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’A Drummer’s Guide To...’ is the podcast that dives into everything it takes to thrive as a professional musician beyond the practice room. Hosted by Emily Dolan Davies, a drummer since 1999, pro since 2008, and a passionate mentor since 2018, this show unpacks the real-world challenges, triumphs, and strategies for building the career of your dreams. Whether you’re chasing gigs, navigating the music industry, or balancing passion with practicality, Emily’s got your back with honest insights and inspiring stories. Find out more about Emily at EmilyDrums.com
Episodes

Saturday Jan 25, 2025
176 - Teaching, Touring and Transitions
Saturday Jan 25, 2025
Saturday Jan 25, 2025
🚨 Are a musician who is wanting to transition from a ‘stable’ job to following your passion and making music your career?
☺️ Well, if it is, you’re in luck because the awesome @zachondrums asked me a question on this very subject and so I gave him some steps to make this scary step more manageable, and you can hear all about it on my podcast episode 176, A Drummer's Guide To... Teaching, Touring and Transitions.
🙋♀️ If you’re a musician who is also struggling with this step and want to know how to give yourself the best chance of success, then I think you’ll enjoy this, and feel a little less alone… hopefully.
🧐 In this episode I share how best to: Leverage your situation Leverage social media Leverage your current contacts …and then building from there!
👀 If this has piqued your interest, then check out my podcast episode #176 - A Drummer's Guide To... Teaching, Touring and Transitions
🎙 And if you’d like the curtain to be lifted further on how to create a sustainable career as a professional musician, then search for A Drummer's Guide To... on all good podcasting platforms and YouTube
🥰 Support this podcast now on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/emilydrums
#ADrummersGuideTo #Podcast #MusicPodcast #EducationPodcast #BusinessPodcast #promusicians #musicianproblems #musiciansofig #sessionmusician #musicianlifestyle #diymusician #sessiondrummer #musiceducation #musicianslife #behindthescenes #musicindustry

Saturday Jan 18, 2025
175 - Sacrifice
Saturday Jan 18, 2025
Saturday Jan 18, 2025
🧐 Are you wondering the level of commitment needed to pursue a career as a session musician?
🎙️ If you’re wanting to make music your career then my podcast episode #175 - A Drummer's Guide To... Sacrifice is for you
🏞️ In my experience I feel sacrifice is necessary if you’re looking to excel into spaces that are off the beaten path, however, too much sacrifice in the name of music can make you fall down injured on that path and come crawling back to the mainstream!
🎧 In my podcast episode #175 - A Drummer's Guide To... Sacrifice I share my personal sacrifices I’ve made in my career that have made my career, as well as the ones that have hindered my career and life.
👧 This is an episode to my younger self, and so you don’t have to make the same mistakes I did.
👀 If this has piqued your interest, then check out my podcast episode #175 - A Drummer's Guide To... Sacrifice
🎙 And if you’d like the curtain to be lifted further on how to create a sustainable career as a professional musician, then search for A Drummer's Guide To... on all good podcasting platforms and YouTube
📣 And shoutout to Patreon member Matthew North, and if you’d like to check out his music, www.matthewnorthmusic.co.uk
🥰 If you'd like me to cover a specific topic on a future episode, hit me up at: https://www.emilydrums.com/ama
#ADrummersGuideTo #Podcast #MusicPodcast #EducationPodcast #BusinessPodcast #promusicians #musicianproblems #musiciansofig #sessionmusician #musicianlifestyle #diymusician #sessiondrummer #musiceducation #musicianslife #behindthescenes #musicindustry

Saturday Jan 11, 2025
174 - Big Gig Ready
Saturday Jan 11, 2025
Saturday Jan 11, 2025
😱 So you get the call for the big gig, but then what?!
🤔 Are you a musician, aiming for a professional career, but maybe you don’t actually know what is expected from you, and are too embarrassed to ask, because you’re meant to be acting like a professional after all!
😳 That was me, embarrassed to ask what the job actually meant, and kind of guessed a lot of it, and when I say I took a path SO MUCH HARDER THAN IT NEEDED TO BE!!!! I want you to have the easier path.
🎙 In my podcast episode #174 - A Drummer's Guide To... Big Gig Ready I share how I get ready by:
📝 Finding out the info of the gig (seems obvious right), song list, lineup, my role expectations past my instrument i.e electronics, are we playing to clicks, is there track, am I running track(?!) what’s the monitoring setup, and loads more!
🤓 Researching peripheral information like previous live shows, other material that is not on the song list.
💪 Practical practising advice before rehearsals start (if you even get a rehearsal!!!)
👀 Other smaller life things that will make things easier to handle.
😖 I share all my experiences in so many different circumstances and the repercussions of being (and not being) prepared!
🎧 If this has piqued your interest, then check out my podcast episode #174 - A Drummer's Guide To... Big Gig Ready where I expand on all the thing you need to be ready when you get the call for the big gig!
🎙 And if you’d like the curtain to be lifted further on how to create a sustainable career as a professional musician, then search for A Drummer's Guide To... on all good podcasting platforms and YouTube
🥰 If you have a topic suggestion for a future episode or something specific you’d like me to talk on, then hit me up at www.emilydrums.com/ama
#ADrummersGuideTo #Podcast #MusicPodcast #EducationPodcast #BusinessPodcast #promusicians #musicianproblems #musiciansofig #sessionmusician #musicianlifestyle #diymusician #sessiondrummer #musiceducation #musicianslife #behindthescenes #musicindustry

Saturday Jan 04, 2025
173 - Where Are All The Musicians?!
Saturday Jan 04, 2025
Saturday Jan 04, 2025
😩 Are you struggling to find other musicians to play with?
🎧 If you’re a musician wanting to play with more people and expand your network and grow your career, then my podcast, and episode #173 - A Drummer's Guide To... Where Are All The Musicians?! could be for you!
👀 In this episode I cover how important other musicians are to our careers (sometimes even those playing the same instrument!)
🔥 I share the top places and scenarios I have met musicians that created seminal relationships within the industry and ultimately led me to my career flourishing.
😳 I include how I find these spaces, as well as the courage to actually enter into them!
✋ These include…
🥁 Jam Nights
🎸 Gigs (yours and others)
🎹 Trade shows, clinics and masterclasses
💻 Online options
👀 If this has piqued your interest, then check out episode #173 - A Drummer's Guide To... Where Are All The Musicians?!
🎙 And if you’d like the curtain to be lifted further on how to create a sustainable career as a professional musician, then search for A Drummer's Guide To... on all good podcasting platforms and YouTube
🥰 If you have a question you’d like me to answer on an episode, you can submit it at www.emilydrums.com/ama
#ADrummersGuideTo #Podcast #MusicPodcast #EducationPodcast #BusinessPodcast #promusicians #musicianproblems #musiciansofig #sessionmusician #musicianlifestyle #diymusician #sessiondrummer #musiceducation #musicianslife #behindthescenes #musicindustry

Saturday Dec 14, 2024
172 - Pro Procrastination
Saturday Dec 14, 2024
Saturday Dec 14, 2024
👀 Are you a musician putting the pro into procrastination?!
🙋♀️ Let me tell you, just before recording episode #172 - A Drummer's Guide To… Pro Procrastination that was ME!!!
😵💫 I share my struggles with procrastination in real-time and the ways I get over myself. This includes:
💥 Creating as little friction as possible to do the action
😍 Using rewards
😈 Telling people how naughty I’m being by procrastinating
💪 Looking at the bigger picture
🤏 (Paradoxically) Looking at the smallest picture possible
⏱ Using the ‘1 Minute Rule’
🫠 Using procrastination to your advantage
🎧 So if any of this sounds interesting to you, and you fancy an episode fraught with rambling, then check out episode #172 - A Drummer's Guide To... Pro Procrastination
🎙 …and if you’d like to lift the curtain further on all the other things it takes to be a professional musician, aside from playing your instrument, then look for A Drummer's Guide To... on all good podcasting platforms and YouTube
Ask your questions for me to answer on an episode at https://www.emilydrums.com/ama

Saturday Dec 07, 2024
171 - Playing vs Posting
Saturday Dec 07, 2024
Saturday Dec 07, 2024
🚨 If you are a musician who believes that your playing ability can supersede your need to use social media in order to build a sustainable career then I have an episode for you! (and some bad news!)
🎙 In my podcast episode A Drummer's Guide To… playing vs posting I answer Phill V’s question addressing his struggle to come to terms with dedicating time to social media and content creation over becoming a better player.
👀 The reality is, we only have so much time in this world, and we’re all striving to be the greatest players we can be, however, if you’re looking to make this as a career, then social media has to play into it.
😖 In this episode I talk about my own struggles with social media and the balance of progressing as a player, and posting on social media.
💪 I then go into how you can leverage the need for progressing as a player and convert it into social media posts, so you can cover all the bases without adding huge amounts of work to your schedule.
😩 So if you’re experiencing the internal struggle of progressing as a player and posting on social media, then my podcast episode A Drummer's Guide To... Playing vs Posting
🎧 …and if you’d like to lift the curtain further on all the other things it takes to be a professional musician, aside from playing your instrument, then look for A Drummer's Guide To... on all good podcasting platforms and youtube
---If you'd like early access to future podcast episodes, join the patreon: https://www.patreon.com/emilydrums---
#ADrummersGuideTo #Podcast #promusicians #musicianproblems #musiciansofig #sessionmusician #musicianlifestyle #sessiondrummer #musiceducation #musicianslife #behindthescenes #musicindustry #professionalmusician #drummer #drums #drumming #lessons #drumlesson #drumlessons #remoterecording #homestudio #remotesession #productivity #ama #askmeanything

Saturday Nov 30, 2024
170 - Creating Brilliance from Bias
Saturday Nov 30, 2024
Saturday Nov 30, 2024
😳 Do you feel like your career in music is affected by the biases of others?
🎙 If this resonates with you then check out my podcast episode A Drummer's Guide To… Creating Brilliance from Bias
✏️ Thank you to this anonymous person who reached out via my ‘suggestion box’ (check out my highlights if you want to add your own).
❓ They shared that they have been struggling as an ‘international non-white female drummer’ in what they see as a ‘boys club’ and although they work to the highest professional standard, they feel they’re often put on gigs as part of a ‘box-ticking’ exercise.
😥 This is a rough headspace to be in and experience to have, and I talk on my own experience, thoughts and feelings around this, along with how I choose to see things to regain a bit of autonomy and empowerment in this situation.
🧐 This subject was a hard and complicated one to tackle, and if it’s something you’d be interested in hearing, then check out my podcast episode A Drummer's Guide To… Creating Brilliance from Bias
🎧 …and if you’d like to lift the curtain further on all the other things it takes to be a professional musician, aside from playing your instrument, then look for A Drummer's Guide To... on all good podcasting platforms and youtube
---If you'd like early access to future podcast episodes, join the patreon: https://www.patreon.com/emilydrums---
#ADrummersGuideTo #Podcast #promusicians #musicianproblems #musiciansofig #sessionmusician #musicianlifestyle #sessiondrummer #musiceducation #musicianslife #behindthescenes #musicindustry #professionalmusician #drummer #drums #drumming #lessons #drumlesson #drumlessons #remoterecording #homestudio #remotesession #productivity #ama #askmeanything

Saturday Nov 23, 2024
169 - Making Space
Saturday Nov 23, 2024
Saturday Nov 23, 2024
😵💫 Are you a musician feeling disappointed with the opportunities available to you?
😫 Are you super busy, filling all your time, but instead of feeling like you're making progress, you’re overwhelmed and stressed?
🎧 If that sounds like you, then check out my podcast episode A Drummer's Guide To… Making Space
💪 In this episode I cover the 3 most important areas to create space to cultivate the best shot at becoming a professional musician.
1️⃣ Create Space Mentally:
🧘♀️ Take time to work out exactly what the goal is and the steps you need to get there.
🏆 (If you want more chat on that front, check out episode 18 A Drummer's Guide To... Success)
2️⃣ Create Financial Space
💸 Starting by understanding, and minimising your outgoings, and then either creating a 6-month buffer or taking on only enough work to just cover those bare minimum expenses so you can spend the rest of your time and energy on investing in your career and ultimate goals.
3️⃣ Create Physical Space
📆 Create space within your life, within your calendar that can be filled with time to explore opportunities and devote time to really going for your goals. Going for things that stretch your abilities and surrounding yourself with people who are living the life you are striving for so their approach and mentality can rub off on you as normal way of being.
🎙 If this resonates with you and you’d like to hear more, then check out my podcast episode A Drummer's Guide To... Making Space
🎧 …and if you’d like to lift the curtain further on all the other things it takes to be a professional musician, aside from playing your instrument, then look for A Drummer's Guide To... on all good podcasting platforms and YouTube
---If you'd like early access to future podcast episodes, join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/emilydrums---
#ADrummersGuideTo #Podcast #promusicians #musicianproblems #musiciansofig #sessionmusician #musicianlifestyle #sessiondrummer #musiceducation #musicianslife #behindthescenes #musicindustry #professionalmusician #drummer #drums #drumming #lessons #drumlesson #drumlessons #remoterecording #homestudio #remotesession #productivity #ama #askmeanything

Saturday Nov 09, 2024
168 - 5 Destructive Beliefs
Saturday Nov 09, 2024
Saturday Nov 09, 2024
😱 Are one of these beliefs holding you back without you knowing it?
😵💫 There’s so much information flying about, and people have so many opinions, and sometimes we pick up beliefs about things that we think are absolute, but actually are holding us back. For. No. Good. REASON!
🎙 If this sounds like you may have been a victim of this, then check out my podcast episode A Drummer's Guide To… 5 Destructive Beliefs
🧐 These are the 5 most destructive beliefs I have come across from musicians I work with that are trying to move into the professional space…
1️⃣ ’I need a degree or qualification to be a professional musician’
2️⃣ ’If I have a degree or qualification then I’m entitled to a career, and will walk straight out of an institution and onto a gig’
3️⃣ ’I need to be able to read music to be a professional musician’
4️⃣ ’Social media is too saturated for me to be successful’
5️⃣ ’I need more followers to have a career’
👀 If any of these have resonated with you, made you feel defensive, or outright annoyed, then maybe it would be worth listening to my episode, A Drummer's Guide To... 5 Destructive Beliefs to explore those feelings further.
🎧 …and if you’d like to lift the curtain further on all the other things it takes to be a professional musician, aside from playing your instrument, then look for A Drummer's Guide To... on all good podcasting platforms and youtube
---If you'd like early access to future podcast episodes, join the patreon: https://www.patreon.com/emilydrums---
#ADrummersGuideTo #Podcast #promusicians #musicianproblems #musiciansofig #sessionmusician #musicianlifestyle #sessiondrummer #musiceducation #musicianslife #behindthescenes #musicindustry #professionalmusician #drummer #drums #drumming #lessons #drumlesson #drumlessons #remoterecording #homestudio #remotesession #productivity #ama #askmeanything

Saturday Nov 02, 2024
167 - 3 Signs of Perfectionist Sabotage
Saturday Nov 02, 2024
Saturday Nov 02, 2024
👀 Do you have a suspicion that perfection may be sabotaging you?
🚨 If you’re a musician who is striving for perfection, it may actually be undermining your progress creatively, professionally and connecting with others.
🎙 If this resonates with you, then check out my podcast episode A Drummer's Guide To… 3 Signs of Perfectionist Sabotage
🛑 Here are the 3 most prominent signs for me that I see within myself and students that perfectionist tendencies are creating a big old BLOCK!
1️⃣ Not posting to social media when you know it will benefit your career and expand your network.
2️⃣ Saying no to opportunities because you don’t feel you’re ready.
3️⃣ Feeling physical tension or stress in my body in rehearsals or on a gig because of fear of making a mistake.
🫠 If you’d like to dive deeper into these blocks you may be encountering too, and how to counter them, then check out my podcast episode, A Drummer's Guide To... 3 Signs of Perfectionist Sabotage
🎧 …and if you’d like to lift the curtain further on all the other things it takes to be a professional musician, aside from playing your instrument, then look for A Drummer's Guide To... on all good podcasting platforms and YouTube
---If you'd like early access to future podcast episodes, join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/emilydrums ---
#ADrummersGuideTo #Podcast #promusicians #musicianproblems #musiciansofig #sessionmusician #musicianlifestyle #sessiondrummer #musiceducation #musicianslife #behindthescenes #musicindustry #professionalmusician #drummer #drums #drumming #lessons #drumlesson #drumlessons #remoterecording #homestudio #remotesession #productivity #ama #askmeanything