Allen Saxon
Bill Mueller was not my drum teacher. But he was THE drum teacher. An accomplished professional musician who played behind many celebrities who brought their acts to venues like the old Palmer House, he maintained a teaching studio in Joliet, IL, and trained scores of fine drummers. Bill’s style exemplified a school of technique that is easily recognized when listening to what I call Northern Illinois drummers. Whether they are famous like Danny Seraphine of the band Chicago or legendary jazz drummers like Louie Bellson or Paul Wertico, Illinois drummers share a technique that, in drum parlance, allows them to play “cleanly” giving each note a distinctive character and value.
In fifth grade when I joined the school’s Beginner’s Band, we were faced with a dilemma. My mother didn’t drive and my father couldn’t take the time out from his law practice to drive me into Joliet for lessons. Fortunately my mother recalled that Don Kinley, a young barber in town played drums ( he had been a student of Bill Mueller). Don agreed to take me as a student and come to our house for lessons. Problem solved…. almost. The fact is I was a terrible student, hated practicing, and often my unpreparedness became a battle of wills between myself and Don.
In seventh grade I performed a solo in the annual music competition among entrants from many schools. That year the judge was the Professor of Percussion from the Vandercook School of Music. Haskell Harr was an imposing figure. Recognized as a preeminent figure in music education, his instruction books are still used today, and for those studying percussion they are as necessary as a pair of sticks. (Google him.)
When I finished playing, as he marked a perfect score on his judging sheet, Mr. Harr looked up and said, “You take from Bill Mueller don’t you?”
“No sir,” I replied, “but my teacher did.”
The following year the Kinleys presented me with this drum pad as a Bar Mitzvah gift. ( Much to the relief of family members and neighbors, drummers practice on quiet pads.) I still grab my sticks on occasion and play a few rudiments on it.
Initially I was pretty proud of myself for getting a perfect score from Haskell Harr, but over the years I recognized this as more of an accomplishment for my teacher. His dedication, perfectionism, skill, and above all his patience, taught me and the two generations that followed a lot more than just the techniques of drumming..