Sticking With It

If you’ve ever started a new hobby, a new diet, or jumped into fitness, you’ve probably felt that shift from motivation into lethargy. At first, it feels exciting and fresh. But after a while, it’s all too easy to fall off the horse. Even something as small as a five-minute daily meditation can be hard to stick with long term.

I’ve seen the same thing happen to beginner musicians. Someone starts full of passion, but slowly the energy fades. Honestly, it can be heartbreaking to watch.

I think that starting drum lessons is a lot like starting a new fitness routine.

In my own life, I’ve started and restarted my fitness journey many times. Now, though, I’m at a point where even if I’ve missed months of training while on tour, I can slip straight back into my routine. Why now, and not before?

For me, it comes down to two things:

• Understanding the process

• Believing in the benefits

  
  

And it was my coach Brandon Harrison at OHM who changed all that.

Drum practice is no different. With guided lessons and a strong understanding of practice methods, my students get a “leg up.” They don’t just practice aimlessly, they know how to build habits and routines that will carry them further. They understand the process.

But that’s only half the battle. The other side of motivation is believing in the benefits.

This part is trickier with music than with the gym. Fitness has obvious outcomes: better health, strength, longevity. Music, on the other hand, is often thought of as just a relaxation tool.

But drumming isn’t always relaxing... it can be frustrating, messy, even overwhelming. What I’ve found is that it’s the act of working through those frustrations and reaching small progress points that gives you the satisfaction you need to keep going. That’s what’s kept me playing drums for most of my life.

Some people are driven by the idea of playing in a band and feeling the social connection that comes with it. Others chase that powerful moment of moving a whole venue of air with every strike of the drums (I remember feeling that same sensation when my first drum teacher played a bass drum in front of me the first time)

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Or maybe you just want to create and record your own music. Whatever the goal, believing in it gives practice a purpose. Without that, forming a permanent habit is tough.

Here’s the thing though... even if a student doesn’t have goals yet, and even if they don’t have a formulated practice routine, lessons themselves can still be pure joy and worthwhile

• Music is connection

• The brain gets a workout (especially through coordination).

• Lessons break up the week with something fun and different.

  
  

We can train for the stage, or we can simply enjoy showing up once a week. Either way, over time, you’ll feel the joy that drumming has to offer.

If you’d like help building an understanding of the process and discussing what you can get out of learning drums, I offer drum lessons in Perth or online.

Photo by Andrin Fretz at Winterthur City Music Festival