How long have you been playing the drums & guitar; and what first got you into playing them?

• I started formally playing the drums in 6th grade when I first played the snare drum with the FIT band, but informally, probably when I was a toddler.  I think it was originally Animal the muppet that got me into drums as a little kid. I started using pots and pans to play the “drums” and I loved it. I started guitar right before 8th grade when I went and bought my acoustic guitar. I think what got me into the guitar was YouTube. I would watch a bunch of YouTube guitarists and I wanted to be able to play like them. 

What challenges did you face when starting to play both Guitar and Drums?

• Both the drums and guitar are painful instruments. One of the hardest parts starting out on the drums is developing the muscles in your forearms and calves. This is especially the case when playing faster. You would think that it’s easy, but as a beginner, if you try to play for more than 10 minutes, you will start to feel the burn and would have to stop to take a break. The next day, muscles you didn’t even know existed will be sore. The guitar is kind of similar. The strings will really hurt your fingers until you build callouses. Unlike drums, the cycle of pain won’t end because those callouses will eventually fall off and you will have to develop new ones. It’s great. 

What is one piece of advice you have for someone who chooses to start learning to play the Drums/ Guitar?

• One piece of advice I have for someone starting to play the drums is to learn music theory. It is so incredibly important if you want your life to be easier in the long run. Even learning basic music theory will make any group playing with a band, orchestra, or other ensemble so much easier not just for you, but for the people around you. For the guitar, one piece of advice I have is learn the fretboard early so you don’t have to do it later. If you know where all the different notes are all over the fretboard, it will make your life so much easier. Do it early so you don’t have to do it later.

What other extracurricular activities do you enjoy doing?

•  Other than music, I love surfing, snowboarding, and martial arts. They keep me sane when I’m learning something difficult. 

What are you most looking forward to after graduation?

•  After graduation, I’m looking forward to going to college so I can join the local music scene there and study my major. I’m also looking forward to the release of my band's music (if I mix it all by then…) and the musical possibilities after high school.