Rockin' Out on the Drums

We took this video at my Mission President's home.  

I 'd played the weekend before at our mission reunion and was totally nervous.

This night I came more relaxed and ready to just have fun!  :)

I can't remember the exact moment of wanting to play the drums, or deciding to play the drums.  All of a sudden, there I was in 6th grade, playing simple beats on a practice pad at home, and enjoying the concert band in Junior High.  My elementary school choir director, Mary Wilmer, let me borrow a simple drum set she had, and we kept it in Nathan's room.  I practiced and had fun, and remember using my drumsticks to hit anyone on the hand or wrist if they tried to come in and mess me up.  (Haha!  That's terrible!)

Anyway, my mom played the drums in her younger years and taught me a valuable skill:  how to properly do a drum roll.  It involves letting each stick fall and "bounce" or "vibrate" on the drums naturally and gradually moving the sticks faster and faster until each movement connects with the next into a nice, smooth roll. :) 

I have no idea how I ever learned to play the drum set.  It takes more skill than just pounding out a single rhythm and reading music in concert band.  But I'm so glad I learned how!  It's super fun. :)

I played the drums in Jazz Band in 8th grade and all through high school.  I also switched off playing piano but there were definitely other students who were far more talented than I was.  EXAMPLE:  The star piano player, Alan Chang, now plays and performs with Michael Buble.  So, that's kind of a big deal.  I can't top that! :)  But I loved participating in band with such talented individuals.  It was a privilege and I enjoyed having the "girl drummer" reputation.

My drumming days kind of faded after high school, simply because I didn't have a drum set and went off to college.  I still played piano continually and ended up taking up guitar as my other main instrument.  So after all these years of performances, band directors, concerts, and eventually writing my own songs... Music is definitely a huge part of who I am and I love it.  :)