About me
I shudder to think it, but I've played the drums for over 40 years now! and have played a wide range of musical styles in a range of settings.
I'm a very experienced educator, having taught at universities and colleges in North America and Europe, and feel I have a strong ability to connect with learners, understand what's important to them, what their goals are and then guide them there.
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It's an eclectic and ever expanding range of music genres I like to listen to, but if you push me I'd have to say 70s and 80s British rock and pop are my favorites (Roxy Music, Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Police, The Who, Elvis Costello amongst many) as well as Jazz, Classical and Latin.
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I started teaching drums here in Cochrane a few years ago after the parents of my son's friend asked me to give him a few lessons; I really enjoyed sharing my knowledge and experience and from then have built a good solid client base of learners from 6 to the wrong side of 50, helping them towards all sorts of different musical goals.
I was born in Sheffield, England in 1966 (incidentally, the last time we won the World Cup!) I started playing drums around the age of 10, well actually they weren't drums, they were Quality Street tins with cellophane stretched over them, and I used my Nanan’s knitting needles for sticks. I was also lucky enough to get a few tips from my Uncle Mick , a well renowned jazz drummer locally, who even took me to see Buddy Rich a couple of times too at the Crucible theatre in town.
I took lessons from a couple of drum tutors over the years (one of whom taught Rick Allan of Def Leppard too!) played in a few bands (even playing in a good ol’ fashioned brass band for a while!) and kept on going; exploring all sorts of musical styles, and along the way studying, and copying! the styles of many of the true drumming greats like: John Bonham, Phil Collins, Joe Morello, Keith Moon, Stewart Copeland, Steve Gadd, and of course Uncle Mick’s favorite, Buddy Rich.
Hobbies and Interests
I volunteer for a Canadian charity called CESO and have travelled the world completing close to 30 assignments advising businesses on Marketing (although Covid has put a real dint in this particular interest at present!) I am also an experienced and passionate photographer, often combining my overseas assignments with photographic adventures!
(You can see some of my images at EdwardTakesPictures.com)
My latest personal challenge is learning Spanish. I’ve been taking lessons for the last three years and my goal is to do an assignment in Latin America without the need of a translator. (Although I still have a little ways to go!)
I live in Cochrane with my partner, 2 hockey mad teens and 2 delightfully lazy cats called Rigby and Blueberry.