Forum > Andy Ziker - Q & A

Appreciation, Reflection, and Contribution

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Andy Ziker:
Appreciation
I’m extremely honored to have been chosen as part of the Chef’s Corner and this Q and A board. Thank you to Bart and everyone at Drummer Café for supporting my pursuits. Without the help of a lot of good people, I would never have found myself in such an unlikely position and amongst such esteemed company.

Reflection
A distinction such as this really makes you stop for a moment and take stock. From playing in my first band called Zarcus when I was 14 years old to writing the first version of my self-published book, Drumcapes in 1999, and on and on, a career summary begins to formulate in your mind. (If you want the full story, feel free to visit www.andyziker.com.)

• 31 years of performing drums in a variety of genres.
• 22 years of teaching drums
• 13 years of drum book writing
• 10 years (on and off) of teaching in the schools (4th grade, middle school science, preschool music, and 4-8 percussion class)
• 5 years of drum article/lesson writing (Drummer Café, Modern Drummer, OnlineDrummer, Percussion Partners, etc.)

I’ve done my best to try to balance work with family life and haven’t always succeeded. I tend to tunnel into my projects and stay there for protracted expanses of time. Thank you to my wife, Cindy, and my 4 step-kids (who are now adults) for putting up with this.

Contribution

It’s hard to believe that I would deserve such an honor as contributor to Chef’s Corner. However, when I take a step back and look at some of things I’ve accomplished over the years, maybe I do have a valuable perspective to offer.

At least in the Phoenix area, I’m quite often asked an assortment of questions from amateurs all the way to touring pros, so I’m used to trying to provide the best answers that I can.

Finally, I want to acknowledge that it can be difficult to participate (by asking a question) in the chef’s corner. Since Bart created it, I haven’t asked any of the chefs a question within the provided format. Maybe because I’m not famous and just a regular Joe, I can stimulate an increase in Q and A activity.

Either way, I just want to reiterate that I value and appreciate this spot in the Café. Happy drumming and let’s create a tremendous amount of new drummers out there!

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