Nick White

If you hire me you can expect performance at a professional level, on time arrivals, and an overall professional attitude. I take every gig I’m on very seriously and make it a point to show up prepared every time. I am also easy to work with, adaptable, and am always open to new ideas and suggestions.

I have been surrounded by music my entire life, growing up in a family full of musicians. My father is a bass player and my mother and sisters are singers. Most of my influences were introduced to me by my father such as Earth Wind and Fire and Tower of Power. These bands were the first funk music I ever got into. Other influences that I came across myself are drummers such as Steve Gadd, Dave Weckl, David Garibaldi, Vinnie Colaiuta and many more. These artists really speak to me because of their unique approach to jazz and funk music. Garibaldi inspired me to get into funk drumming heavily which really shaped my sound. Gadd, Weckl, and Colaiuta inspired me to dive deep into jazz fusion drumming, which is my favorite genre to play today. The mix of the funk and fusion is exactly the sound I have on the drums.

I wanted to study contemporary music and Berklee was the most appealing college to me because there is so much diversity in what you can do there. I spent my entire life up until Berklee in and out of performing through school band and even show choir and musical theater. My first performance ever was in a small scale production of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” in which I played an oompa loompa. As silly as my role was, I fell in love with the feeling of being on stage and the energy you feel coming from a live audience. My first performance on the drums was two years later in fifth grade. I was playing the drum set for my school band, and I remember specifically playing the song “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osborn and feeling amazing after nailing the drum part. I really had the best of both worlds, playing my instrument as well as singing and dancing. All of these experiences are the reason I chose to follow the performance major track at Berklee.

After Berklee my goal is to be a professional drummer on a national tour of sorts. Whether it's with a Broadway show or with a big artist, I just want to be playing drums. I love to learn and grow with my peers and feel like I have learned just as much from friends as I have from professors while at Berklee. I can confidently say that my friends have been some of the biggest inspirations in my life. Another huge inspiration to me is my private instructor James Murphy who has changed my perspective on many things throughout the years, and continues to do so to this day. My biggest inspirations would have to be my parents, I would not be where I am today without them.