Drumming Success : Part 2
Drew McKeon with John Cutrone at The Ridgefield Playhouse.
Communication is Key
That understanding of how to communicate the essential tools needed but also make it fun, is a quality that I have and gets better every day I teach. I go back again to my first teacher and remember what it was to be five years old and have somebody talk to you and really care about you and give you the great information that you need later in life. I also have the patience and understanding that it takes to work with someone who has never played music before but has the desire. Communication and knowing how to deliver information to someone is a skill and coming from myself I know how to play my instrument but I also know how to talk about it and get somebody else to be able to understand. That’s a rare skill and I’ve picked that up from my education and also my day-to-day education of playing with great musicians. That’s why I think I can help young people who later on in years many become great musicians.
Your Successful Musical Journey
Most people who study with me follow the same pattern that I did with my first teacher. Usually somebody who starts with me in first or second grade will usually take lessons through 12th grade and then still stay in touch with me through college and in their life after that. I have many success stories and later blogs I’ll go into detail about them. One of the biggest successes is my student Drew McKeon who studied with me from second grade till he went to college. Drew as an adult has called me many times and stays in touch and always says, “John, I love you”. That comes from my natural love of trying to help and have someone get a smile and a great feeling from accomplishing something that they really want to do in their life. Whether that love is part time or full time it still applies to having the right tools. Most of my doctors have all played music and my primary doctor now always talks to me about computers in music and playing saxophone and just a love of music. Even though he’s chosen a different career, music still lives with him. In the case of Drew McKeon, he decided to follow in a similar path to myself. He went to NYU, lived in New York and met lots of musicians and connected the dots. This has led him to be one of the most successful drummers and composers in the industry. I’m only mentioning these things because of the fact that Drew calls me all the time and says, “John, if I hadn’t learned the tools from you, I wouldn’t be in the recording studio.” Drew’s shortlist of success ranges from playing with Hall & Oates to touring for the past nine years all around the world with Michael Bolton. He recently recorded an album of Michael Bolton’s music with full orchestra. Drew continues to compose with his dear friend Alisan Porter who was the winner of the show The Voice a few years ago. They just wrote a great tune that was recorded with country stars Alison Krauss and Vince Gill. That song was nominated for a Grammy this year. The only reason I include all this information is to illustrate my success and in Drew’s case, taking someone who is in first or second grade and having nurtured him to become a well-respected musician in the industry. This is the special talent that I have in relating to someone in second grade or someone as an adult. I can explain and inspire the love that lives with me every day in my music.
To sum it up, the reason I am still playing music and able to enjoy and be recognized is because of the love of my teachers and the great musicians that I play with today who share their very unique and special talents with me through kindness and inspiration. I still remember vividly my very first lessons at five years old with the great drummer Tony Chirco who cared and helped me learn about something that I love.