My heart was pounding. The crowd was cheering. Their hands were clapping. We were the last band to play. The setting was The Battle of the Bands and we were on stage in the spotlight. I was keeping tempo as my band played over me. Including the two guitarists, we were a three piece band ready to battle.

While attending my older brother’s school concert, the beat of the drummer rumbled through my body. From that moment on I realized my passion for drums. I began taking drum lessons striving to become a drummer like the one I had envied that night. This resulted in a corner of my basement being reserved for my new shiny blue drum set.

Soon enough I was participating in my own school concerts (Impersonating the greatness of The Blue Man Group and Stomp). I loved the rush of being in front of the crowd, so I dedicated that corner of my basement to starting my own band. After months of practice we were ready for a live show. We were booked as the entertainment for a restaurant in Lake Geneva. What a nervous feeling. What if I screw up in front of all those people? Would they like us?

The ride down seemed to take forever but soon we were setting up our equipment. “Check one, two, three,” the owners voice popped. It was time to begin. After the first few beats I realized there was nothing to be nervous about. We played the show and everyone loved it.

Next up was The Battle of the Bands and we knew what was coming. It was a time to have fun and leave all the nerves behind. Listening to the metronome in my head, I kept everyone on beat. When I perform, it is a satisfying feeling to know that I am allowing the crowd to forget about their worries for at least a short while and allow them to enjoy the music.