Gafoo’s Blog

I was thinking to myself today as I was hard at work on more music for So Cal Dream that I really have a great life. About a year ago I made the decision to pursue drumming as a more than just a hobby but possibly as a career. Yes, it’s a somewhat wierd career that pays little but it’s just something that I love to do. Now it’s a year later and I really feel like I have made some headway into this field. I got the opportunity to teach and write for 3 different high school groups as well as tech for a DCA corps that is starting to make waves in a national circuit. I am now the caption head of that drum corps drumline and starting the long and arduous process of forging a name for myself in the world of marching percussion. It is so wierd to me that my life can be totally about drumming but just to give you an example of what my schedule is like…

Monday - Wake up and write either music or drill for the high school groups or music for Dream, then in the afternoon I teach a beginner class for prospective drumline members at Montebello HS
Tuesday - Wake up and more writing followed by a practice with Montebello Indoor drumline that takes up my entire evening and then some. (sorry Alyssa but thanks for being so understanding about never getting to see your husband)
Wednesday - More writing and driving about an hour to teach for Bell Gardens that again consumes a large part of my evening.
Thursday - Not a lot of writing done on this day because I schedule both high schools to have 3 hour rehearsals and yet another day that Alyssa doesn’t see me earlier than 9pm (and sometimes much later)
Friday - now that drumline is much more regular and settled down at Dream, on this day I have added a 4 hour sectional for the battery that happens every week. And again, seeing Alyssa no earlier than 9pm (my god, why doesn’t she kill me? She is a saint!

Saturday - Either 1 of three things occur on Saturday. 1. High School rehearsal. 2. High School competition. 3. Dream camp. Either way, Saturdays end up being an all day thing for me and if it’s a competition I usually get up at 6am and don’t get home until 1am in the morning.
Sunday - Either a Dream camp or a rare day off though I usually choose to write music on this day as well.
This schedule has been pretty solid for the last 3 months and though it will slow down with school getting close to being over, I am probably gonna fill my plate again with holding summer rehearsals and clinics for even more high schools!

It may sound like I am complaing but I as I was off to teach my beginning percussion class today (something I have always wanted to do at South but for some reason I never did) I realize that I am doing exactly what I want to do with my life. Again, it’s a wierd career choice and I know I have some more hard times ahead until I can make this a profitable career but, hey, we all gotta start somewhere right. I can’t wait to see what around the corner for me.