Wow, great stories! It seems that most of us have had some guiding angel or bodhisattva who was there at the critical moment to open the door or simply to show us there was a door. My early guru (among others) was Joe Caterino, my Jr. high band director (Nautilus Jr. High, Miami Beach, FL). When I joined the band, I had had about 6 months of drum lessons (rudimental, not set), and had never played in a group. My mother was a professional concert violinist (stage name Joan Field) and my step-dad played in the 2nd violin section of the local orchestra. Though both of them were inspirational to me, I had little interest in "typical" classical music, even though some of the finest string players around would meet regularly at our house to play quartets. I mainly enjoyed the refreshments! My attraction was the drums, and soon after I joined the band, I became totally hooked on playing. It's all I wanted to do. In those days you could take home a band instrument for weeks at a time, even if it wasn't your instrument. I had a blast trying to teach myself clarinet, trombone, trumpet. The trumpet appealed to me the most, reinforced by the fact that Mr. Caterino was an excellent player and role model. I owe a great deal to him to this day, and to all the other mentors and friends along the way. I continued playing percussion, mainly tympani, through my first year in music school, simultaneously developing my trumpet chops. Finally I switched majors in my 2nd year and graduated in trumpet performance. It was a choice I never regretted, especially when I see my tympanist colleagues loading their equipment! Deep thanks to Joe Caterino, Jack Pinto, Ludwig Throm, Hall Overton and William Vacchiano (all deceased now) for enriching my life.
Cheers,
Chas Reskin
Editions Bim and The Brass Press, International Music Publishing