once you commit to some 40-hour-a-week job to make rent and food (car, insurance, health insurance, etc.,) that's gonna be at least 60 hours a week you'll be losing to your drumming.

Persevere and have a plan and you should be good!
 
Sounds to me you are exactly where you need to be. Learning everything at school, in a great city full of gigs. Seems like the ultimate launch pad for a music career.
The first time I went to New Orleans, in my late 30s, I was blown away. I had no idea. I knew damn well that if I had seen that place when I was 19 I would have moved there in a heartbeat.

If you wanna do it- put your head down, don't look back and don't give up! Now is the time, trust me.
 
I don't regret getting my Music Education degree. It sharpened my reading and ensemble playing. I did a 4 year stint on cruise ships that would've been a struggle if I didn't have that education (especially when I stepped up to the music director position).

I do regret not being ambitious about more things other than music. I'm at a crossroads of sorts, I'm considering going back to school for "re-training" As much as I love music and drums, the city I live in is prohibitive to make any kind of secure living playing and teaching music not in a public school. It goes for most cities that are not NYC, LA, Nashville, Austin, Seattle...

So, I can say it would be good to have something to "fall back" on, but then again, some people would say by doing that you're admitting failure or defeat of your initial goal. Learning A/V work, or something that still allows you to work on drums will only make you more employable, IMO.
 
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