Drummer Mitch Dorge of the Crash Test Dummies had the attention of his teenage audience as soon as he picked up the microphone and started speaking.
Nearly 500 students and teachers packed the Innisfail Middle School gymnasium recently to listen to the multiple award-winning drummer of the popular Canadian band. Dorge's high-energy presentation took students from his days as a six-year-old who wanted to drum more than anything to his present career as drummer, studio musician, film score composer, and public speaker.
“I have an amazing life and the best job in the world,” said Dorge to the students on April 11. “Not because I make all kinds of money but because I get to do what I love every day of the week, and I get paid to do it. I'm living my dream.”
Dorge engaged the students' attention with his positive message and had them participating with activities that had dozens of volunteers clapping, stomping, whooping, choking a rubber chicken, being a ninja and “pinging”.
“When I was six years old, my parents asked me what instrument I wanted to play,” said Dorge. “I peeped up in my six-year-old voice, “drums” and the next day I had a set of drums in my home and my life changed. Whenever I could I drummed, before and after school, on weekends, and even at lunchtime.”
He noted that when he graduated high school, his first job was teaching drumming at a music school for four years until he got a call to join a band going on a European tour, which changed his life forever.
“I got to go to Europe, play music, and come back home with money,” he added. “In 1991 I was invited to join the Crash Test Dummies as a drummer and I have never looked back since then. We played Saturday Night Live in 1994 and I hung out with Adam Sandler and Chris Farley. I travelled to Russia, and I was able to tour the world doing what I love best.”
After catching the attention of the teenage audience by having teens make chicken noises, yell out KAPOW and having a student make ninja sounds as he ran towards a fellow student to tap her head as she said “ping”, his message began in earnest.
“You have the ability to make positive choices,” said Dorge. “Whether it is drinking and driving, doing drugs, or making poor lifestyle choices, you can make a good choice.”
He presented information on crystal meth, marijuana, cocaine, and drinking and driving, citing examples like Jacqui Saburido who made a good choice not to drive after drinking, but someone else's poor choice of driving drunk that nearly killed her.
The drummer finished the morning with his story of how he learned to “see” drumming from another perspective from a producer who could not drum. He then stepped up to the drum kit, and performed his television commercial music for the appreciative audience.
“After the presentation I had lots of kids come up for autographs and hugs,” said Dorge. “It was clear that my message of making good choices hit home with many of them. That was why I was here today. If I helped one kid make a decision to not do drugs, or to step away from negative people in their life, I made a difference.”
Grade 9 student Kyle Douglas was enthusiastic about the drummer's message and especially loved the drumming, adding he also learned why it was so important to choose not to drink and drive. Many others also took Dorge's message to heart and eagerly talked to him afterwards.
Kelvin and Bettina McGillivray of the Co-operators were pleased to help bring Dorge to Innisfail.
“As a parent of teens, it is hard to connect with them sometimes,” said Kelvin. “Mitch managed to do that in ways I could not. From my vantage point at the back of the gymnasium, I could see that Mitch was making a difference and reaching them. It was amazing to see.”
