To the beat of a community-driven drum: Founder of Big Easy Easton Brass launches drumline project

EASTON, Pa. — A man with music in his heart is on a mission to introduce a percussive project to Easton’s West Ward this spring.

Jeremy Joseph, founder of the Big Easy Easton Brass and creator of Brick Easton, is ramping up efforts to introduce a new musical initiative to the city — a drumline program aimed at ages 8 to 14.

Joseph’s already on his way, having recently procured $10,000 worth of brand-new Pearl Junior Marching drums thanks to community support.

Now that the equipment has been taken care of, Joseph is marching on to build up his ranks for a potential spring premiere for the program, which he eventually hopes will spread throughout the city, and eventually across the Lehigh Valley.

The original idea for a drumline came to Joseph just before the coronavirus pandemic and, after simmering for a few years, he decided it was time to take action.

“It's just one of those things that just kept lingering in my head because it's, it's really not just about music, or teaching kids how to drum," he said.

"It's using drumming to create the center of a new community.”

‘Start them with the best’

Joseph said that, having grown up in the West Ward, he understood how his neighborhood was not as well off as the Downtown area or College Hill.

But thanks to some community-oriented support, local kids were able to keep themselves entertained with donated basketballs, kickballs and other sports equipment.

Years later, Joseph wondered whether a similar strategy could help support an interest in music amongst the youth.

While musical instruments certainly are more pricey than soccer balls, Joseph figured a locally oriented initiative could help make an Easton-based drumline focused on youth a reality.

Thanks to the efforts of a friend-of-a-friend, Joseph was able to obtain $10,000 worth of professional drums to kick-start the project.

“The kids in the West Ward, I wanted them to start with the best.” Joseph said.

He said he already is communicating with teachers at local schools to help recruit students interested in the program, and he plans to reach out to high schoolers who may want to help out.

“So the opportunity’s not just for the young kids, it's also for the high school kids to become coaches and mentors and be part of seeing these young kids grow into the drums and grow into the role,” Joseph said.

‘Gamify music education'

Starting simply, Joseph said he hopes to hold drills in the West Ward, eventually attracting an audience of local organizations to join in on the spectacle.

Some of those young spectators in the crowd may become interested in joining the drumline, he said.

“And what my goal is, is to have enough drumsticks for basically any kid hanging around that's interested, to give them a pair of drumsticks and to teach them one rudiment, one thing, that they go home and they work on,” Joseph said.

“And if they come back the next week and the week after, and they learn that rudiment, I want to be able to give them a practice pad.

"And then they’re going to learn more rudiments, and they're going to be learning some more stuff, and they’re going to be given links to videos that they can work on this stuff.

"If they keep working it and they keep getting better, they can level up, and possibly get on a drumline rehearsal, or they get so good, they level up in one part of the drum squad for that part.”

Joseph said the strategy is to “gamify” musical education, incentivizing young students to work at a goal that can improve their talents, in addition to their self-confidence.

As for those public performances, Joseph said he aspires for them to become beacons for a budding community, connecting neighbors, businesses, nonprofits and more.

“I want churches bringing water out; I want the community centers there with their table promoting their programs; I want the community in a two-to-three-block radius of that park to embrace the drumline and to embrace the drumline night as a community event,” Joseph said.

‘One of the greatest things I've ever done’

Once he conquers the West Ward, he said, he hopes to spread out to the South Side before getting the program situated throughout the entirety of the city.

And once Easton has been incorporated, he aspires to weave the rest of the Lehigh Valley into the drumline.

The end goal is to grow a group that reflects the rich diversity of the area, providing access to instruments in a way that weaves in people from all walks of life, regardless of background or economic status.

“We get the ability to maybe cross those racial lines, to cross religious lines, to cross those lines and create relationships with, that people normally never would have had,” Joseph said.

According to Joseph, the project may be able to get a cash injection soon from the Pennsylvania Music Preservation Society, which he is joining with the hope of setting up a channel for donations.

For now, though, he is focused on bolstering community support for the project. Joseph said anyone interested in volunteering or contributing to the cause can reach him at jeremyjoseph591@gmail.com.

“This is going to be one of the greatest things I've ever done. I think the community when they see these kids come down the street, with these drums in their hands, I think the community is just going to go crazy for this,” Joseph said.