Drum Week: Everyone Drum

I don't remember exactly when I got the idea that there should be a drum week. I know I mentioned it last December, and I'd already had it in mind for a while then. It could have made sense to do it in conjunction with Whiplash, but I still haven't seen it. The reason it occurred to me to do it now is because I saw a tweet that it was time for the 11th #everyonedrum.

Everyone Drum is a quarterly giveaway that Greg Wells does. People who do not have a drum set can send him a video of them drumming and one lucky person gets a new drum kit.

Wells is a music producer with a wide range of skills and experience.

http://gregwells.net/

I believe I started following him when he was working on a project with All American Rejects, but he works with a lot of people, and I follow a lot of musicians, so I can't swear to it.

What I do know is that I was already following him when he started, so I have been able to see eleven rounds now.

The first thing I found inspiring was Wells' generosity and commitment to putting music into more people's lives. Having instruments can be wonderful for creative expression, for discipline as you practice, and for relationship building as you collaborate with other musicians. Gear can also be expensive, and support in schools in unfortunately low. That someone can and does do this is great.

There have been other fun aspects is well. There are the pictures of people with their new kits, sometimes in far off places, and those beaming faces.

There are also the entry videos. One of the challenges is that the person entering for drums does not have drums. Some might have the option of playing on someone else's kit, if they know someone they can ask, but others get creative. They drum on their heads or counters or chairs.

That is fun, but it also makes me think more deeply about percussion. The most accessible way of making music is vocally, but after that it's drumming. So many things can stand in for drums. People can thump out rhythms on hollow legs, or clap and slap their legs, or create a surprising range of sounds on paint buckets.

That's one reason that the hash tag works so well. Not everyone will win a kit, but that's okay. No matter how wonderful it is to have a drum, everybody can drum.

#everyonedrum