I’ve heard all the excuses:
‘I’m too old, it’s too late, I could never start now.’
We’re going to bust all those myths today when you meet Viola Smith. She was still rocking the drums at over 100 years young!
I’ve been blessed to spend time with many of the ‘Yoda’ figures in drumming, and they all had one thing in common: drumming kept them ‘child-like’ full of energy and passion. Drumming is the fountain of youth!
One thing we can steal from these drumming greats is the lightness and carefree attitude that comes from living a life of NO REGRETS. You can hear it in Viola’s voice and in her laughter. This is the limitless energy that comes from drumming and having the courage to take action on your dreams.
Once you know how to flow around the drums effortlessly, you’ll actually will get better as you age. One of the dangers of drumming without a foundation, is burnout. That’s why in the LTR DRUMMING METHOD, we say, ‘how you move is how you groove!’ Learning how to MOVE so you can dance the drums is the secret to drumming past 100 and beyond.
To me, the biggest takeaway is that Viola has worked to create something more valuable than money or fame: memories and experiences. And if she can do it, so can we.
She also tells us that drumming doesn’t feel like work, and that’s why she’s so full of life! We don’t work the drums, we play the drums.
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Picasso
Let’s meet Viola Smith and see how she does it!
