Episode 37 Neil Bost
Neil Bost graduated from Yucca Valley High School in 2009, where he participated in
the symphonic band and marching band drum line for four years. He graduated from
Humboldt State University in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in music performance and
music education. Other education includes summer workshops such as the
Explorations in Afro-Cuban Music and Dance workshop, which Neil has taken and
worked for every summer over the past four years. This workshop brought in master
drummers and dancers from Cuba and the United States to teach a week-long intensive
on Afro-Cuban music, dance and culture. California Brazil Camp is another summer
workshop that he has attended for the past five years, which hosts teachers from Brazil
and the US to teach a two week-long workshop on Brazilian music and culture.
In 2013 Neil was hired as musical director of Samba na Chuva, a musical troupe that
specializes in Brazilian styles of music and dance. As musical director he teaches
private and group drum lessons and composes arrangements to be performed in the
group’s annual performances. In 2014 Neil became director of Samba da Alegria
Community Drummers, a project of the Ink People through the non profit group Dance
and Drum in Humboldt, which focuses on community involvement through learning and
playing music. As director Neil teaches weekly drum classes year round as well as
organizes and leads the yearly samba parade of over 200 participants. In addition Neil
develops educational materials for the group such as musical charts, videos and
recordings.
In spring of 2015 Neil was hired as a substitute teacher for several school districts in
Humboldt County. In fall of 2015 he was hired as an Instructional Aide for Trinidad
Elementary School, where he is an aide for the 8th grade classroom as well as an aide
for the music teacher. He has also been assisting the after school music programs at
both Trinidad and Blue Lake Elementary Schools for the past two years, which includes
group music instruction through use of the steel pan instrument. Neil also assisted two
separate week-long summer drum camps at both of these schools.
Neil has also performed in a multitude of groups on a variety of instruments. Performing
groups that Neil has participated in include sambAmore, a world music fusion group
which has toured extensively throughout the west coast as well as recorded multiple
albums. He also plays with the HSU Calypso Band which specializes in the steel pan
repertoire from the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. During his seven years with the
HSU Calypso Band Neil has recorded three albums with the group, one of which
featured him as a soloist, and has had the opportunity to direct the steel band of over 50
people in the director’s absence on multiple occasions. Other groups include Steel
Standing, a small steel band that fused traditional steel pan music with various other
styles, which recorded two albums that featured Neil as a soloist on multiple tracks. He
has also served as Principal Percussionist of the Eureka Symphony since 2015.
https://www.facebook.com/neil.bost
Sponsored by GoSamba.net!
This episode sponsored by GoSamba.net
Samba drums from Brazil available in the USA!
