Rebel with a degree
By: Carlos Restrepo
-Editor-in-Chief-
Some experts cite 1951 as the birth of rock and roll music A.rtists such as Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Ray Charles began making their mark following this year. However, it was in 1950 that full-time rocker and STLCC-Meramec alumnus Scott Rice was born.
“I was a drummer then. I am a drummer now,” said Rice.
But this 57-year-old man is much more than a drummer. Rice is working on a master’s degree in world percusion pedagogy from Webster University. Before attending Webster, Rice attended Meramec, but before that, he enrolled full time in the school of life.
“I have been a professional drummer for a long time. I started playing when I was 4 years old. I dropped out of high school and went on the road when I was 18 years old,” Rice said.
Rice briefly worked in music retail in ‘82 but, “burnt out on that and went back on the road,” Rice said.
“I was actually homeless at that point. We had no address; we didn’t live anywhere; my wife and I were full-time on the road,” Rice said.
From 1991 until beginning of 2004, Rice’s life was “heading on the highway and looking for adventures.” In the fall of 2004, however, he decided to go back to school.
“In 2004 is when I said, ‘Okay, I’m going to go back to school and I’m going to get a nice, neat, little two-year music degree.’ So I went to Meramec to do that,” Rice said. “I realized I was going to die soon so I wanted a little more credibility.”
Rice said that coming back to school was a bit difficult, but that learning is not done without some stress and failure.
“You learn from failure, not from success,” Rice said.
All the years on the road, however, contributed to his education.
“You can sit down and learn about chord functions and music theory, which is wonderful, but there is no training in what happens when it comes down to get music gigs, dealing with club owners, and there is not even a good ethics course on music,” Rice said.
Rice said he hopes to go on to get a doctorate degree in ethnomusicology, the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts.
After years of doing what he loves, and now finishing his educational career, Rice said he feels accomplished.
“In my age, the only thing left in my plate, the only thing I have to do, is die. So in the meantime I am going to do what’s important to me,” Rice said.
