With less than a month before WGI Percussion World Championships, Dan sits down with his friend Tommy Roam of The Bluecoats and Kettering Fairmont High School. They discuss holistic approaches to percussion education, how Tommy has built the culture between his middle school and high school programs, and their current outlooks on 2023 Percussion Independent World. 

That Dan Band Show, Ep. 34: Tommy Roam on Percussion Education & Passion

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Episode Time Stamps

00:00:00 - 00:03:34 - Intro

00:03:34 - 00:07:30 - How's it going at Kettering this season?

00:07:31 - 00:09:51 - Beefing up your middle school program as a feeder for your high school programs

00:09:52 - 00:11:05 - Are you training your students in a certain style of drumming or more rhythmic concepts?

00:11:06 - 00:14:50 - "There's no one correct way to do things [when it comes to teaching]" and how you're going to learn from other people and it's going to be different

00:14:51 - 00:19:55 - Knocking down the walls percussion sections sometimes put up between each other and teaching with the intent of making the ensemble better holistically. "I see it all as music."

00:19:56 - 00:22:23 - Zooming out your lens so you can better help the kids be successful

00:22:24 - 00:24:33 - Being a hybrid percussionist and the qualities of a great drummer

00:24:34 - 00:26:04 - Exposing the students to more than just one kind of instrument to help them be a better overall percussionists

00:26:05 - 00:31:21 - Embracing discomfort and how to be a reliable member

00:31:22 - 00:32:38 - Being okay with being terrible before you're able to develop your skills, both as a member and a percussionist. "It's all about just how much you care about it."

00:32:39 - 00:33:53 - We're nothing without passion for what we do

00:33:54 - 00:40:05 - Embracing the grind but also embracing having fun with your fellow members

00:40:06 - 00:42:08 - Creating culture intentionally within a program

00:42:09 - 00:44:02 - Being authentic

00:44:03 - 00:45:46 - Showing up every day as a teacher who makes your students better, and being okay with the members checking you when you're not

00:45:47 - 00:49:45 - How do you get your membership to believe in what you're doing? 

00:49:46 - 00:53:10 - Focusing on the craft rather than the outcome

00:53:11 - 00:56:47 - How you Tommy's experiences of teaching the Bluecoats vs a high school/middle school group inform your teaching philosophy?

00:56:48 - 00:59:42 - Seeing members you've taught from a young age go on to instill your teaching in their students

00:59:43 - 01:04:15 - What makes a bass drummer ready and equipped to audition for a top DCI group?

01:04:16 - 01:06:28 - Make yourself a machine backed by consistent skills

01:06:29 - 01:11:20 - What is your take on members reaching out to staff members ahead of DCI auditions?

01:12:20 - 01:18:20 - Tommy's take on the 2023 PIW landscape & what shows he's seen

01:18:21 - 01:28:51- Why you should lean into your own group's style and try something new rather than emulating someone else's style

01:28:52 - End - Outtro