Staying Connected in the Drum Community
The drumming community is actually a very small network of people who have a love of drums, drumming and percussion. For some it's a way to earn a living, for others a side-job to supplement income and for most/if not all - a lifelong passion.
Whether your passion is playing, teaching, the latest gear or learning from others our community has many resources for us to plug in to.
My favorite way to stay connected is thru the many drum Podcasts available such as Drummers Resource, The Modern Drummer Podcast with Mike & Mike and Working Drummer. These audio blogs are usually published weekly with name drummers, unknown drummers, producers or industry people and I learn something every week related to a new technique, a new band or something or someone I did not know about before.
Additionally, many if not all these guests are active on social media, with Instagram being the preferred vehicle these days quickly followed by Facebook. Instagram is a terrific tool to stay connected, provide updates and give feedback on topics, images and videos. It is also surprisingly easy to send and receive messages or comments from your favorite drummers and clinicians as the drum community is very vibrant, active and participatory. As example, I don't think Mark Guiliana, Mike Johnson, Rich Redmond or Todd Sucherman have the time to take my phone call with their busy schedule but we have communicated to each other via social media for the common purpose of learning and sharing our drum experiences - very cool.
It is a small world and getting smaller by the day given these amazing tools and resources that help connect us together on a daily basis. I highly recommended getting involved in the drum community and these references and ideas above are a great place to start.