Conversations with Megan Spencer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Spencer

Hi Megan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up playing classical piano for years and then eventually I grew tired of it. When I was 11 I took it upon myself to ask one of the drummers at my church if he’d teach me and he said yes. Quickly I became fully obsessed with the drums and practiced for hours on end every day. I began playing drums for the worship team at church and by the time I was 15 played every week. At this point I knew I wanted music to be my career so I jumped the gun at 15 and took a really simple music course at Citrus College in Glendora, California. After taking that class I decided to just go ahead and simultaneously work towards my Associate’s degree in music while in high school. I graduated high school at 17 and then had one more semester at Citrus before I got my Associates! Technically I finished 3 days before I turned 18. I then transferred to Azusa Pacific University where I spent the next 2 and 1/2 years studying Commercial Music Business. At 20 I graduated with my Bachelor’s and entered “the real world” as a musician. For the last 6 years I’ve been primarily teaching drum students, gigging, and doing some recording. During Covid I decided to start building an in-home drum studio and make short drum covers for Instagram and YouTube. Little did I know it would take from March 2020 to now 2024 to see the pay off of continuing making those videos. Just last week I hit a Million views for a cover I did of Averly Morillo’s song ¿Quién podrá?. I am excited to see where my career takes me next!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There was a time that I thought I didn’t want to teach drums and would prefer a desk job. Well, I did that office job for 4 months and couldn’t take it! Before quitting one of my friends told me, “Megan would you rather be sitting in an office listening to the radio music and tapping on your desk dreaming of drumming or teach students on the actual instrument you love?” That was all it took to convince me! As mentioned previously, it’s taken me quite a while to grow my social media following. I’ve made hundreds of videos over the years and I’m just now starting to see them gain exposure. There were times I just wanted to give up and stop making them but I’m glad I kept pushing.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a drummer I take a lot of pride in playing all kinds of music! If you look at my page you’ll find gospel music, rock, pop, Latin, Afro-Cuban, funk and even some metal. I think that’s something that sets me apart from other drummers, since most stick to one or two genres of music. I also enjoy pulling the original drums out of a song and recording my own unique parts. This allows me to feel like I have full creative control with the vision I have in my mind for a song.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
For independent musicians I see online streaming becoming more popular as another means of income. Specifically for drummers, I see more and more digital aspects being incorporated with our acoustic drum kits. In recent years we’ve added things like octapads and drum triggers as extra additions to achieve electronic sounds.. I think similar innovations will pop up over the next few years.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meganspencerdrums?igsh=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@meganspencerdrums?si=9YRXGZt1o3BjX2Ta
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@meganspencerdrums?_t=8osmRygq87C&_r=1

Image Credits
John King