Wanna get the gig? Try being prepared ..

   I have only actually tried out for a band 3 times in my life. When I first got back into music about 8 years ago I saw a band that I thought would be cool to play with. I liked the style of music and the guys seemed cool. They did have a drummer at the time so I told them if they ever lost their drummer to give me a call. When the band called I remember taking the cd and listening to it constantly. I rented practice space at a local rehearsal studio a couple of times a week and played the 3 or 4 songs over and over. I knew it inside and out. And yes, I got the gig. Few years go by and I hear of another band, a little further up the food chain that is in need of a drummer. I really like the music, it was much more like the bands I was listening to at the time and they even had some real solid success in their previous band. Radio air play, tours etc..All that good stuff. The new record even had some other big name people working on it. The only problem was I had never played this style before and it wasn't that easy to jump in to. Again, I listened to the songs non stop. I had my own recording studio by now so I could play along to the cd when ever I wanted so that helped a ton. I would say I practiced 5 times a week for a few hours to try and get it together. I remember calling the guitar player and asking for a bit more time. When I went to play with them I had cheat sheets made of the song arrangements. ( A practice I still apply) I got that gig as well. For my last audition I did all those things at an even harder pace. 8 to 10 hours a day of just me and the kit, a pair of headphones and the songs. You already know how that one turned out. I tell you this not impress you but to impress upon you a few things I have learned from some far more talented and successful people than me.
    Now let me give you my experience on the other side of the coin. This is when I have had bass players auditioning for some of these earlier bands I played in. We would make sure the guy had the cd of course. The bass player would roll into our practice space and 9 times out of 10 say " I didn't really learn the exact songs, just show me the chords and I'll pick it up".
What the @&$% are these people thinking? Really?? You want to waste my time ? I'm gonna sit here on my drum throne while the guitar player shows you the chords? Get out...Get out now!!!
     So the gist of this is be prepared. If you do your home work you may already be way ahead of half the other guys who are trying out. Be professional and take some pride in your art. I have been lucky to know and be good friends with some very successful musicians. You wanna know what one character trait they all posses? Not being a frigging slacker!!!!

You should never stop studying, learning and growing....

I was fortunate enough to have Mike Johnston do a clinic at my music school, The Music Factory, last night  and I can truly say I was inspired to go home and play drums for several hours. It reinforced my belief that no matter how long you play music you should always be trying to learn from others. This is something I think the masters have figured out so why shouldn't the rest of us mere mortals apply this philosophy as well. When you get to a certain level of musicianship it's not about this person being better than you or vice verse, it's about realizing that you can learn from so many other musicians just as they can learn from you. I have been fortunate enough to have had a tiny bit of success in the music business and I can tell you right now that I will be watching Mike's live drum lessons to pick up chops, learn new ways to study and practice my craft, as well as be part of great community of people. I highly recommend that you do the same.

What should I look for in a Music Teacher?

This is a pretty common question so I will start this new blog with this subject. I think there are some universal things you should be looking for when selecting a music teacher. First would be there competence in their given instrument. I think a lot of parents and even some adults probably feel like if the student is a beginner that the skill level of the teacher doesn't matter too much. We are talking about the skill that teacher possesses at their given instrument, not their ability to teach. We will get to that in a bit. I personally think this is a huge mistake that lots of people make. Let's apply this to sports. If you were going to learn how to play baseball or enroll your child in a baseball camp, which would you choose; a camp that had teachers who played in the major leagues, or a camp that has teachers that never even played in high school? Well of course you would choose the camp where the teachers had major league experience. Now this doesn't always mean that just because someone has excelled at their craft that they can teach others to do the same. However, the chances that they have some inside knowledge of what works best and how to apply it is high. In music this doesn't mean that the teacher has to have sold a million records, although that may help, but they need a high level of proficiency to be a good teacher. I get tons of teachers applying at my school, the Music Factory, who need to be taking lessons from us, not trying to teach others. Look for their education experience as well as their professional experience in their field. Ask for specifics with this. Lots of teachers will say they have tons of professional experience but when pressed don't really have much of a resume. If they are coming with a degree from a good music school your are probably safe even if they haven't excelled in the professional arena yet. It's a long haul for musicians and it may not be their time yet. Do some research when selecting a teacher, don't chose the most convenient or the first one that comes along. Most rates for private music lessons are in the same price range so there is no reason to settle for a poor teacher. The best teachers might only be a bit more expensive and it will be worth every penny.
    Once you have found a teacher who seems to posses a high level of competency in their instrument and has a proper education to back it up we want to look for some things that are easy to spot. First, is the teacher organized? Do they use a curriculum and a system of follow up with students and parents? This shows that the teacher has the ability to transfer their knowledge to someone else. We don't want a voice teacher who just shows the student how well they can sing but doesn't explain the technique in a way that is easy to understand and apply. Ask for examples of these things. Maybe take a trial lesson which most teachers and schools will do for free to see if the teacher has a good system in place. The experienced private music teachers have developed their methods over years of teaching.
     Lastly is the teachers personality. None of this other stuff really matters if the teacher is such a stick in the mud that you can't stand to be around them, This is also something to be looking for when you take a trial lesson.
    So a review.
1) competency
2) teaching method
3) personality


Danny Thompson is the drummer for the band Face to Face and is co-owner of the Music Factory School of Music in Costa Mesa California.
www.themusicfactoryoc.com