Founder and event organiser Swap Gomez walks to the beat of his own drum. The Yoko Zuna drummer is a multi talented machine that appears to never sleep. But he must, because on top of being a qualified teacher, a director, producer and editor he also arrives bright eyed and bushy tailed Monday to Friday to take on the challenging role of Student Recruitment and Enrolment Officer at SAE Creative Media Institute in Auckland. This strong tie to SAE is just one of the many reasons that SAE jumped at the opportunity to become a key sponsor of Drummer’s Day Out 2018.  

SAE prides itself on being a supportive environment for all staff members both on and off campus. A large proportion of the administration and faculty are actively involved in the music community and that real life experience is a tool they love to draw from on a daily basis. 

“It's not uncommon for one of our staff members to be on tour overseas for a week or two” says Dr Suzette Major, Campus Director “I think it’s invaluable for us to have active members of the music scene available to our students to learn from” 

The Drummers Day Out is just one of many events that SAE is aligning itself with at a real grassroots level. Having access to these forums allow SAE to keep an ear to the ground where they can continue to grow themselves as an institute allowing them to be aware of what it is that all communities involved with music and audio want to learn about and where the future is heading. 

The highlights of the day will be the Q&A with a panel of guest drummers, including Swap himself and also another member of the SAE staff, Dave Johnston, Industry Liaison and Marketing Officer. Dave plays drums for rock band Villainy who recently played to a packed arena at Wellington’s Homegrown festival and thinks this event is a chance for the drumming community to develop and embrace learning from one another.