Frank Zummo
Frederica BurelliWhat do you do as a musician once you’ve touched the brass ring of fame and success? The stories are legion of those who have lived wild and sybaritic lives. What we don’t hear enough of is the stories of those use their access and ability to help and inspire others.
Frank Zummo, drummer for Sum 41
Sasha GerstnerI spoke with Frank Zummo who has spent more than half a decade reaching out to help and inspire kids who are interested in music. He partners with the School of Rock facilities across the country, with SJC Drums and with Vans Shoes to put on drum workshops with a social purpose. The workshop is a mash up of his playing Sum 41 songs, often accompanied by student musicians, and an in depth outreach program touching on everything from how to breach the barriers to a music career to combating the social pressures of growing up all the way to prevention of suicidal ideation. Zummo brings both music and counseling to these events hoping to both lead and inspire those who already appreciate his music.
In recent years these events have grown in size, such that there may be students from several local schools of rock in attendance, along with siblings and other family members. It’s more than just music, it’s a forum for social awareness and a truth check that the glamour of a life in the spotlight is not a hall pass from the social pressures which face us all. It’s helpful to have a peek behind the visage of the great and powerful Oz to see that we are all the same, no matter what the public facing image implies.
Each of us shares hopes and dreams, doubts and insecurities. The key to life is to survive it, and that starts with an understanding that no path is free from obstacles. The key is to learn how to solve for the immediate problem rather than succumb to drugs, depression or worse. There is always another obstacle coming somewhere in the future, but the pathway between those challenges can be blissful if you just permit yourself to accept that challenges are also a part of the life experience. For musicians it is extremely rare to just pick up and instrument for the first time and play it expertly. It takes practice, failure, more practice and only later comes success.
Vans, the Orange County based shoe and clothing company recently hosted an event with Zummo which had a large turnout. Families came to take part. The students there were asked to learn a Ramones song in advance of the event. What the students didn’t know was that there was a surprise waiting. Zummo had arranged for Adrian Young, drummer from No Doubt to attend. At the end of a packed day of music and life advice, hot dogs and swag giveaways, the musicians from School of Rock were asked to play their newly learned Ramone’s song – only to discover they would be playing alongside Young. There’s already excitement when a well-known musician from a top flight band has come to play and talk with you. There’s an extra boost of energy when another super famous player joins the jam.
Leaving behind the inspiration of getting to watch and play with someone well known, the critical portion of these workshops is the way in which Zummo and those with him seek to save lives, motivate and inspire these kids. This access to help from inspirational speakers, counselors and suicide prevention specialists can introduce new ideas to young people. These workshops are open to any and all questions so as to break the barriers of decorum and allow for real talks about the pressures and burdens these young people face.
The idea of success is always present, but so is the truth the path is not easily tread. These workshops are unscripted, it is the kids who dictate the direction of the day and they ask the questions. As a result, each day is unique rather than a rehashed motivational speech replicated at each location. They do have an interesting exercise, known as “what’s on your plate?” Each attendee is given a paper plate and asked to write all their responsibilities on one side. Then, they are asked to flip the plate over and write down how they cope. Is it read a book, talk to their parents, play their instrument? These are subtle ways to bring the message that there are alternative mechanisms to relieve the pressures of growing up in a social media driven world of artificial depictions of life.
What Zummo is doing is generous, meaningful and beneficial. His work is smoothing the path for the next generation who seek his success but still have to learn how to navigate the path. This is something which could be modeled and replicated by others. The need is staggering.
Meanwhile, when Sum 41 is not on the road, Zummo is touring his own new concept in which he both DJs and plays live drum. This combination of a DJ performance plus an instrument really adds to the audience experience. It adds immediacy to something otherwise abstract.
In a curious way, both the workshops and the DJ experiences which occupy Zummo’s time originate from the same core idea: being present in the moment. Audiences love that personal touch. Teens working through the pressures of who they could become thrive from moving closer to their own path aided by the workshops. Sum 41 is Zummo’s band. His actions demonstrate an inherent understanding of math: adding support and encouragement always enhances a result. That is where addition is more than the sum of its parts. It’s the spark which lights the future.