When Barry Galbraith goes to work he gets to do something that he has enjoyed doing since the age of 13 – play the drums. Mr Galbraith runs Drum Drum, a training facility dedicated to teaching potential percussionists the tricks of the trade. The Lava Street business is a progression of the lessons he ran from home and at Brauer College during his 25 years as an accredited teacher. "I wanted to see how it went and expand it into more of a commercial venture," Mr Galbraith said. "I was teaching 15 students at home three nights a week. I’ve got 86…. And I’m aiming at 100." With help of fellow teachers Bruce Corrin and Jon Emry, Drum Drum teaches a range of drumming styles. An electric group of people learn jazz, Latin, rock, hip-hop, funk and metal drumming, at flexible times. "It’s a real mixed bag," Mr Galbraith said. "I’ve got a shift worker who’s a chef and a transport driver and a shift worker too. We get Deakin University students and TAFE students. There’s a jeweller who comes in for a lunchtime lesson and we get primary school kids coming down from (Warrnambool Primary School) for lessons at 3.30pm." Mr Galbraith said he is constantly diversifying to meet demand. He runs Percussion sessions for groups and even teaches basic snare technique to a group of six-to-ten-year-olds. "We’re starting to cater for younger kinds who are physically too small for a drum kit," he explained. He has also expanded into offering drum tuning, customising and re-covering services, plus any equipment advice a potential drummer could need. "The music business is very hard but if you diversify, you can have success," he said.
"Drumroll please" -- Warrnambool Standard Business News supplement June 2003 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 2003.
When Barry Galbraith opened the doors to his percussion training school Drum Drum two years ago, it marked the latest chapter in a career based almost entirely on drums. Apart from a brief period as a bank teller, Barry has made his living from either playing, teaching or retailing percussion instruments for the best part of 30 years. "I live, eat and breathe drums" says Barry from the central Warrnambool house that now houses his drumming school. Here Barry and two part-time teachers instruct 86 students in the art of drumming and other percussion instruments that include congos [sic], shakers and bells. He's already closing in on his goal to reach the magic 100 students, and given the growing interest in drums, Barry's confident he is within striking distance. "In recent times drumming has gained a lot of credibility and its just been steadily building up" he said. Although the majority of his students are male secondary students, at least a dozen girls have joined this traditionally male-dominated domain. Other adult students, such as shift workers and tertiary students, often use their time off during the day to drop in for a practice session. Barry taught percussion for Brauer College for about 14 years, and on and off from home for about 20 years, but Drum Drum is his first dedicated school. It has also provided a base from which to expand into areas of customising and repair work, and more recently, retailing. His other current project is to develop a Drum Drum certificate as a qualification for his students. Although they can also undertake the Australian Music Examination Board assessment, he says the Drum Drum certificate will give them another option. His students also include several VCE students who are studying Drum kit as part of their certificate. Although its a job he enjoys, for Barry, like most music teachers, the job evolved from the need to support his passion for playing. From when he was a little boy and came across a set of his father's old drumsticks he played with in the Hamilton City Band, drums seem to have been in Barry's destiny. Music was, after all, in his blood. He had an Uncle who taught trumpet and coronet, and both his grandparents were music teachers. Among his grandmother's singing students was a young boy by the name of Barry Crocker. By 13, Barry Galbraith was playing in the school band. By 14 he was part of a successful young pop group called Stompin' Mallee Grubs, which took part in the regional Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds competition two years in a row. It would be the first of a succession of bands for Barry over the years, perhaps the most successful and musically satisfying of which was the 90s blues outfit Blue Heat with Marco Goldsmith. There were critically acclaimed albums, concert tours, a headline act at the Byron Bay Blues Festival and interest from the United States. Their last gig was playing support for B.B. King at the tennis centre 5 years ago. The toll on the families of band members, and the effort required to move to the next level, Barry said, was more than they were prepared to make. "Musically they were some of the best results of my life. I needed to experience that. It was just my time and I got such a buzz out of it", he recalls of the time. When he's not teaching these days Barry indulges his passion for playing a little closer to home. He's involved in a couple of local cover bands and a jazz ensemble.
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