Drum, circle, kroc

From the pages of the Ashland Times-Gazette, Saturday, July 14th

Our oldest son Greg was in the trumpet section of the Shaker Heights Middle School band when a chance remark by the band director changed the course of his life – and mine.  “I need an extra hand in the percussion section today – does anyone want to give it a shot?”  Thus began the percussion lineage of the Shade family.

Greg’s little brother Dan couldn’t be left far behind, so by age 3 he was starting simple lessons: apple, apple, huckleberry, huckleberry, learning the rhythm of the paradiddle long before he knew what a drum roll was.  And now, in its second generation, the lovely Madelyn Simone can’t pass a drum without giving it a tap or two.  It’s in the genes.

It’s been quite the journey.  I’ve endured many a high school drum war, not sure if the victor was the most rhythmic, the best drumstick-twirler, or the loudest.  I’ve carried tons of drum equipment from the house to the mini-van to the gig and back, although I’m never allowed to carry the snare drum for fear I might drop it. But it wasn’t until last year that I was introduced to a drum circle.  How did I miss that all these years? 

The drum circle was held on a warm summer night at the First Friday series in downtown Canton, a street-fairish type celebration of the arts.  Greg was helping his friend Elec Simon as Elec led the community in an amazing symphony of drums, buckets, and sticks.  I was charmed by Elec’s style as he engaged veterans and novices alike, bringing a taste of his experience touring with Stomp to the Canton venue.   

My first reaction was:  wouldn’t it be fun if we could do this in Ashland?  So when it came time to plan the summer program for the Salvation Army Kroc Center, Elec, Greg and bass guitarist Matt Vick agreed to make the trek across Rt. 30 and lead a drum circle on July 14 – Saturday  at 3 p.m.!  I didn’t know at that point that there was an amazing drum circle at the high school, or who else in town shared my new-found passion – I simply saw this as a chance to connect people to music and to each other – and have some fun at the same time.  Only one condition – Greg had to promise to bring Madelyn with him.        

Although I’ve often warned against playing the “what if” game when it comes to life decisions, I couldn’t resist playing it myself as I write these words.  What if Greg had been shy and not raised his hand on that momentous day in the history of the Shade family?  What if the band director hadn’t chosen a selection that needed an extra percussionist?  What if we had said “no” when Greg wanted to make the permanent switch from trumpet to percussion?  My hearing might be a tad better today, but we would have missed out on so much over the years. 

That’s so true of life in general.  Some decisions take forever.  We seek the counsel of others, we bathe the choices in prayer, we make a list of the pros and cons, and we agonize over what direction to choose.  Other decisions happen in the blink of an eye.  We raise our hands, we volunteer, we flip a coin or we catch someone’s eye across a crowded room (as in the story of Ray and Joan Kroc), and the rest is history.     

We’ll all have our share of agonizing life decisions to make in the months and years ahead, but I’m not agonizing today.  I’m heading to the drum circle at the Kroc Center, rain or shine.  Last Christmas I found a colorful children’s gathering drum that I purchased for Madelyn, and I’ve been waiting ever since to bring it to the drum circle.  Be spontaneous – join me at the Kroc.  There’s room for a few extra hands or mallets around our gathering drum, or you can bring your own bucket, drum or conga.  And I’ll let you in on a secret – it’s OK just to watch and listen if you’re shy, but beware – you might catch the drumming fever!