Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlos Duran.
Hi Carlos, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – To start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I began my music studies at the age of 8 by joining the Children’s Choir in my home country of Valencia, Venezuela.
A few years later, when I was around 12 years old, I auditioned to study music and percussion in El Sistema, a federally funded, public, intensive music education program. During my time in El Sistema, I played in a youth orchestra for several years, as well as performed with my state’s professional symphony orchestra, where I had the opportunity to learn and play alongside great musicians.
Though studying classical percussion brought me much knowledge and a really strong foundation in my musicianship, my real passion was always to formally study drum sets. It was my dream to study drums abroad and when I was 21 years old, I was able to pursue this dream, studying set with Mr. Leon Anderson at Florida State University, and graduating in 2006 with a bachelor of arts in music.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
At first, being away from home was a bit of a struggle. Having to deal with so many new things in a new environment, in a different culture was hard.
On top of that, the life of a musician, particularly, is not very easy. It is a profession that sometimes is not taken very seriously and comes with too many negative connotations or stereotypes.
Most of the time we have to fill our schedule with multiple jobs, including gigging, teaching lessons and workshops, and recording projects. As a percussionist, we also have to carry a lot of drums around, and I mean a lot of drums and gear around!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My many jobs are based around percussion performance and music education.
Currently, I am teaching in several places. I am a drums instructor in Dickson, TN, I am the director of the West African Ensemble at the University School of Nashville, and I teach a music production class at the Juvenile Detention Center in Nashville through Global Education Center which is a nonprofit where I am one the artists/teachers that works for them regularly. I am also an accompanist for modern dance at Belmont University.
On weekends, you will see me playing drums on Broadway with Michael Lynch. We play all the favorite country tunes for big crowds of tourists! In my home, like many musicians in town, I have a home studio where I record and produce music for clients that require percussion and drums recorded remotely.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Versatility has been a key factor in my musical life. I can do many things like play and teach djembe and West African music, accompany choirs like the Nashville Children’s Choir, serve as faculty for summer music camps at Belmont University, and lead drum circles.
Incorporating as many different types of jobs in my working schedule has made it possible for me to be a full-time working musician. Doing so much with so many different types of people has also given me a broader view of music and community, where music permeates all aspects of society.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.carlosdurandrums.com
- Instagram: @carlosdurandrums
