How it started: a letter from our founder

SoulShare exists today as a result of problems I’ve experienced personally as a musician, and that musicians close to me have experienced as well.

When I joined my high school’s drumline, I was introduced to drum corps, and quickly became obsessed. I would watch videos of drumlines on YouTube constantly, and often dream of joining one myself. The thing is, I grew up in a small town, and despite being considered relatively “good” among my peers, I recognized I was nowhere near the playing ability of the drummers I watched in videos, many of whom were around the same age as me, or even younger. This disparity in playing ability caused me to assume anyone involved in DCI was a prodigy, and I didn’t pursue it as a result; without anyone to tell me otherwise, this way of thinking continued until college.

Fast forward to a few years, when I auditioned for the University of Texas drumline. I was easily the worst drummer in the room that day, but meeting other drummers there who had either been involved in DCI or actively pursuing it made me realize how wrong I was before, and it sparked a fire that pushed me to achieve my dream of joining a drum corps myself.

From that moment on, I practiced relentlessly to catch up to my peers; despite my efforts, I continued to get cut from auditions year after year. I needed help, but the people I knew were either unwilling or unable to take the time needed to help get me where I needed to be. It wasn’t until, by chance, I met someone who had experience in a top drum corps and was willing to offer me lessons. He helped me correct countless mistakes I was never aware I had even been making, and that made all the difference. That same year, I surpassed my goals by joining a drum corps, my college drumline, a WGI drumline and several other percussion groups.

Some of my best experiences through it all have been the camaraderie built from performing with other musicians, striving together to perfect our craft. When I graduated from college, I had the opportunity to spend more time with my dad, who is also a drummer. Through our conversations I realized he had many of the same experiences and feelings regarding his own musical career, though he was never involved with drum corps himself. He had also recently been spending a lot of time trying to join a band, but struggled to find any in our area that needed a drummer, or that played the styles he was interested in.

These experiences, along with stories from other musicians I’ve talked to, made me realize that there was enormous value gained from connecting with each other, but there was just no straightforward way to do it. For many of us, finding the right people, at the right time, has been so time-consuming that we've been missing out on opportunities for years; hence, SoulShare was born.

All this to say, I really do care about making SoulShare a place for musicians to thrive. If you have any feedback on what SoulShare is doing right or what can be improved, please don't hesitate to reach out, I'd be happy to hear from you.

Brandon Stegall

Founder/ CEO