069 – Scot Corey: Symphonic Percussionist, Keeping a Full Calendar as a Multi-Percussionist, Educator, Drumset and Steel Drum Player

Scot Corey is a freelance drummer/percussionist who has performed as an ‘extra’ with the Nashville Symphony for over 17 years, including NSO’s Carnegie Hall Debut (2000), their Naxos recording of Piazzola’s Sinfonia Buenos Aires and their return to Carnegie Hall. He has served as adjunct percussion faculty at Trevecca Nazarene University since 2000 and is a founding member of the Matrix Percussion Trio which has provided free educational concerts to over 37,000 students in the greater Nashville area. He served as the percussion specialist at Freedom Intermediate and Middle schools (Franklin, TN) from 1997-99, and as percussion faculty at the Southeast Chamber Music Institute (grades 9-12) at Tennessee Tech University from 1998-2002.

Scot began his professional career in 1985 at the age of 17 as drummer/percussionist for musical theater. To date, he has played more than 50 different shows, including many at Cumberland County Playhouse and TPAC.

Scot’s training includes a BM (Performance) from the University of Illinois, where he studied with Frederick D. Fairchild and Thomas Siwe. He also received an MA (Education – Music) from Tennessee Technological University, where he studied with Joseph Rasmussen.

Since moving to Nashville, Scot has maintained a very active schedule as a freelance drummer/percussionist. Gigs range from percussion (Nashville Symphony, Nashville Opera – Principal Percussion, Nashville String Machine, Gateway Chamber Orchestra, Parthenon Chamber Orchestra – Principal Timpani, Miss Tennessee Pageant Orchestra, and Nashville Chamber Orchestra – including Bonnaroo 2004) – to Drumset/Loops/Percussion (various recording sessions/live gigs and Green Hill Church, Mt. Juliet) – to steel drums to ethnic percussion (Som Brasileiro – nine-piece Brazilian band).

Scot endoreses Pearl/Adams drums & percussion and Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets

In this podcast Scot talks about:

Teaching in the information age

Learning how to handle being “thrown into the fire” (learning on your feet)

Suplimenting drum set studies with multi-percussion studies

Balancing work and family

Taking chances early in life

Playing with The Nashville Symphony

Continuing to learn

Playing percussion in a symphonic recording session

Saying no to gigs with a “Red Flag”