Joel Turcotte - Thank You, Craigslist!
“I’m just tryin’ to see the world and get better at drums.”
Joel Turcotte is one of two back to back episodes where I am highlighting some exceptional grassroots players. Joel plays for the bands Writing in the Skies and his new band Peak Fiction. He is also involved in a new jazz fusion type trio, which is nameless so far. If you are familiar with Joel’s playing you will know that he has an affinity for “shedding” sessions and odd subdivisions/time.
Joel’s day job is teaching and working with special needs people. This opportunity was all due to a Craigslist ad that Joel’s mom found some time ago online. This job provides Joel an outlet to find unique methods to present teaching material to his students. He and his students also perform at senior homes. He feels that life has a weird way in working out sometimes and he values this job because it allows him the chance to follow his passion for music and teaching.
From time to time I like to shine a light on some players who I feel are deserving of an opportunity to be guests on this show. I don’t book them nearly as often these days but I will from time to time because these players are heavily involved in their process to reach their desired goals. Not only do they have interesting stories of how they got to where they are but you can hear it in their voices how immersed they are in their process.
Episode Outline
- Do we play better when we aren’t being recorded?
- How does pressure affect our ability to perform?
- We share perspectives on how to value the opportunity to play music for a living.
- Joel works with young adults with special needs during the week teaching them music and life skills. He talks about the challenges he has faced in his job.
- Does a good teacher adapt to the student in the lessons or does a good teacher convince the student to rise to the teacher’s level?
- Joel talks about how he has thought about whether or not he feels lucky that he was born into a musical household.
- The pros and cons of using social media.
Why Should You Listen?
This episode isn’t meant to be taken as gospel. The point of this episode was to bring up some topics for a conversation to provide some different perspectives into consideration. A lot of times my questions and thoughts force the guest into really giving serious thought to something they may never have thought about before. In some cases, it is very specific to the guests’ specialties and so we get to hear an expert opinion that bears a great deal of wisdom.
With this episode though there is much left up in the air with no absolute conclusion to the thoughts and points mentioned. Instead, we look at them, share some ideas with you, and move on. I would encourage everyone who listens to give these points some thought of your own because there is a lot of openness that remains to interpret things in your way. Many of the points are deep and rather interesting.
Joel’s Socials
Drumeo Gab’s Socials