Simon Boyar Drum School

As I sit here listening to this I know that once again when it comes to my own music I've lost all objectivity. However, I can tell you this. I put this tune together during a very sad time for America and the world. Just look at the date on this post. There are no coincidences. Listen to "Sad World - Fight Another Day" here The Tune It's basically a sad progression with a guitar influenced vibes riff that sort of rolls along using a similar drum beat to another track I made  Sign Off  (this beat just keeps coming out). However, it eventually deviates. The vocal transformer or chipmunk voice sounded and felt right. I must have been remembering  Battles  and channeling my inner Frank Zappa. Speaking of Zappa  check out his basic business philosophy here. Pretty much sums up how I feel about so many things. Anyway... the sad progression transitions into a more energetic Brazilian-fusion section of sorts and then it just ends. I could definitely...

Students are set up with their instruments and ready to go for a Wednesday Program Meeting. These kids take their learning seriously and actively share with each other and participate. As a result, they have dramatically expanded their learning during this time. This is part 3 of 3 in my series focused on the new paradigm in music education. Check out the entire class on YouTube! Check out part 1 here Check out part 2 here Hope for the best but move forward with the spirit of innovation and the attitude of adaptability. Waiting things out is not a strategy.  Things are changing. If you've taken on the challenge of continuing your learning during this time, you are now experiencing true success. This will be something that you carry with you for the rest of your life. Adaptation is changing this business. Adaptation will change your business. You will never be the same. If you're not onboard yet it's not too late. It's never too late but it's alw...

This will be a short post. I'm writing music again and I posted three tracks as a sort of warm up routine. I will share some thoughts and quick observations. When dealing with my music I'm going to be as honest as possible. As I mentioned this turned out to be a warm up routine so I don't want to dwell on these projects. Just post and move on. I must admit that despite a good deal of experience I'm a bit rusty. With that said, it was so much fun doing this again and now I'm definitely ready to do more. Everyone has to break (or re-break) the ice now and again. Opening Listen to "Opening" here This one is the probably the best one although part of that has to do with this being the only one of the 3 that is properly mixed and mastered. I put it together awhile back for a promo video we made. I never really brought it to light as it's own track. Here it is. Very nice use of marimba delay and forward moving drums. Forward moving was the whole p...

This is part 2 of 3 in my series focused on the new paradigm in music education. Check out the entire class on YouTube! Check out part 1 here Hope for the best but move forward with the spirit of innovation and the attitude of adaptability. Waiting things out is not a strategy.  I believe in leveraging technology. It's always been a huge part of my business. I've also worked as a producer and I've been interested and engaged in music production for years both through my own projects as a writer/composer and student projects as well. As a result, content creation has always been a part of my skill set. Prior to COVID-19, my studio was so busy that I would constantly wish I had more time for content creation. Now with my entire studio online, these skills have dramatically come into use more than ever before and as a result students are flourishing. I would argue that this is yet another example of a prior trend being accelerated that is now here to stay. What ...

Be sure and check out the entire class on YouTube! Hope for the best but move forward with the spirit of innovation and the attitude of adaptability. Waiting things out is not a strategy.  I think this message is important right now. If you are someone who is sitting on the fence waiting for things to "return to normal" I believe that although you are well-meaning (and I am even with you in spirit) that is a mistake. Time marches on whether we like it or not. If you make the choice to put down your instrument during this time, you will be left behind. I believe that this is true for many things in our world. We should all hope for the best but move forward with the attitude of adaptability. I'm not saying that it's going to be easy but the sooner we move forward from a position of innovation and strength, the sooner we can discover that joy and progress is just as much a state of mind as it is a function of our environment. This post is the perfect suppleme...

What does it REALLY mean to work for yourself? I thought that I had learned the answer. Now as I find my way forward through this crisis, I realize that working for yourself only works when you actually do it. Let me explain... After years of trying to forge my own path I finally made it happen !  I no longer had to say yes to every gig or remain at a job in academia.  The Simon Boyar School of Drums and Percussion was (and still is) a huge success and I mean HUGE. Prior to COVID-19 I was meeting with about 35 amazing students a week and working with 2 ensembles. Clients would purchase gear from me on a near daily basis. Things were going so well that running the business became an equal amount of time spent figuring out how to expand. Expansion was inevitable or at least I thought it was.  Let’s back up a bit. It felt really good to finally be in charge of my life. For years I had struggled. Although I was always fortunate to be working as a musician and I had ...