Personal Narrative: High School Jazz

The first time I was ever daunted sitting at a drum kit, was at my first gig with my high school jazz ensemble during my freshman year. It was the night of the Presidents Circle Dinner, an event dedicated to the individuals who donated a substantial amount of money to my school. All the people I had to impress. Not only was I new to playing in front of a crowd but I was also new to playing jazz itself. During the performance of C Jam Blues, the band director pointed at me, hinting that I, the second string drummer, would be taking the next solo. The solo I played that night was the worst bit of drumming I have ever done. After that performance, i realized that the road ahead of me was going to be long and hard.

Over the past four years I
have spent hours upon hours of my time hunched over a drum kit, practicing jazz, latin, reggae, funk and countless other genre grooves all by myself. To this day i have never had a professional lesson. One afternoon during October of my senior year, i realized my hard work was going to pay off. I was sitting at a drum kit in a school band room. This was the second time that I had ever felt daunted sitting at a drum kit. In this room I sat in front of four representatives for the Monterey Jazz Festival (MJF) which is arguably the most prestigious jazz festival on the planet. I was there to audition for the drumming spot on the MJF high school All-Star Honor Band. The top three high school jazz drummers in the Monterey County were invited to audition for the band and of those three drummers, I was the only drummer accepted into the band. Thanks to my hard work, dedication and musical proficiency, I now get the chance to play and learn with today's greatest jazz legends and nurture my passion for drumming.