It’s not a lesson you learn quickly or easily, but thanks to the wisdom of a Sweetwater instructor, Dillon Turner was able to turn early setbacks into a recipe for success. While Turner was wrestling with anxiety, his drum teacher, Doug Laughlin, imparted the secret of life: Failure can be the path to greatness with practice, confidence, and some persistence.Since those early lessons, Turner has added percussion instruments such as marimba and cajón to his repertoire while also pulling from the styles of legendary drummers. Turner is a part of two personal bands and his high school jazz band, and the build a band program at Sweetwater, with the goal of becoming a profitable act. Exposed to the powerful, entrancing sounds of steel drums, he decided to a take lesson. “I just got it,” he said. “I’ve always liked the challenge of new things, and music is always throwing challenges your way. It’s your job as a musician to work around or solve those challenges.”On being named to the 20 Under 20, Turner said, “It’s so cool to have the opportunity. It’s a way of getting yourself out there and representing music and the people who supported me.”
Dillon Turner
More articles
Music, skateboarding come together
Mary Mitchener has dreamed of playing a show at a skate park since she was a child. On Saturday, she and her band Loveseat! will do just that at Slam […]
Embassy announces Summer Nights schedule
Embassy Theatre has announced the lineup for their seventh season of Summer Nights, kicking off June 1 with Sankofa and Dap One. Featuring local musicians every Wednesday from 5-9 p.m. […]
Aaron Wilson
The biggest challenge facing Aaron Wilson might be deciding what comes next. The lead tenor saxophone player is an all-state jazz team member, and he’s received music scholarships from every major […]
Gavin Weller
He’s been playing only about two years, but when COVID-19 handed Gavin Weller lemons, he used the quarantine downtime to make lemonade. Weller poured himself into playing and learning everything he […]