On a quiet Friday in Lincoln, Nebraska the Students of Pound Middle School were treated to a drum clinic by Robert F. Rodriguez.
A former student of their teacher Scott Vicroy, Robert was more than happy to come in and work with his students.
"He was one of the teachers who made a big impact on my life. I consider Mr. Vicroy, Joe Holmquist and Wayne Goins to be some of my best teachers. So it was a blast working with Mr. Vicroy again!" - Robert F. Rodriguez
Robert has had a reputation of drumming in various types of bands some of which include Jazz, Metal, Punk, Hardcore and even Blues. His clinic not only explained the history of drumming but would go on to tie Rock, Techno and various other styles to Jazz.
"The point of my clinic is for kids to become open minded. Right now a lot of kids are at an age where they just want to fit in. My goal with this clinic is to get them to step outside of their comfort zone and to start listening to other forms of music. - Robert F. Rodriguez
One of the ways Robert did this during his clinic is by covering every single style of drumming both in the underground and in the mainstream. (The art of playing things like Jazz, Latin, Rock, Metal and even things like pop music.)
A lot of drummers today are too stubborn to acknowledge things like Techno or Dubstep. Mostly because of the heavy use of pre-programmed electronic instruments but in order to connect with these kids you have to understand what they listen to. It doesn't make sense to tell someone not to like something just because you don't enjoy the style yourself. It's a common mistake that a lot of musicians/teachers make today. - Robert
Towards the end of his clinic Robert would tie every thing to Jazz. Taking the common "drumbeats" that you would hear in today's mainstream music, going back to the roots and explaining where that "drumbeat" came from. Many of the students were surprised to learn that several of what they perceive as "cool and modern" drumming could be tied into things like Disco, Latin, Funk and Swing.
By taking these kids to the roots of everything it helps them to understand what they are listening to rather than trying to change what they listen to. Even things like Metal have a root with Jazz. Especially technical Metal. - Robert
At the end of the day many of the students would seem interested in listening to different forms of music. He would also hand out a pair of his signature drumsticks to a certain number of students who seemed the most invested with everything he was teaching.
This was one of my favorite performances that I have ever done. Even better than some of the bigger shows I have done over the years. - Robert
The picture above is of Robert F. Rodriguez, Scott Vicroy and his father Douglas Rodriguez.
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