I was last a student in 2005 when I studied for my PGCE, and though I’ve done endless amounts of continuing professional development since then, it’s not the same as being in a classroom learning environment, where you are a complete beginner. For some reason, I decided that now was the time to throw myself back into learning a completely new skill, and I chose drumming.
Recently, some of our departing music performance students were offered extracurricular activities to finish off their year. I did some vocal training for them, some had guitar lessons, and some had extra theory sessions. While organising this, we asked if any of the students would like to teach anything, and this is how I found myself learning the drums at the age of 41.
I should add that, back in April, I broke my elbow playing tennis and required two different surgeries on my arm, so any activity involving hitting things with sticks is not the easiest for me as I continue with my physio. I, along with another teacher and another member of the class, were taught the basics of drums in two one-hour sessions, and I got a taste of what our students feel like when they are out of their depth, frustrated and believe they are the worst in the class by a country mile.
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My fellow “students” were both bass players, which gave them a rhythmic advantage, not to mention that I had seen both of them play drums competently on stage before. I, on the other hand, had briefly sat behind a left-handed kit and played one very easy song badly two years previously. Being right-handed, this gave me absolutely no advantage when we had our first lesson - in fact, I was trying to do everything backwards.
“We’ll start off with something really simple. This beat is called the ‘money maker’ because it’s easy and it fits with virtually every song,” said our “teacher”. He then proceeded to play and I had to point out that while it may be the easiest beat, it still involved doing three separate things with three separate body parts simultaneously, and I was down to one arm.
“Just do your best,” he said, and I cringed at how many times I have said that to a struggling student. “This is my best!” I said mournfully as I made a ridiculously out-of-time racket.
“OK, most of us seem to have picked that up. Now for something more difficult,” he said. The difficulty was amped up several times, my fellow students were doing brilliantly well and while I sounded like I was falling into the kit rather than playing it. At the end of lesson one, my damaged arm actually felt really nice and loose (though I’m sure my physiotherapist wouldn’t appreciate me turning up with a full drum kit to my next appointment).
When lesson two started, I the muscle memory started to kick in - I’d actually learnt something. I managed to do some real drumming, albeit it brief and not very well. I even managed to be the best at using the bass drum pedal in the song All Night Long by Lionel Ritchie - although I have absolutely no idea why.
I have now entered temporary drum retirement as our wonderful teacher has left to go to university. But I plan to get back on the kit in any quiet moment I can to at least master the “money maker”. And if anyone needs a drummer for a set consisting solely of All Night Long and only with the bass pedal, I’m ready and waiting.
