Today we’d like to introduce you to Tommy Hodge.
Hi Tommy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina and began playing piano at the age of 8 years old. At first It just started as a way for me to follow in my big sisters footsteps but upon discovering a few of The Beatles songs on a my dads Ipod during a family roadtrip a few years after starting, music consumed me and became my life. I went on to learn classical and contemporary repertoire on piano and picked up the saxophone when 6th grade came around and I joined concert band. I liked the Sax a lot but something was calling me to the Xylophones and Glockenspiels in the percussion section once I realized the were just “Big Piano Keys’ that you hit. I made the transition to percussion in the start of my high school years and never looked back. During this time I primarily played mallet percussion instruments and never got much of a chance to play many drums as my teachers saw what I was good at and decided to not reinvent the wheel by taking me out of my comfort zone. I attended college at Coastal Carolina University, studying music performance in the percussion area with Dr, Jesse Willis and Dr. James Pendell and quickly realizing just how much growing I had to do in order to keep up with my classmates and the needs of my professors. I began to see the value of being a well rounded musician than can play many styles and say yes to as many different kinds of work as possible. I made it my goal to be the best I could be and learn as much as I could in those 4 years. I became more proficient with a pair of sticks in my hand, picked up playing the drumset and studying music from all over the world. After Graduating in 2022 I headed up the University of North Carolina at Greensboro to pursue a masters degree in music performance under the direction of Dr. Eric Willie. During my masters I took advantage of the City of Greensboro’s vibrant arts scene and found ways to perform as much as possible around the area, inside and outside of the University and North Carolina as a whole. After completing my degree in 2024 I made the decision to pack everything up and head to Texas for its many opportunities for performance and education in music. I currently teach for Lewisville ISD as a para-professional and do private lessons all around the metroplex. On the weekends I go out and preform wherever my opportunities take me, usually here in DFW but often all over Texas and Oklahoma.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In some ways I feel very blessed to have known from such a young age that music was my passion and I wanted to pay the bills with it. But there seems to be a common story for most of us in the arts, that the road is tough and you have to keep pushing everyday. I often felt like I never really knew how to play the instruments I currently teach and perform on professionally due to my late start to actually learning percussion. I had to work really hard and be patient in order to get to a point to where I could actively learn new things with my peers in class and know what was being talked about during conversations. Music is like many other things in that If you want it bad enough and work hard enough at it, you can achieve it. You can achieve anything with this mindset.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I spend my weekdays teaching percussion to mostly middle school students with a few high-school and elementary school students sprinkled in. I teach mostly in the form of Private Lessons which I primarily do during the school day by pulling kids out of their band class and giving the lesson on various ISD campuses throughout DFW. I also do some para-professional work for the ISD directly where I will take the percussion students out of their band class and work with them in a smaller setting to reinforce technique, rehearse concert music and make sure that all the details of being a percussionist are covered. The percussion section is another world compared to the rest of the instruments so It is very common to have a specialist come in to work with percussion students directly. I try and make sure I am teaching my students concepts that will benefit them outside of the band room just as well. Learning music encompasses almost all other major subjects all into one place so If we can make sure we are teaching values and principles that hold true wether then continually pursue music or not we are doing good as educators. I play mostly country and reggae music on the weekends. I love the traditions of dancehalls and two step dancing that lives here in Texas and being able to provide the beats that people dance too makes it all worth it. I am super proud to be able to practice what I preach and to make sure I am upholding the same musical and personal values whether Its playing drums in a honky tonk out in the country or teaching scales in a classroom.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I have two main things that I think have stuck with me the most, The first being to take every opportunity you can. Playing music with other people can be difficult but no matter who, what, where or why you are making music with others, you have no choice but to be getting better at it. There are no “good” gigs without the “bad” ones, we would have nothing to compare them to if that were true. Every time you play you learn something about yourself as a musician and there is always plenty of things to take from it towards the next situation. Secondly, being a good musician is only a small part of what it takes to make it in this industry. The most important thing is being a good hang, Someone that people want to be around and create with. Most people I’ve met in this industry will hire the player that may not be the flashiest but is still a good natured human over the super talented player that nobody wants to be around. This is not a one or the other situation by any means, and in fact the people who have both positive traits of being a great player and person are the ones who will find the most success. In short, mutual respect and humility will get you pretty far… but you should still practice. (lol)
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t_hods/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thomas.hodge.77/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thomashodge1960/featured
Image Credits
Head Shot in Green Shirt – Cole Edward Phillips
All other photos – Nate Hernandez
