Grimsby youth off to prestigious music college

To achieve one’s goals in life, one has to keep a collective “eye on the prize” and 17-year-old Kalam Elgersma is doing just that.

The Grimsby teen will take an important step toward achieving his dream of being a “big famous rockstar” when he packs up and heads off to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Ma, this fall.

“I got interested in music at a very young age as I was kind of just born into it. My Mom (Jennifer McKillop) played a huge role in getting me started and even helping me out throughout every year even when she wasn’t teaching me directly. She’s a major part of why I am where I am today. My Mom has been there the whole way and through all of my struggles as a musician or the times where I didn’t believe in myself, she’s been there,” said Kalam.

“She and my Dad (Tom Elgersma) continue to be the best and most supportive parents anyone could ever ask for. From putting me into music lessons to helping in paying for instruments, I owe everything to them.”

And he may owe them a little more by the time his Berklee education wraps up as the annual cost for tuition, room and board as well as incidentals comes in at about $65,000 U.S

To help offset some cost, a fundraising event has been planned for Friday, Aug. 12 at Conversations Cafe in Beamsville. The event – which will include Dean Foster, Beau Fischer, Thomas Nelson Band, Kalam with Laura Thomas, Angels’ Share Duet and Dusk Crusade – runs from 6-9 p.m.

“I’ve never really once thought of doing anything else other than music. I started studying a lot of classical and orchestral music and also played a lot of rock and funk on the drum kit. Berklee College of Music has been my dream school since I was about seven or eight years old,” said Kalam.

And the apple is not falling far from the tree when it comes to how Kalam’s musical influences evolved from that early age.

“Santana was my first influence when I was just a baby. My grandparents (Peter and Wendy McKillop) used to play Santana a lot in their vehicle. Later on, when I’d help them with farm chores, I’d ask to listen to Santana or they’d already be playing them,” Kalam recalled.

“My grandparents on my Dad’s side (Peter and Jane Elgersma) played a lot of jazz in their household and I think the perfect mix of Santana and other classic rock as well as Jazz really helped me influence-wise. My favourite bands and artists to date are Santana, Gary Burton, Al Jarreau, Alice in Chains, Quincy Jones, Metallica, The Doors, Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and many more.”

While sounds had an ongoing impact on Kalam’s musical journey, some key people in his life also helped him at various times.

“The Niagara Symphony Orchestra’s SMC (Summer Music Camp) is what really made me excel in percussion. I studied for four weeks with Mike Phelan and with his help was able to secure a spot in the Niagara Youth Orchestra. NYO is an amazing program and really helped me push to be the best I can be. Craig Snowden was my percussion coach in the NYO and I had many valuable lessons from my nine-year tenure there. I’ve also been taking drum kit lessons from Mike Harshaw for a number of years now and he has really helped me with a lot of things I could never even think of doing before on the kit,” Kalam said.

“My private teacher, Laura Thomas, is, along with my Mom, such a major reason as to why I am where I am today. Laura has known me almost since I was born, as she taught my Mom in university. Laura was also the artistic director of SMC for the majority of the years I attended camp. The influence and impact Laura has had, not only on my playing but on my life in general, is so amazing. She’s the reason I chose to play vibraphone as my primary instrument and has pushed me and supported me to a level of playing and musical awareness I never really knew I could get to. I’ve learned so much from her musically wise and also life lesson wise.

His teachers at Grimsby Secondary School also played a part.

“Mark Saresky was my music teacher at GSS for three years and really helped me believe that Berklee was a possibility for me! Bonnie Henderson was my music teacher in my Grade 12 year at GSS and gave me so many opportunities and guidance as I prepared for my audition and getting things ready to go after my acceptance,” he noted.

Critics say the Berklee College of Music ranking is always in the top five of any ranking, oftentimes second only to Juilliard. But unlike Juilliard with its emphasis on the classical arts, Berklee is a recognized as a distinctively contemporary music school. So navigating his way through the school’s program will be a great line item on Kalam’s resume one day.

“I would like to major in performance at Berklee, exclusively in jazz vibraphone. However, I’m still weighing options as I’m very interested in their composition, film scoring, and music business majors. As a career I’d like to be a producer but also be a performing and recording artist and work for a company like NBC or Disney and have a musical position there. I think the next couple years will really help me settle on that choice though.” said Kalam.

If you would like to support Kalam on his journey but cannot attend the event, contact Jenn McKillop – jenn_mckillop@hotmail.com – for details on how to do that.