When I was a little boy I was instantaneously attracted to the unique sounds of a drumbeat. I remember always listening to the drums over other instruments in songs at a very young age. In fact, remembering back to my childhood, percussion amused me more than basically all of my other hobbies, because music is so distinctive in its own way. When I was very young I remember taking out my kitchen pots and pans and two wooden spoons and banging them until I drummed I rhythm I liked. My family probably got really annoyed of all the noise I created every time I picked up a pair of drumsticks, but they always encouraged me to keep playing. In elementary school, I took many percussion and music classes that allowed me to expand my knowledge. Being able to read sheet music became a great tool, especially when playing with an entire band or class. My father and my uncle Kent both play the guitar so they guided me on the correct path when it came to music decisions. My first percussion instrument was my snare drum. I look back and thank my father for making me get the snare drum first before the rest of the drum set. I had the biggest bug up my butt I remember and dreamed about having a legit drum set every single day. I would always go into Guitar Center and play on the drums in the store until they stopped me. If I couldn’t play I would just dream of playing on a set brand new. I practiced and performed for many years at my school as a snare drummer with an entire symphony. Once I mastered the snare drum, the thought of having my own drum set was driving me crazy. The prices on drum equipment have always been really expensive so I had to start small and work my way up; building my drum set to be a complete set has been my goal. But what defines a complete drum set? The maintenance and options on buying different items to build a custom drum set are endless. Many drummers have a very simple, clean style, which includes a hi-hat, snare and bass drum, a floor tom, and either one or two cymbals and tom tom’s depending on the drummer. The list can build in any way imagined once the basic instruments are intact. My imagination allows me to envision the perfect drum set, including the way I want my drum set to sound, feel, and look like. When I was eight years old I got one of the best Christmas gifts of my life, a brand new five-piece drum set. I was so excited I couldn’t even believe it and even better it was black. Although it was not one of the leading brands on the market, I had no reason to complain. Within a few months I was in English class and my teacher asked me if anyone could play the drums. My teacher was also head of a new leadership music club. She was a new teacher and she asked the class for people to step up and play music because our school needed some new energy that it was missing. I remember being very nervous when she asked the class, yet, without hesitation I raised my hand and told her that I had a new drum set and I can play. I believed that God would give me strength to play in front of Him and grades K-8 every single Friday in the biggest Chapel out of five in my school. But I also knew that He was going to put me to the test to see how good I really was. We practiced the very next day and from that day on, I practiced every single day until my first performance in front of the entire school. Setting up my drum set up the morning of my first performance of my life with a drum set on the stage in a church environment was unforgettable. I remember being very nervous at first, but after the butterflies went away for the rest of the band and I, we flowed very well together. The harmony was very pleasing and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It was the most uplifting and amazing feeling in the entire world creating the beat, tempo, and style for the entire Chapel. I continued playing for that band until I reached eighth grade. I eventually put the drumsticks down and picked up full contact football to prepare myself for high school football. Sadly I didn’t pick my drumsticks back up until my senior year after football season. When I wiped off a few layers of dust off of my drum set underneath a few boxes in my garage, there was a bunch of stuff broken and missing from it. I thought to myself, wow… I have a long way to go before I get my drum set built exactly how I wanted it to be again. Considering I had many new and fresh ideas, I remember being really excited to get back into my music.
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