What Learning to Play Drums Has Taught Me

     

     I started playing drums in July, the very first instrument of any type that I've attempted to play. With no prior knowledge of reading or playing music and barely knowing each part of the drum kit I began taking lessons. Lets get this straight; there's beginners... and then there's me, way down below beginner level. Within the first month I was sitting at my drum kit, blurry eyed from tears, staring at my snare drum sheet music I taped to my crash cymbal. In that month I also learned simple beats, including a bass snare bass snare rhythm that is very basic but used a lot, excited I listened for it in every song on my play list or radio. With this, I persevered knowing that "anything worth having doesn't come easy."

New Years Resolutions

I've never failed a New Years resolution simply because I have never made any. I can't fail if I don't try so I never bothered. But this year I pulled out my notebook and plotted different ideas for possible goals and what I would do to achieve them. These were the four I picked and what I'm doing to stay motivated for them.

1. Workout more (eating healthy ties in with this one obviously although it not one of my specific written goals)

- Workout at least 3 times a week

- Follow fitness related Instagrams, Pintrest boards, and Twitter accounts.

- The "Pop Punk 5" workout (Via)

- Never skip a Monday because knowing me, I won't do it the rest of the week. 

- Find new workouts, keep it fresh. 

2. Drum more

- 15 minutes almost every day

- Keep my practice pad where I can see it

- Pictures of my drummer inspiration/music quotes (Pat Kirch from The Maine is my biggest inspiration <3)

- Watch drumming videos

3. Write more

- Write something or edit something almost every day

- Poems, blog posts, stories, journal entries

- Jar of journal prompts (from Pinterest)

- Read writing tip posts to motivate myself and better my writing. 

4. 52 Lists Project

- ipod reminders so I don't forget about it

Favorite Songs of 2013

Oh, the great music each year brings.
The songs I play on repeat for days or weeks.
The songs I tell no one about. (*cough* OneDirection *cough*)
The songs I hear in concert and yell the lyrics with a grin on my face.
The ones that get me through the hardest days.
The ones that are musts for dance parties by myself.
Each song becomes my own personal sound track, and here's the biggest ones for me from 2013.

Remembering the Summer...

   Well, today has started a new school year. High hopes of it being better than last year (which involved over thirty overdue lessons and almost failing multiple classes. Oops.) But this summer was amazing. Most summers are o k, camp every year and maybe one other trip but other than that just a whole lot of boring nothingness. But this year I got to do so much and I've learned a lot about myself through the experiences.