Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with a former student. He was one of my up and coming drummers. He is currently first chair in the HS jazz ensemble and he loves playing jazz and I loved teaching him. He wants to go to music school and he wanted my advice. I told him that to succeed in the music industry you have to have multi-faceted skill sets to seek employment opportunities. I told him that no matter how old we are or what level of musicianship we are at that we are always going to be learning new things...always a student. Approximately 15 years ago I began to study piano and composing. My mentor and teacher Mark Harrison (who is a senior advisory member on this platform) still works with me today as I continue to improve my writing and composing. I composed this Film Score while attending the Scorecraft Academy several years ago. The workshop lasted close to 8 months and I wrote over 12 film scores during that time. It would be great to find work with a Netflix or Apple filmmaker and I have done some behind the scenes work with some composers but my point is that I got out of my comfort zone and stepped into territory where I can really learn from. Anyway, two things to emphasize in this post. The first being, the knowledge gained got me to a point where I was eventually hired as a Sound Designer and Performer for an off Broadway musical theatre outfit here in St Petersburg. The second point is that my recent partnership with my old school "Dick Grove School of Music" is allowing me to offer discounted courses that are truly remarkable. I consider some of these courses the equivalent of attending courses like the Berklee College of Music. Going to Berklee or Juilliard is expensive and here at Rhythm Factory we can offer quality courses at a fraction of the cost, in your home, on your own time. Here is the video and hit me back if you got any questions..

Hello from Southwest Florida! My name is Bill McCarthy and I am a professional musician looking to create an online forum for drummers, musicians and really anybody who wants to learn and exchange information about drums, electronic drums, music production, music theory and anything that is relevant to enjoying the pathway to navigating the beautiful journey in learning music. From an academic standpoint, I studied at the Dick Grove School of Music in my early years and I am currently enrolled as a graduate student in the Masters In Music Production Program at the Berklee College of Music. I will start off by briefly introducing myself. First off, I have been studying drums since I was a young boy. Playing on pillows while listening to the radio was my first real beginning but I was lucky enough to grow up on Long Island New York where there was a plethora of famous drummers who took me under their wing. My first drum teacher was a guy named Guy Gelso who played in the band Zebra. He was phenomenal but extremely busy touring with his successful band. Thanks to Mike Abatte and Dennis Ricci at the Long Island Drum Center my tutelage veered toward my two main teachers: Dom Famularo and the venerable Al Miller. Both were instrumental into getting my reading and playing chops together. After several years, my playing advanced to the professional level and I began to audition and land some paying gigs. While working day jobs and going to school, drums became a lucrative part time job for the next 30 years. I also had the opportunity to study over the years with luminaries such as Jeff Hamilton, John Reilly, Gordy Knudston, Henrique D'Almeida, Frank Bellucci, and Joe McCarthy. Due to my day job with the State Department, I also had the privilege of living on the continent of Africa for 15 years. During my time overseas I played countless gigs and festivals with local artists and artists associated with the State Department Jazz Ambassadors program affiliated with the State Department's Public Diplomacy Office. This period gave me tremendous insight into third world rhythms and I was lucky to have this opportunity to share and learn the arts and culture of many different types of music in Côte d'Ivoire, Kinshasa DRC, Niger, Botswana, South Africa, etc..Thankfully, I am now in the second chapter of my life and I now have the time and experience to perform professionally and teach music full time.

Folks. I have fantastic news. A partnership has emerged with one of the best musical institutions that has ever existed. My alma mater 'The Dick Grove School of Music” has been closed for years however the school's current owner, curator Dirk Price, has diligently continued to keep the school's legacy alive by offering the courses in a digital and video package. In my honest opinion, this educational material is fantastic and I have been through almost the entire curriculum. The course below is the equivalent of attending a top tier music school for a year and realize that attending Berklee or Juilliard for one year could cost you close to 80 or 100 grand. This partnership will allow Rhythm Factory members to enjoy significant discounts if anyone is interested in stepping up their skill sets in topics such as piano, ear training or composing. I am very excited to offer these courses through this partnership and hope that some of you consider these courses as you evolve in your musical journey. Onward and upward!

Team Rhythm Factory: I plan on doing a Community hang to talk about my approach to learning songs. Below is a tune that I had to learn for a country tribute band when I lived back in DC in 2009. I had to chart it out and the artist wanted the arrangement and style to be close as possible to the original. Anyway, the band was happy and my method on how I approached this challenge was really a great learning experience. Are there any specific days or time where some of you may be interested in participating? LMK in the comments. Thanks B

Check this out while drinking your morning coffee. The WDR band is a world class big band and I am a huge fan.. give this a listen and let’s start a conversation about this topic.