As I write this, we are smack dab in the middle of the COVID crisis. This pandemic has affected us all now for many months. I mention this because it’s had a massive impact on musicians working in touring and recorded entertainment. By the time you read this, hopefully many things will have settled down. But we still don’t know exactly what our “new normal” will look like. What will live shows look like? Will local gigs, open jams, and larger shows ever be the same? How far away are we from being back to what we once knew as normal? All of these questions have a common component: time. Only time will give us the answer. So in the meantime, what do we do?

Back in the October 2016 issue, I wrote about retooling your business plan. I believe this continues to be the key to understanding a blueprint for the future of drumming as a hobby or as a profession. Most of us started playing drums to play music with other musicians. We want to create songs and have the exhilaration of performing those songs with and for other people.

During this pandemic, one of the main outlets for musicians to connect has been via video conferencing platforms like Zoom and FaceTime. Even though the technical challenges are great, we’ve found a way to continue to make music. Some of us are piecing together pre-recorded performances to a click to create full ensembles. I’ve also been part of orchestral sessions where we use HD output streaming with a common conductor.