Meet Trailblazer Patricia Islas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Patricia Islas.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Patricia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am a musician. There are a number of different things I do under that title, some of which include: teaching, composing, and performing. I’m a clinician, designer, adjudicator, mentor, and in the process of becoming an author. Music really dug its claws into me when I was introduced to percussion in the sixth grade. My first love was a percussion instrument called the marimba. Originally, the plan was to play and teach on this instrument professionally. However, during my time earning a Bachelor’s degree in Music at the University of North Texas, I discovered that very little of the music being played on the marimba excited me. I also realized that when I graduated, I wouldn’t be able to use the school’s marimba anymore. Without the cash to afford one, I decided to purchase a similar yet more affordable instrument called the vibraphone. The day it was delivered, I began writing music for it and my musical career has been non-stop ever since.

Has it been a smooth road?
As a percussionist, I have always been surrounded by a much larger percentage of men than women. When I was a music student, I could count on one hand the number of successful women in percussion I admired. You’d better believe they are all awesome but there were just so few! I think the combination of being an only child who likes to do her own thing and a nerdy kid who struggled to fit in actually served me well. It has led me to the roads less traveled and I find I am most comfortable there. I have found and still find myself to be “The only” in many situations. Often I’m the only woman, the only brown person, and the only one under five feet tall! Though I very rarely had examples of women doing the things I wanted to do, I was independent enough to try them anyway.

I certainly prefer when the challenges in front of me are of my own choosing. I also prefer to think independently, knowing the reasons why I’m doing something and not just following a precedent blindly. My advice to anyone, including young women, would be to get comfortable with asking, “why?” Ask your teachers, your peers, and most importantly yourself, constantly. If the answer has something to do with something you can’t control, move on quickly. There are too many cool things to do and there’s no time to waste on things you can’t personally change or effect.

We’d love to hear more about Team Islas.
The name of my brand is Team Islas. It was originally the name for the band that my husband and I started. We still write and perform as Team Islas, but as we have taken on more and more projects over the years, the name has evolved into something much greater than just the title of our band. I teach percussion privately, work with drumlines mostly in North Texas but sometimes nationally, and perform educational clinics. I write and arrange for marching bands and drumlines, percussion ensembles, and solos mostly for the marimba and vibraphone. However, my most creative and artistically satisfying outlet is still composing music for and performing with Team Islas the band. I write most of the music and play the vibraphone and a marimba-like midi controller called the Xylosynth. The style of music we play is hard to pin down. It is instrumental and electronic with influences from countless styles and genres, including: progressive jazz, pop, and several forms of metal. Although I enjoy being creative and the challenges that come with everything I do, I don’t have to answer to anyone else (except collaborating with my husband) when I’m creating for the band.

Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
Some of the books who have influenced me greatly are:

KODO: Ancient Ways by Kensho Foruya
The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey
Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual by Jacko Willink
The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence by Josh Waitzkin
The Book of 5 Rings by Miyamoto Musashi Translated by William Scott Wilson
Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins

My favorite podcasts that wake up my brain are:

The Joe Rogan Experience
Radiolab

Contact Info:

• Website: www.teamislas.com
• Email: teamislas@gmail.com
• Instagram: @babypvibes
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teamislas/
• Other: https://youtu.be/Lnul3DwS_bc

Image Credit:
Majestic Percussion, Jonathan Anderson

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