By Dylan Welsh
As musicians, we all remember struggling with our instrument at some point. For Chris Anderson, a 3rd semester student who had learning disabilities growing up, honing his drum skills to the point where he could get into Berklee was a huge mountain that he is happy to have been able to climb. An avid runner who has completed 11 marathons, he is now trying to give back by running the Boston Marathon for the Technology for Autism Now team. He and the rest of the team are all raising money for TAN, a company that helps develop visual aid applications for autistic children to make learning easier for them. Earlier this month, I talked to Chris about his struggles growing up, and the cause he is supporting.
Berklee Groove: You started playing drums at age 12, despite an extreme sensitivity to noise. Why the drums?
Chris Anderson: It started with my parents. It got to a point where they said “Maybe the rhythmical thing will help you,” because I was really bad at mathematics. That was my weakest subject; I struggled with it, and I still do. Numbers and me are not friends. That’s also why music theory continues to be a battle for me. But yeah, in about 2001 or 2002, I started taking percussion lessons with a great friend of my parents, and I took them for about two or three years. It was mostly about learning Afro-Cuban stuff and the claves. We also did a little bit of clapping and walking around the room to salsa music. Later I got my first pair of sticks and a drum pad, which I thought was the weirdest thing ever. When he gave me that he said, “Okay, we’re gonna start building you up with some basic rudements,” and so I learned the singles and doubles and paradiddles and was really struggling with the coordination, but was really starting to enjoy it. For me, the percussion was great and now I really love it, but back then I wanted a drum set right away. Around 2005 my teacher told me that it was time for a drum set and I started looking into a beginner kit. As a kid, I was a big Beattles and Stones fan so I was like “I want a Ludwig drum kit. I don’t care what kind it is but it has to be Ludwig.” I still have that drum kit back home.
BG: Has it helped your learning skills?
CA: I think it really did. It helped me in a lot of different ways.
BG: Do you play any other instruments?
CA: I took piano during my last year living in Ireland. But I would never consider myself a piano player. That’s sort of a long-term goal for me, to get to a point where I can play piano a little better.
“Out of the big six [world marathons], I’m only missing Tokyo. I’ve done Berlin, New York, Boston, Chicago and London. This time is going to be very special though. I’m really hoping I can raise the $5,000.”
BG: What has been your favorite part of the school so far?
CA: I think I was surprised how fast things went. For me, after the first five weeks, I remember thinking, “Wow, this isn’t five week anymore, this is real college.”
BG: Who are your biggest musical influences at this point?
CA: I had the privilege of getting a letter of recommendation from Peter Erskine, who is huge for me and has helped me so much. I love everything about him; his drumming, his playing, and he’s also just one of the nicest human beings. I have a lot of inspirations but he is definitely the biggest.
BG: When did you start running seriously?
CA: As a kid I used to play basketball a lot, which required us to do some running. My dad used to be a high jumper on the Danish national team and so I ran a lot with him. When I went to boarding school I start getting into the longer runs. Since it was a sports and language school we had to take some electives and I took running at some point. So I started getting really into the whole long running thing and eventually developed past 10 kilometers. A year or two after boarding school my dad and I talked about doing a marathon and I said, “Yeah, let’s do it.” So in 2009 I completed my first marathon, which was the Berlin Marathon, one of the big marathons in the world. Out of the big six, I’m only missing Tokyo. I’ve done Berlin, New York, Boston, Chicago and London. This time is going to be very special though. I’m really hoping I can raise the $5,000.
BG: Has running helped you and your learning?
CA: It has. If there is something I really get into, I will go all the way with it if I can.
BG: How did you come to be involved with TAN?
CA: At the end of last year I went to a running even at a sports store down on Boylston and met this girl who was running New York as well, and she said she had never done a marathon before, New York would be her first. So we got in touch on Facebook. And after New York I asked her if she had any connections to get into the Boston Marathon, because to qualify in my age group I had to have completed a marathon in three hours and five minutes, which is ridiculous. She told me she was running for a group called Technology for Autism Now. So I looked into that and she said there was an available bib number. I contacted Marie who is in charge of this whole thing and she got me onto the team. So now we’re all trying to raise this money, everybody on the team has a goal of $5,000.
“Whatever people can donate helps. I’m just hoping people will share the story and take five minutes to read it.”
BG: Do you see yourself working with them in more in the future?
CA: If I’m staying in Boston I’m definitely going to stay in touch with them. I’m really happy I’m getting to run the marathon for a really good reason.
BG: How is the fundraising coming? Do you think you will meet your goal?
CA: I’ve raised a little over $200. It’s going well. I’m hoping when I have this fundraising event it will help even more. Whatever people can donate helps. I’m just hoping people will share the story and take five minutes to read it. I’ve never been autistic but I have learning disabilities and I think it’s a pretty common thing. I’ve had a lot of people come up to me and say that they get it.
BG: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
CA: My dream is, if it works out financially, to live in New York. I could see myself living in either New York or Copenhagen, but you never know what’s going to happen. It would be really cool to throw workshops that are musical that teaches people how to take that extra step. But my lifelong dream is just to be a performing musician and perform and do clinics and stuff.
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Chris is currently trying to raise $5,000 for Technology for Autism Now. You can read more about his story and donate to his cause here. He is hosting a fundraising event on February 22nd at the Lansdowne Pub from 1:00-5:00pm, where there will be live music as well as raffle prizes.
To see some of Chris’ playing, check out his Youtube and Soundcloud pages
You can learn more about Technology for Autism Now here
If you have any questions about the cause, you can connect with Chris on Facebook or Linkedin