THESIS UNIVERSITY OF LONDON COPYRIGHT This is a thesis accepted for a higher degree of the University of London. It has been made available to the Institute of Education library for public reference, photocopying and inter-library loan. The copyright is held by the author. All persons consulting the thesis must read and abide by the Copyright Declaration below. COPYRIGHT DECLARATION I recognise that the copyright of this thesis rests with the author and that no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without the prior written consent of the author. `I drum, therefore I am'? A study of kit drummers' identities, practices and learning Gareth Dylan Smith Institute of Education, University of London Submitted for PhD 1 ABSTRACT Drummers have largely been neglected in scholarly literature on music and education, despite being active in large numbers in popular music and having an increasing presence in the music education arena. The study explores the identities, practices and learning of kit drummers in the UK from an emic perspective, using a mixed methodological approach with a focus on qualitative sociological enquiry drawing on interpretative phenomenological analysis and grounded theory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 teenage drummers and 12 adult drummers; both age groups were interviewed to allow for consideration of whether adults' reflections on their formative years differ greatly from those of teenage drummers today. Secondary data were gathered from a brief questionnaire conducted with 100 more drummers to support and contextualize the richer interview data. Data were also taken from relevant biographies, audio/visual media and journalistic sources. A review of relevant literature was undertaken, looking at sociology, sociology of music, education, music education, psychology, psychology of music, ethnicity, and gender. The literature review leads to the proposed new model of the Snowball Self which incorporates the constructs of identity realization, learning realization, meta-identities and contextual identities. The thesis then explores the empirical data. It analyzes the data in relation to the central research focus of identities, practices and learning, and also examines to what extent the data support or refute the suggested model of the Snowball Self. Findings describe a rich variety of roles and identities in drummers' relationships with musicians and non-musicians. Participants exhibit eclectic musical tastes, and tend as they grow older to feel a stronger sense of what is 'their' ethnic music. Drummers learn in multi-modal ways, usually with a keen awareness of exemplars of their art and craft. The world of kit drumming is highly masculine, which presents a range of opportunities and challenges to drummers of both sexes. Kit drummers' identities, practices and learning are found to be intertwined as drummers each exist quasi-independently in a web of interdependence. Drummers drum; therefore they are, they do, and they learn — in a rich tapestry of contexts and ways. 2 I hereby declare that, except where explicit attribution has been made, the work presented in this thesis is entirely my own. Word count (exclusive of appendices and list of references): 92,252 Signed: Date: 2nd February 2011 3 Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 10 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY Introduction Genesis 12 Research focus 14 Drummers' kits and kit drummers: some historical context 16 What we already know about drummers 18 Aims and relevance of the study 22 Summary of aims 24 For whom is this study intended? 25 Methodology A qualitative paradigm 28 Selecting a mode of enquiry 30 An emic perspective 34 Literature review 37 Interviews 39 Questionnaires 42 Data analysis: interview data 43 Data analysis: questionnaire data 44 The sample 45 Names of interview participants 48 Ethics 51 Appendices 53 Preview: Chapters two to eight 54 4 CHAPTER TWO: IDENTITY, LEARNING, AND THE SNOWBALL SELF Identity Introduction 56 What is identity? 58 Identity as multiple identities 62 Taking a stance on identity 64 Identity as part of a group 64 Learning Introduction 71 Enculturation 75 Formalizing the informal? 76 Who do you trust? 82 Identity is connected to learning 83 The Snowball Self Identity Realization 84 Learning Realization 86 Identities and learning practices combined: The Snowball Self 87 Meta-identities and contextual identities 89 Principal meta-identity 90 Meta-identities 90 Contextual identities 91 Boxes 92 5 CHAPTER THREE: IDENTITY TRAJECTORIES Introduction 94 Adolescence 96 Teenage kicks 98 Drummers enjoy being drummers 102 Born to drum? 104 Complications and multiple meta-identities 106 Physical and emotional difficulties 111 Questionnaire data 115 Summary 115 CHAPTER FOUR: HANGING AROUND WITH MUSICIANS Introduction 116 Drummers in bands 118 What role to play 119 Finding the groove 123 Groove, continued: The rhythm of life 129 Standing out from the crowd 135 Questionnaire data 140 Drum solos 140 Guardian of the time 145 Control 147 Following the leader 149 Questionnaire data 153 Beyond the band Interacting with non-musicians 153 Questionnaire data 159 Fellowship among musicians 160 Sticking together 162 6 Coming unstuck? 163 Summary 164 CHAPTER FIVE: ETHNICITY AND CULTURAL HERITAGE Introduction 166 What is meant by ethnicity? 167 Ethnicity and power 168 London and the UK 171 Teenagers and ethnicity 174 Where does it come from? Culturally home 182 A different mix 184 Questionnaire data 185 Summary 186 CHAPTER SIX: LEARNING TO PLAY DRUMS Introduction 188 `With a little help from my friends' 189 Taking lessons 192 Higher education 194 Self-directed learning 196 A feel for it 198 Films 200 Who to be and how to play: who do you like? 202 Questionnaire data 209 7 Summary 210 CHAPTER SEVEN: GENDER AND DRUMMING Introduction Sex and Gender 213 Sex education: learning gender 219 Gender ought not to be an issue 223 Being a female drummer 225 A masculine performance 229 Biology 234 Sexuality and femininity 237 A different drummer? 239 Questionnaire data 244 Summary 245 CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS AND FURTHER RESEARCH Research Question 247 The Snowball Self 248 A collective noun 249 Implications of the study Significance 251 Further research 253 A final thought 255 8 REFERENCES 256 APPENDIX A : INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 279 APPENDIX B: QUESTIONNAIRE 282 APPENDIX C : QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES 283 APPENDIX D: ABOUT THE INTERVIEW PARTICIPANTS 297 APPENDIX E: GLOSSARY Drummers 305 Other terms 307 TABLES Table 1: Drummers, in alphabetical order of given names 50 FIGURES Figure 1: The Snowball Self 93 9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS `Thank you' to: Liz for that drink at the Green Dragon, for keeping the living room door closed, and for time, space, patience, understanding, belief, tolerance, and love: you can have me back now; Lucy Green for guidance, assistance, reassurance, endurance, trust and time; Mum and Dad for calmly believing, and Mum for being so quick; Colin Durrant for coffee and encouragement; Ewan for not laughing; Pete Fairclough for permission; John Minall for the pots and the wooden spoons; Nan for my first drum kit; Chris Bird for pointing me in the right direction; Pat and Joe for patience, t-shirts and the Garden Suite; Aunt Kathy for getting it, and for being so encouraging; Hal Abeles, Cathy Benedict, Jane Ginsbourg, John Kratus, Lee Marshall, Dawn Bennett, Graham Bartle, Gail Berenson, Suzanne Burton, Emma Webster and Matt Brennan for encouragement; Carlos Xavier Rodriguez for hastening the process; 10 All interviewees; Phil, Chris and Rich at Rhythm; All questionnaire respondents; LIMS for not minding; Philippe and Darren at Drum Tech; Clint for running despite the hazards and pollution; Fergus and Matt; Steve and Amy for the tea, the bunk beds, the Krave and the Rawk; Doug for not talking — can I have that beer now please? Gillian for asking; The staff at the Institute of Education library; SRIF for helping me find me an angle; Andrew Bum, John O'Flynn, Shirley Simon and Rebekah Willett; Hannah and Holly for offering; Pete Whittard for the flexibility and the ink; Max Roach, Bill Bruford, John Bonham, Carter Beauford, Tony Williams, Steve Jordan, Narada Michael Walden, Dave Grohl, Dave Mattacks, Mark Ruebery, Chris Stock, Richard Adams, Keith Tippett, and all the others without whom I couldn't even have considered doing this in the first place. 11 CHAPTER ONE Introduction and Methodology Introduction Genesis The title of this study is borrowed from Descartes. For him, thinking, or the capacity to think, is the defining feature of (his) human existence. He writes: Observing that this truth: I think, therefore I am, was so certain and so evident that all the most extravagant suppositions of the sceptics were not capable of shaking it, I judged that I could accept it without scruple as the first principle of the philosophy I was seeking. [1637] (1968: 53-54) People claiming 'I drum, therefore I am' may expect to face more scepticism even than greeted this ground-breaking assertion of Descartes'; we all think, but drumming is done by fewer people and is often regarded as a mere hobby. A few years ago I was having a deep-and-meaningful conversation with an old friend and fellow-musician, whom I had known for more than 20 years. We were discussing the directions of our lives and plans for our respective futures, and he said to me, 'you are drums.' I did not think very hard about this remark at the time, other than to take more than a little pride in the fact that Chris had noticed this about me — after all, if I was confident about being anything, then that thing was a drummer. The depth of feeling that I have about a being a drummer, how much this identity shapes and defines me, is a character trait that has been observed of other musicians; Shank, following a study of musicians in Austin, Texas, finds that: within the rock 'n' roll scene, musical taste and musical ability are not the surface traits of an individual but must be directly related to some elemental truth about the person performing.