That session between my first year of drum corps and moving to Concord, CA the following year (august 88-january 89) really formed the hands I have today.

I found that I really never had to break many things down again after this part of my practice life. Tap drags would be Monday-Wednesday, 3’s or French rolls would be Thursday-Saturday. I would spend 3 or 4 nights on a certain rudiment. I’d go home, make something to eat then practice ON A DRUM for 4 hours a night in our pool house where I had my drum set up in front of a mirror with the heights drawn on the mirror and a y-axis line (straight up and down) to check my sticks’ path of travel. I would pick sticks up constantly…sticks downstairs, sticks in my room, sticks in my car, I loved practicing! When I got serious about playing, I use to bus tables at an O’Charleys restaurant till 11-12 at night.

When you were marching how long did you practice each day? How much time did you spend on each exercise of a specific aspect? How much time to you spend now? When I first started playing, I never really had a set schedule. In your video lessons on the Evans website you mention practicing at each tempo for 20 minutes. This is Mike's third year as percussion designer/arranger/music coordinator with the Bluecoats. He lives in Brownsburg, Indiana with his wife Joy, their dog Rex and two cats, Casper and Psycho. Michael also endorses EVANS drumheads, Zildjian cymbals, and LP Percussion. He is a Yamaha clinician as well as a signature artist with Innovative Percussion. Michael consults/arranges for several WGI percussion ensembles and is a sought after clinician and adjudicator. He has percussive works published by the Hal Leonard Corporation, the Yamaha Sounds of Summer program, TapSpace Publications, Drop-6 Media and the Row-loff corporation. His day to day activities include coordinating the percussion for the Carmel-Clay school district in Carmel, Indiana. He taught with Ralph Hardimon at the Blue Knights in 1997 and is a former percussion caption head of The Cavaliers. He has taught the Nite Express 1992-1996 winning high percussion at the Division II level in 1994. Mike attended the University of North Texas and was named the PAS snare individuals champion in 1991. He marched snare for the Concord Blue Devils in 1988, 89, and 90. Mike began as a saxophone player and began dabbling in marching percussion in 1985 as a high school junior.

Check patterns drums thom hannum