Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is approaching, and as grooveKSQ enters its third year (already!), there are many things and people to be thankful for:

The students, who work hard to get better every week, and come up with interesting ideas for material to develop;

The parents, for supporting the students, bringing them to and from lessons, and reminding the students to practice;

The donors who have made financial contributions to assist in carrying out grooveKSQ’s programming; and

The business partners who have sponsored events, or have participated in projects with us.

THANK YOU ALL, without this tremendous growing community, none of our programming would happen. There are big plans for 2021 that I will share with you in the coming weeks. Until then, I hope that you all stay safe during this challenging time.

grooveTALK, Ep. 2: John Evans, principal timpanist Naples Philharmonic

John Evans, principal timpanist, is in his thirtieth season with The Naples Philharmonic Orchestra. He received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from The Ohio State University and a Master of Music degree from Temple University, where he was a student of Alan Abel, former associate principal percussionist of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

This is a great conversation that contains many lessons for aspiring professionals.

This episode of grooveTALK features John Evans, the principal timpanist for the Naples Philharmonic. John Evans, principal timpanist, is in his thirtieth sea...

Wednesday Sermon: All That Matters

During the Wednesday Throwdowns, I try to lead the viewers through as many exercises as possible at varying tempi. Every so often a mini-sermon comes out, and this one I think is worth you time. (It’s all of two minutes long). You can tune in to our Monday live improv sessions and Wednesday Throwdowns on Twitch here.

At my percussion studio, I run a Wednesday afternoon rudimental workout. The purpose to help build speed and chops and dexterity. Sometimes, a mini sermon co...

grooveKSQ Turns Two!

It was two years ago on October 1, 2018 that grooveKSQ opened its doors to aspiring drummers and percussions. This is a thank you message to all the aspiring...

It was two years ago on October 1, 2018 that grooveKSQ opened its doors to aspiring drummers and percussionists. This is a thank you message to all the aspiring musicians who have or are studying here, and especially their families for their support and also to our donors and financial supporters who recognize the value of arts education and community building through the arts.

I am very much looking forward to year three and beyond. One great way to stay in the loop is to join our email list, by texting GROOVEKSQ to 66866 on your smartphone. If you are interested in studying at groove, or want to know more about any upcoming programming, please email me.

Improvising in Your Practice

Routine is important, particularly when you are warming up. Routine gives you a benchmark by which you can judge your progress. For example, if you play the same flam progression warmups everyday with a metronome, over time you will notice that you can play those progressions faster with good quality.

However, it is also extremely important to improvise or freeform during your practice. For example, yesterday I wanted to work on dexterity and sound quality moving around the toms. I didn’t have any preplanned patterns that I was going to work on, I just sat down and whatever came out of my hands was what it was. Very liberating, and it injects some freshness to your practice routines that will benefit you down the road.

This is a simple concept - a relaxed free form movement around the kit. Try different feels (straight 8th, dotted quarters, 16th notes, 24th notes). Stay rel...

All About the May grooveKSQ Schedule...

For a teaching studio and live events producer, the current crisis has presented some real challenges. Lessons have transitioned to an online format temporarily, as have some of our other events. Around this time of year, we are typically preparing for the student grooveFEST performances. Of course, these are tough decisions to make, but everyone’s safety comes first.

For the month of May, here is what is happening:

Rhythm & Words is postponed. This event was designed to be live, in front of an audience. To move this particular event online would do a disservice to the performers and to the audience. I absolutely LOVE this performance concept and it will happen, but it will be presented in its optimal format when the conditions allow.

grooveFEST is postponed. For the same reasons. The educational benefit to the students is from the experience of live performance. Moving that event online would likewise not serve its chief purpose - to educate (and celebrate) the students. As soon as we can hold that event live, we will. Stay tuned.

Tuesday Night Vinyl has become Virtual Vinyl. This is an example of an event that can be transitioned online and still accomplish most of its mission. There is no real substitute for having everyone in the same room, BUT, I think that going forward when live events can resume, we will keep a component of this where people can participate remotely. This month’s event is scheduled for Sunday, May 24th, 7:00pm via Zoom. Please email me for the login information. Good headphones highly recommended!!!

Thank you for your continued support, we will all get through this situation together.