Today, I’m excited to have my colleague, drummer, Tom Hipskind on to discuss performance preparation, the difference between finding a good school and trying to get into a famous school, transitioning into the professional world, how he prepared for his audition for Hamilton, and much more.
Just before Covid hit, Tom finished up a 3.5 year run as the drummer for Hamilton (Chicago production). Tom has also performed with Mark O’Connor, Diane Delin, Steve Cole, and many more. Tom is an in-demand drum teacher. Tom is also a core member of The Mix, advertised as the most versatile party in the world!
Tom creates custom drum tracks out of his home studio for a wide range of styles. and I encourage you to check out his blog where he writes about topics ranging from Neal Peart (drummer for Rush), how to get theatre work, awareness in performance, and my personal favorite, “Do People Really Notice?”
We Cover:
- Neal Peart’s influence on Tom as a kid and how that stoked his curiosity.
- How he quit lessons when he was young and then returned to instruction later in high school.
- How he was guided as a student to understand there are many different paths within the music industry.
- Tom’s higher education experience began in Junior College.
- How Tom’s Dad wanted him to make sure he had “something to fall back on.”
- How music school helped Tom to realize that he was not only capable of creating a career in the music industry but his peers would support him in doing so.
- How his college instructor influenced him as a musician and helped him realize the 3 areas he wanted to pursue professionally.
- What to focus on when you’re considering a music school.
- What happened during Tom’s first lesson with his college drum instructor.
- How the film Jiro Dreams of Sushi spoke to Tom in regards to “taste” in music.
- Approaching a musical theatre drum chart.
- How Tom prepared for his Hamilton audition and what surprised the musical team about his audition.
- Quantitative and qualitative practice.
- Handling high-pressure performance settings.
Links Mentioned:
- Tom's Website and Blog
- Talking Drums with Tom Hipskind Video.
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Theme Music:
‘Elegua’ from Axiom Asunder by The Majestic Jazz Orchestra
Composed by Buzz Jones.