Brad Page, junior in business management, has been playing drums since fourth grade and was a member of the ISU Varsity Marching this fall and a former member of Groove. In addition to these ISU ensembles, Page plays for the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps, a Division I drum corps from Dubuque, Iowa. In the summer, Page tours with the Colts all across the United States.

What influenced you to pick up drumming and later become serious about it?

First off, my dad is a band director, so from a music background, my dad pushed me to be in music. Obviously, he wanted me to do well and I wanted to do well, so since I was young he pushed me to practice all the time. I decided to be a music major for about a year, just decided it wasn’t for me but I wanted to be very involved in it. Meeting people at Iowa State that have done Colts, I decided to go and do this summer activity of drum corp.

How much time and effort do you put in each week with drumming?

As much as I can. [Colts] have monthly camps I go to until the summer and it’s all about preparation, as much time as I can practice right now. It’s really what’s going to make me successful, so I try to get in a least an hour, two hours a night.

How do you balance between drumming and classwork?

Obviously, classwork is my priority, since I am in school and it’s not the summer yet. So, get my homework done, my club stuff done first, the practicing comes after that.

What is the biggest positives of being in Colts?

It’s just a great experience. You go around all summer long touring with 150 people you’ve never met before from different countries everywhere. You’re just getting that experience of hard work every day. I mean, you’re running around the field — 12 hours a day sometimes — in 100 degrees, and that hard work and dedication is really rewarding at the end and the friendships you make.

What advice do you have for musician college students who believe they don’t have the time or talent for college-level ensembles?

It’s very easy to make time for it. Everybody’s got busy schedules, but they can fit it in somewhere. There’s so many different ensembles, and with that being said, as long as you’re there to try and you want to be there and be the best you can be, they’re going to want you in ensembles. That’s what they are trying to get, just people that are going to be dedicated that are going to do well for them. They can make a spot for you anywhere.