SUCCESS STORY
How to Be a Do-ist
By Ben McKeown | Marketing and Finance Major, Graphic Design Minor
Check the mirror. Make sure the mohawk is in place. It is spiked straight up today. Brainstorm. Two cowbells had been an important part of the routine but a rule clarification says only one is allowed. What should fill that gap? Nerves are kicking in but there is not time to freak out. Head backstage as the second finalist finishes his performance. The Guitar Center Drum-Off is nearly over, but that means nothing to JP Bouvet. He has prepared for months and this is the biggest moment of his career. His named is called and without hesitation he takes the stage at Club Nokia for the most important performance of his life. Less than an hour later JP is announced the 2011 Guitar Center Drum-Off Champion (Bouvet). What did it take to make that happen? It is inconceivable to narrow success down to a couple factors. Yet there are common themes among highly successful people that are impossible to deny, including family and cultural legacies, opportunities, and hard work. JP Bouvet’s work ethic and opportunities have proved him to be a true outlier and shaped him into the success he is today.
Asian children are really good at math. As cliche as it may be, this stereotype typically holds true. Why is this? It is not because Asians are innately better at math than other people. It boils down to the way they are taught at an early age. Something as simple as the way we count proves to have an exponential effect on our progress. In the American number system, the words for our numbers have multiple syllables and do not follow a consistent pattern. For example, we have eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen etc. Logically, it would make more sense to say oneteen, twoteen, threeteen, fourteen, fiveteen etc. This lack of order and trusty repetition make it much more difficult to learn than the Asian number system. In the Asian system, nearly all number words are one syllable and are incredibly quick to pronounce. For example, 4 is “si” and 7 is “qi” (Gladwell 228). One could easily say both of those in the time it takes to say “four” or “seven”. Gladwell writes, “that difference means that Asian children learn to count much faster than American children. Four-year-old Chinese children can count, on average, to forty. American children at that age can count only to fifteen, and most don’t reach forty until they’re five. By the age of five, in other words, American children are already a year behind their Asian counterparts in the most fundamental of math skills” (229).
If something as simple as counting methods have such a significant effect on a child’s development, imagine the exponential effects that other teachings and exposure to certain things have as children grow. What if the same is true for music, and geniuses can be created and cultivated simply from exposing them early on? In discussing the relationship between music aptitude and early childhood music, Edwin E. Gordon explains that children are born with a certain level of music aptitude (“The Role,” 3) and from the moment they are born it steadily begins to decline. Although it can never be completely restored, music education helps to bring one’s musical aptitude closer to its original level (“The Role,” 4). After explaining how children start off in a music babble stage, where they are only capable of producing unrecognizable sounds, Gordon explains that, “when a teacher or parent has knowledge of a child’s music aptitude and uses that knowledge in conjunction with guidance and instruction in music, the child may be expected to emerge from both music babble stages at an early age, although some children will, of course, emerge from a music babble stage sooner than other because of their higher levels of developmental music aptitude” ( “The Role” 5). Just like the Asian children and math, if children are taught appropriately, they can easily be leaps and bounds beyond their peers. JP Bouvet was born into the best environment possible. Bouvet’s mother is a bass player and musical director at church. Bouvet has said, “she encouraged me to try everything. I found my passion in drumming at an early age” (Funk). At an early age: that is the key right there. In an interview shortly after the 2011 Guitar Center Drum-Off, Bouvet’s mother Iris said, “in our house, music kind of wasn't an option” (Funk). Looking at the circumstances surrounding Bouvet’s upbringing, it seems as if musical aptitude would be a given and he has certainly proven this to be true. In an article about the selection process of gifted students, researchers Frances O’Reilly and John Matt write, “parents have the most intimate background and information regarding the abilities and capabilities of their child. It is incumbent on parents to be active in all aspect’s of their child’s schooling…” (O’Reilly 126). By getting an early start on music and being raised in an environment that fostered musical growth, Bouvet was immediately set up for success.
Born into a wealthy family in Seattle, Bill Gates had everything he needed to become successful. He was able to attend an elite private school that invested in a computer more advanced than what many colleges had at the time. As an eighth grader, he was exposed to programming and got experience that many in his time did not even have access to until college (Gladwell 51). Around the same time, programmers from the University of Washington formed a company called Computer Center Corporation (C-Cubed) and because a classmate of Gates’ had a connection there, he was able test out their software for free. After C-Cubed went bankrupt, Gates worked out a deal with another group at the University of Washington that allowed him more free programming time in exchange for help in developing software (Gladwell 52). Eventually a technology company called TRW was in desperate need of skilled programmers, and through the connections he had made, Bill Gates was of one of the first people referred to the company. To put things into perspective, this was all while Gates was in high school. His school was gracious enough to let him spend the entire spring term working at TRW as an independent study project, and there he met John Norton, who Gates said “taught him as much about programming as almost anyone he’d ever met” (Gladwell 53–54). Bill Gates’ success was the sum of opportunities. Bill Gates would not be the Bill Gates we know today if he had not been sent to an elite Seattle private school that happened to have an advanced computer. He would not be the Bill Gates we know today if he had not been able to work his way into the University of Washington’s programming department. All the connections he made and the opportunities he had got him to where he is today.
The same can be said for JP Bouvet. Not only has Bouvet had incredible opportunities surrounding him, he is also incredibly intelligent and recognizes how to use those opportunities to their fullest. After graduating high school, Bouvet attended Berklee College of Music in Boston for two years. Berklee is a world-renowned school and getting in is an honorable accomplishment in and of itself. But Bouvet did not just coast through his schooling. When asked about his time there, Bouvet says, “simply attending Berklee will not make you into anything. The school is not a machine where on one end of the conveyor belt is young, untrained talent, and at the other end is an output of job opportunities and gigs for everyone who came and got good grades. Berklee is fertile soil for you to make something of yourself” (Interview). And make something of himself he did. Bouvet used his time at Berklee to push himself not only as a musician, but also as a connector. Most of the gigs he has today tie back to Berklee and without going there, he never would have had those opportunities. Bouvet’s career has been a steady progression from one big thing to something even bigger. After two years at Berklee, he made it into the final round of the Guitar Center Drum-Off and managed to win the crown. Many people would attribute this victory as having “made it” but Bouvet simply views it as a launching pad for his career, saying, “the impact of winning those competitions is often misconceived by the public. Winning the drum off is not equivalent to being handed a magical drumming career on a silver platter. What it gives you is an opportunity to build something upon the massive amount of publicity.”
His goal by Drum-Off time the next year was to be someone other than the last winner (Interview). Rather than simply take these opportunities as they came, Bouvet thought out all of the ways he could use them to his advantage. Among the many rewards of winning the Drum-Off, the victor is given the chance to represent gear companies and begin a professional relationship with them. For cymbals, Bouvet chose Meinl, and that relationship has been another instrumental opportunity in his career. The reason he chose Meinl specifically is because, “the gear is amazing but what makes me smile every day are the people involved in the compan[y]. They are so supportive and loving and they really care about me and my career” (Interview). In order to not lose steam or become discouraged, having people support you in your dreams is absolutely necessary. Just like Bill Gates had his parents, his school, and John Norton, JP Bouvet has his parents, his friends, and professionals in his industry that truly want to see him succeed and are willing do what it takes to get him there. Through his Meinl endorsement, Bouvet met Mike Johnston and Matt Halpern, two other Meinl artists with similar goals. The three of them became good friends and started what they have called The Common Thread Clinic Tour. They tour the country and give drum clinics wherever they are wanted. Not only do they have the common thread in Meinl but they have found that they are connected by “internal things like drive, passion, hard work, and being a do-ist” (Interview). About the tour Bouvet says, “The best part about doing clinics with two other guys over and over again is that you have someone there to push you” (Interview). Not only does Bouvet use this tour as an opportunity to promote himself on a national level, it is an intensely personal thing as well. He takes every opportunity he can to better himself and chase his dreams.
What good is an opportunity if one does not have what it takes to use it to its fullest? In Outliers, Gladwell writes, “achievement is talent plus preparation” (Gladwell 38). The Beatles are one of the greatest examples of this idea. Before they had even become successful, they had performed around twelve hundred times. Most artists these days do not even play that many times in their entire careers (Gladwell 50). They put in long hours at a strip club in Hamburg, Germany, sometimes playing for eight hours a day, seven days a week (Gladwell 49). With that much practice, it is hard not to become good at something. JP Bouvet has approached the drums the same way. When he finally realized drums were his true passion, he quit soccer just so he could play more drums (Funk). When preparing for the Drum-Off, while in school at Berklee and playing in multiple bands and ensembles, Bouvet set a strict four-hour per day practice schedule that he did not waver from. It did not matter if that meant starting at 2 am. He was determined to get the hours in (Guitar Center). Eventually Bouvet dropped out of school completely and returned home to Minnesota where, according to his mother, “all he did was practice. That’s all he did. He didn't go out with his friends” (Funk). By being intentional about putting in his hours, Bouvet has transformed himself into a powerhouse that is capable of nearly anything.
There is no sure way to achieve success. No one can prove their method will work for everyone. Asian children are raised in an environment that educates them more effectively than American children. Bill Gates got lucky and made all the right connections. The Beatles performed tirelessly in a strip club of all places, and look where it landed them. JP Bouvet had the effective upbringing, the lucky opportunities, and he is smart enough to know how to use them. Upon close inspection, everyone has elements of these things in their life. All it takes to be successful is recognizing them and then working relentlessly to better yourself. Anything and everything can be used as an opportunity for growth. Do not waste it. Everyone has infinite potential and JP Bouvet is living proof of that. Be a do-ist and chase your dreams.
Works Cited
Bouvet, JP. “JP Bouvet Blog #3 (The Guitar Center Drum Off).” Los Angeles. 15 January. 2012. Video Lecture
— -. “Guitar Center Drum Off Deconstruction.” Lakeville. 10 June 2012. Video Lecture.
— -. Interview. Entertwine. April 2014. Web.
Funk, P. “The baddest drummer boy: JP Bouvet of Lakeville bested 4,500 other drummers to win Guitar Center’s national competition. Winners have gone on to play for Prince, Beyonce and Jay-Z.” Star Tribune. 2 February 2012: E1. Web.
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers. New York: Back Bay Books, 2008. Print.
O’Reilly, F L. Matt, J J. “The Selection of Gifted Students: Did Malcolm Gladwell Overstate the Role of Relative Age in the Gifted Program Selection?” Gifted Child Today 35.2 (2012): 122–127. Print.
“The Role of Music Aptitude in Early Childhood Music.” Learning Sequences in Music: Skill, Content, and Patterns. A Music Learning Theory for Newborn and Young Children. University of South Carolina, 1990, 1993. Web. 11 May 2015.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ben McKeown is a freshman marketing and finance student from Richfield, MN. McKeown likes Josh Garrels’ falsetto, hammocking on Sem Hill, and pretending to be funny.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED
Despite what your roommate might think, Bethel’s online library is actually your best friend.
Lucky breaks aren't the exception. They’re the rule.
Success requires a rice-paddy mentality.
Mastering something might takes 10,000 hours but it doesn't end there. Brian Lehmann may be in the 30,000 hour range but still believes he has a long way to go. Dreams aren't something you ever stop pursuing.
Legacies are everything. “Who we are cannot be separated from where we’re from — and when we ignore that fact, planes crash.” — Malcolm Gladwell
Great writing begins with a moment.
Dogs can paint pictures.
Always remember what you were thinking at 3:15 PM on March 31.
Readers want to see, not hear.
The best cover letter doesn't follow the rules.
Start with Bill Gates at Lakeside before Bill Gates at Microsoft.
The Writing Covenant is a collective, not a competition.
The Writing Center isn't as scary as Chris claims.
More eyes produce better papers.
Writing is fun when Scott’s teaching.
“…and her underwater matched.” Chris Stein is off to a good start as the Writing Covenant gathers in AC 321 for the last time. Lara Logan’s What I've Learned from Esquire prefaces the final exam and once the public speaking mishaps are out of the way, the Covenant put in their earbuds and get to work demonstrating what College Writing has taught them.
