Music is a universal language that is enjoyed by millions of people worldwide.
Music making for anyone can be fun and therapeutic, can boost self-esteem, and make people happy. But for a person with Cerebral Palsy or any other disability, it can mean so much more; it can mean a sense of achievement, involvement and hope.
Music can also be a way for people to communicate and express themselves in a way they normally wouldn't
There are no rules on how music making can be achieved; everyone has a different way to interpret things.
For me it was the physical challenge of playing drums, and being told I CANT do it is what made me more determined to prove them all wrong.
And I did...
Over the past 17 or so years, I have become known worldwide as a drummer, educator and motivator.
Since 2004, I have been involved in disability arts with Club Wild, Accessible Arts NSW and other organisations across the country.
Club Wild are a disability arts organisation based in Victoria and are building up a base in and around Sydney.
They provide training and creative workshops in songwriting, video making, band performance, DJing, MCing, rapping, event management and more.
I have been very fortunate to be involved with Club Wild. I have performed at various events such as The Sydney Opera House and Campbelltown Arts Centre shows, and was a guest of Club Wild at their Sidiki Conde African drum workshops in Melbourne in November 2005.
Club Wild encourages people with disabilities to get up and have a go.
I have also been involved with running my own drum workshop program called "Drums In Motion". These are drum and percussion workshops aimed at encouraging people with disabilities to have fun while creating different sounds and rhythms using drums and other percussion instruments.
I held workshops last year in Adelaide at Camp Yackety Yack for Novita Childrens Services. They were a huge success, and the expressions on the kids' faces said it all.
Over the weekend of the camp, I held 2 group workshops, one for younger kids, and an afternoon workshop for older kids which had a more rock music orientated vibe. I also did 1 to 1 sessions with some of the kids.
I am currently working one day a week at Miroma, a disability day centre for adults in Vaucluse, Sydney, where I am conducting a drums and percussion workshop with a group of about 14-20 people.
I am also available to do these workshops elsewhere. If you have any questions regarding my "Drums in Motion" workshops please feel free to come and talk to me after my performance.
Apart from this, I do band work around Sydney, and occasionally play at Jam nights at various venues. Jam nights are great, because you learn really good improvisational skills. Half the time you don’t know the songs, or the people you are playing with, so anything could happen. But most of all, you get a lot of fun out of it.
Anyway that’s it from me, I’m going to play a couple of songs now and remember, if you have any questions, please come and talk to me after my performance.
Thank you, I'm Andrew Hewitt.
This was a presentation at the CP Australia Conference on Thursday, May 24 2007 at Jupiter's Casino on the Gold Coast. If you would like to see a video from part of my performance at the conference, please Click Here
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| Presented: CP Austraia Conference,
May 2007 |
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Music is a universal language that is enjoyed by millions of people worldwide.
Music making for anyone can be fun and therapeutic, can boost self-esteem, and make people happy.
But for a person with Cerebral Palsy or any other disability, it can mean so much more; it can mean a sense of achievement, involvement and hope.
Music can also be a way for people to communicate and express themselves in a way they normally wouldn’t.
Me, being a professional drummer with CP, know this first hand, for me the biggest thing was to know that I had achieved something. I started playing drums as a 10 year old, and now I am becoming successful within the local and overseas drumming communities.
I run drum workshops for people with disabilities in Sydney and it gives me so much
pleasure to see the way these people react once you put a drum in front of them and give them a pair of drum sticks.
There are no rules on how music making can be achieved; everyone has a different way to interpret things. |
| Publisher: Kenwick School P & C Association,
March 2007 |
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People often ask me, how do I do it… how did I manage to get to be the drummer I am today.
Firstly, success may be different to me as some others may see it.
To me, success is when you have achieved something that you are proud of.
Success isn't measured by the amount of money you have earned. Success is measured by the
personal goals you have set and the steps taken to achieve them.
Best advice I give people who want to be successful, is to set a goal and reach for it.
Even if it sounds like the craziest dream. The biggest success stories come from dreams.
For me, I grew up watching music shows, going to concerts and wanting to be that drummer
on stage. I wasn't going to let something like Cerebral Palsy stand in the way of my
dreams, which then turned into ambitions.
But things don't just happen. You have to see an opportunity and go for it.
Often people don't know where to look for that opportunity. The simple answer is look at
your life, look at your dreams, look what's inside you trying to break out, and go from
there.
Biggest thing for me was, up til 2001, I was in a full time I.T. career that I was
working long hours, and not really feeling rewarded.
When the bottom fell out of the I.T. industry, I became unemployed and my world changed.
So after 15 years working in I.T. and playing the occasional band gig, I was faced with
the dilemma, "What do I do next?" I decided to take a risk, and go full steam ahead to
reach the goals I had set so many years earlier.
For me it's always been I'm a drummer first… who happens to have a disability.
The success I have had with my drumming career has come from hard work, and me not taking
no for an answer. I have also deleted the word CAN'T out of my dictionary, because I
believe that if anyone wants something bad enough, they can do anything to get there.
Each time a band knocked me back, I took it as a challenge to improve myself for the next
time.
Don't ever take the "I have a disability. Feel sorry for me" approach. It simply doesn't
work. People will take more notice if you work under the radar.
For years I played in various bands and at jam nights, no one knew who I was, or that I
had CP until I stood up. So basically this was me playing drums in bands, nothing to do
with a disability.
When I decided to take on drumming as a full time thing, I decided I would be more up
front about my disability. This has proved to be a very positive step and has opened up
more doors for me that I wouldn't have ever imagined.
Before, my main focus was performing regular gigs in bands, but now my focus has shifted
to not only performing with bands, but also working with people with disabilities and
creating a whole new area of disability awareness.
Every time I do a band performance, clinic or even teaching a student, it brings me
closer to my primary goal.
Since my appearance in Modern Drummer people from all over the world have wanted to know
who I am and what makes me tick.
Anyone can do it, they just have to stay focused and believe in themselves. |
| Publisher: handidrummed.com,
April 2006 |
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Player for Life, Andrew Hewitt, is a Sydney-based drummer who was born with
cerebral palsy. He’s made a career doing what he loves – and motivating others
to do the same.
I have managed to clock up over 15 years professional experience as a drummer,
motivational speaker and educator.
It all started when my parents bought me a drum kit when I was 10 years old. They
thought it would be a great form of physical exercise for me. 26 years later I am
finally doing it as a chosen career.
It has been a long hard battle to get things happening, both physically and mentally.
My cerebral palsy restricts me to walking on crutches and sometimes using a wheelchair
for long distances. I suppose mine would be considered fairly mild, however there were
a certain number of physical issues I have had to address with playing drums.
In 1989 I played in my first band in Tasmania, and have been performing with
various bands since. In April 2004 I was included in Modern Drummer magazine’s On The
Move section, this was indeed an honour as not too many Australian drummers grace the
pages of MD. I was also named “Spirit of the Month” by Raven Drum Foundation which is
an organisation based in the USA run by Rick Allen, one armed drummer of rock band
Def Leppard.
Since then I have done performances at the Sydney Opera House, become an endorsee
for DW Drums, and have recently become a member of the Vic Firth Education Team.
I run a drum workshop program called “The Drums in Motion” project which is aimed
at children and adults with disabilities to help them express themselves creatively
using drums and percussion instruments, at the same time helping them with basic
co-ordination skills.
Recently, I was in Adelaide where I held workshops at Camp Yackety Yak for Novita
Childrens Services. The kids attending the camp had severe cerebral palsy and
speech disabilities.
This was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had, seeing kids as
young as 5 operating electronic wheelchairs and computerised speech devices.
I have also recently put in an application for Performances in Schools through the
NSW Education Department, so I can travel around schools within NSW and talk to kids
about having a disability, play drums and explain difficulties I face from day to day.
To find out more, visit my web site at http://www.drummerstix.com.au.
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| Publisher: Music, Play for Life,
March 2006 |
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Benefits of Music Making for people with Cerebral Palsy
By Andrew Hewitt