best drum school?

drummerwhohasadog

Junior Member
I have only been playing drums for a year but they have more or less taken a hold of me and become my true passion. I want to learn how to play professionally so that I can do what I love for a living.

I am wondering where would be the best place to do this?
A technical school where I can focus on my instrument such as berklee or LAMA?
A university such as university of washington or seattle pacific university? (im from WA)

p.s. I'm not trying to use drums as a scapegoat for a job, I really am serious about making this my profession.
 
Have you ever taken any formal lessons and how old are you.

I can tell you right now that getting into any music school is extremely difficult.

as for a job with it, making a living as a musician is not an easy one and very few can do it, even those who have gone to Berkley, Juliard and such. For every one drummer that is lucky enough to make a touring group or steady studio gig there are 1000's more that are still struggling and trying to make money at it.

I'm not trying to be a downer but the reality is it's a very tough thing to make a living doing even if you attend the most prestigous schools in the country.
 
My advice....when you are ready for a band, find a singer who is really, really good. Half the battle is finding a great singer. There is a reason why so many bands don't go anywhere beyond the local clubs and charity events. You can be the greatest drummer in the world. It don't matter. You have to have a great singer with a cutting edge originality to his/her voice.

Sorry, I don't know nothing about music schools.
 
I'm 19, I took formal drum lessons for about 6 months, guitar lessons for a few years.
I don't mean to brag or anything but I honestly have an aptitude for music, especially drums, and can learn thins very quickly.

I also know how extremely competitive the music business is, this also honestly doesn't bother me so much. I like a challenge and am willing to work the rest of my life to achieve any success if that's what it means, as long as I am doing what I love I will be happy doing it so I don't care if I actually get rich or not or anything like that.
 
Just curious...have you really looked around and seen what's out there in terms of trade schools or 4 year colleges? UNT is hard to get into, and very competitive. Auditioning is the first step.

Have you ever heard of Drummers Collective in NYC? I teach there.
 
Whoa that is awesome!
And yes I actually was just doing some research on the collective, it seems like a fairly intense but effective program, am I right?

At this the best looking schools to me are The Collective, LA Music Academy, Cornish, and Berkley.
They all seem great in their own ways, Cornish is oriented to artsy people like myself, The Collective seems nice because it looks fairly small and very hands on which I like. Berkley honestly seems the most comprehensive and preparatory which is great. But how could I really know?

With your guys' knowledge what do you think would be the best place for me?

My top concerns are:
price (these places are EXPENSIVE, so wherever I have a good chance of getting a scholarship would be awesome...)

one on one time with teachers (how much do I get? how effective is it?)

and how the school deals with ear training (I am currently mediocre at identifying intervals and chords and at solfege, im working on it but thats because it definitely needs work haha)
 
I can tell you right now that getting into any music school is extremely difficult.

That is not true.

Ideally you want to go into a reputable program, not X University that has a good football team.

All of the musicians I know who have gone to school said it was not worth it. You have all the world's information at your fingertips. How much is a piece of paper worth? It's just a technicality.

Would you be happy teaching? Or do you want to play the drums? If you go to school you'll probably end up teaching to support yourself whether you want to or not.

If you have the drive, then go for it. You don't have to ask for anybody's permission. Have fun with it, see where it leads.
 
Just an FYI this is the caliber of player you will be auditioning against

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=LSSIvvwCtVQ

It's not like everyone that goes to Berklee (and other schools) is a freak of nature chopmaster, yes, you do get some kids that are already really good, but a lot of other students are there to learn and get better. If anything the quality of other students should just motivate and inspire you to play better and practice harder.
 
Being 19, and having relatively little training and experience, it's practically a no-brainer to seek out a smaller institution, rather than a large music school. You'll probably get more "one on one time" with the teachers. You'll need solid, conceptual knowledge, and the chance to apply it regularly (every day if possible). Find out what kind of ensemble experience these schools have to offer. The most important thing you'll ever get is the chance to play with other people in a supervised setting, where you can be evaluated, and evaluate yourself.

It's good that you've played guitar for a few years, but have you learned to understand music theory and notation? If there is a music theory placement option at a school, it would save you money to test out of a semester or two.

Going back to the ensemble experience for a second -- you should find out a few things:

1. What are the lab bands, combos, groups, etc. that students typically play in, and what kinds of music?

2. How often do they rehearse?

3. Will you have to share the drum chair? With how many drummers?

4. Do the ensembles record their performances? Can you record yourself for the sake of your own improvement?

5. Will you be expected to play along to a click track?
 
All great things to think about brentcn!

Lucky for me I have gotten a head start on most of those things, I am fluent in musical notation through fifth position on guitar, and fairly fluent on the kit and piano as well.
As far as playing with ensembles I am currently going to a community college and taking a jazz combo and concert band and music theory and piano, I already have a quarter done of each.

The trade schools definitely seem like they would be more useful but is the serious hike in price really worth it over state schools?
 
I'm 19, I took formal drum lessons for about 6 months, guitar lessons for a few years.
I don't mean to brag or anything but I honestly have an aptitude for music, especially drums, and can learn thins very quickly.

I also know how extremely competitive the music business is, this also honestly doesn't bother me so much. I like a challenge and am willing to work the rest of my life to achieve any success if that's what it means, as long as I am doing what I love I will be happy doing it so I don't care if I actually get rich or not or anything like that.

I remember feeling that way. It seems like such a long time ago ;)
 
The trade schools definitely seem like they would be more useful but is the serious hike in price really worth it over state schools?

Depends on the answers to my questions, I think. If you wanted to go for a scholarship, or to place into more advanced ensembles, you'd audition better if you had some training under your belt.

It's funny... to an extent, you want to prove that you don't need to be taught, so that the college or university will want to teach you...
 
"It's funny... to an extent, you want to prove that you don't need to be taught, so that the college or university will want to teach you... " this is some incredibly awesome advice, thank you.

as far as your questions go I will have to think about them to help me decide, hopefully I will be able physically check a couple of these places out...

If ANYONE has gone to a school specifically for drumming I would love to read about your experience as well!
 
Back
Top