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Drumming for the Song

What combines the excitement and inspiration of a concert with the educational value of a drum lesson? A drum clinic!

Drumming for the Song is a workshop series with a focus on drumset composition within a songwriting context.

Are you a drummer looking for more insight into how to function more efficiently in rehearsal and studio situations? Want to join the discussion about where drum parts for songs come from? Want to pick the brains of three of the area's most active drumset artists?

3pm Sunday, September 28th, three DC area drummers will present a workshop centered around what it's like to play drumset in a band. How do you help control the tension and release within a song? How do you beg/borrow/steal parts but make them your own? What are tips and pointers for being efficient and effective in the studio, at a rehearsal and on the road?

Ben Tufts is an active drumset artist, educator, photographer and writer in the DC metro area. In the past two years, he's played over 300 shows with over 30 acts, covering most of the continental United States. He'll be demonstrating ideas and grooves from several of the recordings he's participated in this year.

Isabelle De Leon is a prominent drummer and writer in the Washington DC area whose projects and endeavors are widespread across various genres. As a solo artist, she was featured as an Artist-in-Residence as a jazz drummer at the Strathmore Performing Arts Center for the 2012-2013 season. For the last 5 years, she was the leader, drummer, recording pianist, and collaborative songwriter of the all-female Alternative Rock band, Ivy Rose, who appeared on America's Got Talent and opened for Weezer and Ben Folds. Currently, she is the drummer of up-and-coming Indie Pop band, Prinze George, and also freelances all over the DMV. She is excited to talk about the importance of creative drumming in the songwriting process and share various examples of grooves and patterns.

Adam Ashforth's compositional and passionate drumming on the new Dr. Robinson's Fiasco album has a lot of people talking. A DC area native, Adam plays with a number of other artists in the region, while maintaining a private teaching practice AND serving as the assistant band director at Westfield High School in Chantilly, VA.