Drums with Brian C.

I started playing the drums at the very early age of four, eventually sitting in with my Dad’s band for a tune or two at age seven. In high school I began playing the drums for a church band each Wednesday and Sunday. While in high school I also participated in Marching band, Symphonic band and the Jazz band. In 2008, I received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award. The award is given to one student in the Jazz ensemble “in recognition of outstanding achievement by an instrumentalist in the field of jazz, as demonstrated by superior musicianship, character, and individual creativity.” I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Hastings College in May of 2013. I was a member of the Symphonic Band, Marching Band and participated in the Hastings Symphony Orchestra on occasion. I sang and played percussion in the Men’s Choir and I was also first chair percussionist in the Wind Ensemble, as well as the primary drummer for the Jazz Ensemble for all five years I spent there. When I was a senior in college I was asked to fill in for my drum instructor for a one-time gig with his Jazz quintet. That was my first paying gig and I have continued to play in various Jazz groups since. To this day, I still have a daily practice routine and I always desire to learn more. Since September of 2013, I have been composing my own tunes and arranging other’s for my bands to perform. I enjoy playing so much and I strive to continue to learn and improve as a performing artist. In contrast to playing music, I enjoy teaching music just as much as playing. I have been teaching private and group lessons as a supplemental income for the past seven years. While in college, I was asked to instruct a high school drumline for their summer camp. After the summer camps were completed I was asked to come back and continue teaching the drumline through their marching season.