I have been playing drums for about six years. When I drum, it’s as if every little problem leaves my mind. My teacher’s name is David Dreyfus and he is 43 years old. He has added a key component to my life that shows in what I do every day. He has taught me not only rhythms and beats, but life lessons that are valuable. David has influenced some of my decisions with knowledge and wisdom. He teaches me how to do one of my favorite things every week.
Over the many lessons that we have had I have learned many things that help me with life in general. One quote that he told me that really impacted the way I act is, “Effort is Success.” This motivated me to always try my best in what I do, whether it is drumming, school, or sports. If I give no effort, I will not succeed. Sometimes at the end of the lesson he will leave me with thought provoking subjects. Then at the next lesson, he sees if I have mustered up an opinion about subjects.
One of the most indelible things he has ever said to me about drumming was, “You are probably not going to play lacrosse when you are 70, Dylan, but I bet you can drum until you are 90.” When he left that day I thought about what he said and I realized he was right. I also thought about the chances of getting injured from sports, and concluded that it was quite unlikely that I would come out of a sports career uninjured. If I ever got severely hurt I would never be able to do what I love, which is drumming.
The moment that I realized how much David affected my life (in addition to above) was when I didn’t have him in my life. One summer David made the decision to leave fast paced Long Island life to live in Vermont. At the end of my last lesson with him we said good bye to each other and I almost was driven to tears. It was in those few months that I realized how much he impacted my life. But I had no choice but to move on. My family and I tried to find a teacher that I liked but no other teacher taught or thought like David did. For a few weeks I lost enthusiasm for drumming. Then one day the phone rang and David was on the other line with news that he is returning to live on Long Island. It wasn’t long until David and I studied drums again.
David came back wiser and more knowledgeable than before. And I developed a new sense of what David meant to me. David has helped me by teaching me how to work through frustration, which sometimes gets in the way of concentration. He has taught me that what you put in is what you get out. This motivates me to practice more. David and I are still studying together and I hope he continues to teach me life lessons in addition to drumming. David has made me a more intelligent drummer and person. He has impacted my life for the better.
Dylan Maggio (11 years old)