Young Fella

A few words on the drum teacher we employ thanks to a referral from a good friend who upon learning of my drum girl wishes said…”I have just the guy for you.”

Brian Prokop did not blink an eye as I proposed lessons for both my older self and my oldest daughter. I wondered if I was his oldest student but did not say it out loud. I also wondered if he thought I was a silly old lady trying to pick up a musical instrument in her almost middle years. Almost five years later and I am quite certain I may be his oldest student but equally certain he does not believe me to be a silly old lady pursuing her musical dreams. His patience over my frustrations and excitement over my accomplishments says it all. I feel lucky we have found someone who works equally well with me and also with my two drummer daughters. We all are pursuing different paths and genres but he is quite flexible and skilled in helping each of us achieve our skill sets to be successful in what we are each trying to accomplish. I always appreciate his willingness to respond to questions via email or text and sometimes long winded (on my part) phone conversations. One of the biggest issues for me is trying to overcome the self consciousness I feel when having a lesson and this young fella is staring at me as I am playing. There has to be some life lesson here and I can only hope that some day I will not be afraid to come out of the basement where all of our musical instruments are housed and perform in public. (This may require some sort of therapeutic intervention in the future) I have never been one to shy away from performing. As a dancer I love, love, loved the performance part of my life but the confidence I felt in my skill set was strong and as of now I can only dream of acquiring a drum skill set which brings me the same sense of surety and enjoyment.

I plan on posting feedback from the Professor here after my bi-monthly lessons.

For those interested in the professor:

Brian Prokop

Prokop.brian@gmail.com

http://www.brianprokop.com