BY BRIANNA SKELTON
ISSUE NO. 33 | NOVEMBER 2021
With the ushering in of the new month we kick off November with International Drum (Percussion) Month! Not only do we see the celebration of all kinds of percussion instruments throughout this month, but on November 15th we also celebrate National Drummer Day!
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF MODERN DAY MUSIC SCHOOL
It goes without saying, that drummers are a truly important fixture to many of the music genres we’ve come to love and celebrate. To understand the reason that it has become an international celebration, we have to take a quick slip back in time and learn a little bit about the history of drumming. When looking back in history the first (human) drums showed themselves on the planet around 5050 BC and were made of alligator skins and expertly crafted clay pots that were often created by those that were learning to play these extraordinary instruments based off of what sounded good to the bare ear. Though, we aren’t the first beings to enjoy the rhythmic feeling that comes from beating on a drum.
NOVEMBER IS DRUM MONTH!
In fact, many animals find themselves following along to beats often like drumming. Macaque monkeys will drum on objects to assert dominance to some forms of rodents expressing intercommunication through drumming of their paws on the grounds they scurry across. Often the rhythmic beat isn’t just enjoyable to our ears, but to so many creatures it has played an important part in a bigger global evolutionary timeline. This means drumming, or the basic concept of drums, have been around since the beginning of time! If your fingers and hands could tap on something, there was an ability to have drumming in the human soul. Following the timeline forward, we jump to 1300 AD where we find the creation of the drumsticks. While there are theories they might have shown up earlier, the first documented and recorded use of these well-loved sticks were found in this time period. Through the next several hundred years, drums continued to change and evolve, but it wasn’t until 1909 that the next big evolution for drums would come along when the Ludwig Drum Company introduced the modern day drum pedal into the drumming world. This was when we would see a slow shift of drummers shifting toward the start of more rock/electric style drums and music.
NOVEMEBR IS DRUM MONTH!
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Looking for some International Drum Month/ Drummer Day activities, look no further! We’ve got some ideas up our sleeves for you! Bang on the drums all day! Drumming is good for the soul! While some might enjoy it for burning a few extra calories, other can use it for a wonderful outlet for frustrations or general emotional build up! Not to mention drumming has been linked to lowering stress hormones! Play with your favorite drummer. This can help build up intercommunication and increased cooperation with our fellow musicians. Plus who doesn’t love mixing the music and giving a little extra attention to the drummers? Bask in a classic drum solo! Let’s go back and visit the classic 70’s and 80’s to enjoy the world of rock ’n’ roll drum solo kings. Need a few suggestions? We’ve got you covered. Dig into some ‘In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins, “Tom Sawyer” by Rush, “Moby Dick” by Led Zeppelin, or “The Dance of Eternity” by Dream Theater. Whatever you do, enjoy this month of drums!
We want to kick off International Drum Month by focusing our spotlight on another coach roaming the talented halls of Modern Day Music. This time we take an inside peek at our drum coach, Joe Taurone. I got to sit down in office with Joe to pick his mind on all things music and his coaching here at MDM. Joe hails to us all the way from New Jersey where he lived as a child and teenager. Music has always been a very important part of his life and as he grew up, he realized early on that he couldn’t picture his life doing something that didn't allow him the ability to tie it into music. Like anything, when it comes to picking what you want to do for the rest of your life, it’s a big step, but he knew with no shadow of a doubt it would be related to music. That’s when he found himself accepted for music at the College of St. Rose in Albany. Graduating in 2020, Joe actually graduated a whole semester early. Dedicated to his craft and the enjoyment he got from learning and growing, he packed his course schedule full with the maximum amount of credits he could take and ended up graduating early! In between his overloaded course loads, he always made sure to find time to fiddle around, working on audio engineering for his own fun, playing around Albany, and touring with his band.
When asked where his love of music came from, he said a lot of it came because of his family. His older brothers and parents funneled him their leftover CDs and he started to learn the amazing tunes of the 60’s and 70’s, and from his brothers, those lovely 90’s vibes. What fully made it click for him that he loved and wanted more with music? We have to take a trip back to November of 2005, when Guitar Hero took the world by storm. It was then he started dabbling with guitars before finding what spoke to him most, the drums. Joe has a strong desire to make coaching and learning fun. He desires to teach students how to enjoy music not only from a performance stand point, but how good it can be just for the person. He always looks forward to seeing his students grow and become more skilled, but to have that true passion for it. Given he’s always had a passion for helping people in other jobs before coaching, he is an amazing part of the team that is ever growing at MDM. Now, coaching isn’t the only thing on Joe’s mind! While it’s a long way off because of logistics, someday his major goal would be touring in Europe! When speaking with him, he spoke of how that had always been one of his biggest dreams -- that he hoped to get to see another part of the world while also bringing something to it. For Joe, he wants there to be a reason to continually take those experiences and grow from them. In our last moments chatting, I asked Joe if he could give a tip for our students or future students, what would that be? For him, he said confidently, “Be as open to new experiences as possible. Always continue to learn and grow no matter what level you’re at. Be humble.”
Michaela's Corner
NOVEMBER CALENDAR
Every Monday all of November - Open Mic Night, Caffe Lena, 4-9pm 3 - Poetry Night, Caffe Lena, 6:30pm-12:15am 5 - Under the Den (Ben) and friends at Pauly’s Hotel, 7pm start 7 - Lantern Parade, Washington Park, 4-6pm 9 - The first issue of Rolling Stone is published in San Francisco (1993) 12 - Ampevene (Gabe), The Hollow, 9pm 12 - Ben Zoleski Solo, The Cellar, 6-9pm 13 - Ben Zoleski Solo, Katie O’Byrnes, 7-10pm 15 - National Drummer Day 15 - Laveda (Joe), Desperate Annie's, 9:30pm (21+) 18 - Ben Zoleski Solo, Peddlers, 7-10pm 19 - Under the Den (Ben), 151 Restaurant, 7-10pm 20 - Under the Den (Ben) and friends at Pauly’s Hotel, 7pm start 25 - Thanksgiving Day (MDM Closed) 26 - Ben Zoleski Solo, Spa City Tap and Barrel, 6:30 - 9:30pm 27 - Small Business Saturday 27 - Jimi Hendrix is born (1942)
Welcome to the first Michaela's Corner - where we share office news straight from the General Manager! We now have both DRUMS and GUITAR lessons available on SATURDAYS! If you would like to switch your time slot to Saturday or add on one of these instruments, now is a great time!
A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR NEW STUDENTS in OCTOBER!
Helayna F Jayden C Natasha S Andy T Rebecca V Brianna M Imara E Vinay Z Max B Allie M Peter L Amelia J Katey W Tanner K Sophia D Jackson M Joseph S Miliana H Yagiz K Russell C Wisan A Lilly W Brookelyn R Don C Natasha H Elijah L Remi L Ryan S Anvi R Gavyn P Kevin C Pelin Y Zac B
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