The art of drumming has been around for thousands of years. People have always hit different things to create new and interesting sounds, whether they use their hands or some type of stick.
Some people at the age of 3 (like myself) just picked up a couple wooden spoons from the kitchen drawer and set up the pots and pans like my own personal drum kit. Hitting the pots and pans was freeing, it felt like the music was flowing through my veins. I could feel it coursing through me, making me want to keep playing my “wonderful music”. I was immediately transported onto a gigantic stage where I was playing the drums for the biggest names out there.
I continued to be a pots and pans drummer for the next few years until I graduated up to trash cans. Now the whole neighborhood could “enjoy my music”. It wasn’t too much longer and I got my first real drum kit at the age of 8. I was ecstatic! I finally had the real thing and now everything would just come naturally and I’d be the best drummer around, man was I wrong.
I didn’t realize at that point exactly how much time and effort I would need to pour into this instrument. I quickly realized that I was going to need some help. So, my parents started looking around to different music stores trying to find me drum lessons. We settled on one guy for a month or so but it wasn’t the right fit. Then we came across a man who would transform my life for the better. He would take me to where I wanted to go with my music. With almost 10 years of instruction, he took me from playing very basic rock beats to playing Big Band Jazz, Latin, Funk, Soul, Disco, Classic Rock and many, many more. I took his knowledge and ran with it. In fact, I started teaching the drums the same way that I was being taught.
I had a classmate ask me to help him with a certain song he was trying to learn. As it turned out I really enjoyed helping him so I asked him if he would like to take lessons from me and he agreed, so I had my first student on the books and I was only twelve years old! From there I continued to teach and get more students, creating a nice little side hustle so I didn’t have to get a “real job”. During my years of teaching, I have had the opportunity of teaching the drums to dozens of amazing young men and women and even a few not so young men and women.
I recognized my passion for teaching at a young age and that passion has never wavered. Over the 28 years that I’ve been teaching, my love for this medium has steadily grown. I currently own Back Beat Drum Studios in Elk Ridge, Utah where I have the best students around. I couldn’t be more proud of the progress they are making. I look forward to each of their lessons every week. Teaching truly brings me a joy like nothing else. You can find me on social media at Devin Field or Back Beat Drum Studios. If you have any questions about drumming or drum lessons, please feel free to call or text me at 801-821-8695.
Public submission by Devin Field.
