A few weeks ago, a longtime listener and subscriber named Leo tried to order my book on Amazon. It didn’t go smoothly — stock issues, shipping headaches, the usual Amazon runaround. Most people would have just given up and moved on.
Leo didn’t. He found his way to Signature Brandworks and ordered a copy directly from me instead. That alone means a lot. Leo’s been with the podcast and the site for a long time, and knowing he cared enough to track down the book rather than let a broken checkout page stop him is exactly the kind of support that keeps this whole project going.
But what really got me was what he said after he read it.
Leo described the book as “pure gold” — not just for drummers, and not just for musical theater players, but for any working musician taking on all kinds of gigs. That phrase has been stuck in my head ever since, because it’s exactly what I set out to make. This was never meant to be just a drumming book. It’s a career guide — contracts, negotiating with producers, breaking into a market, understanding the business side most of us were never taught. If you’re a professional musician of any kind, that’s information you need.
Leo put it better than I could, so I’ll let him say it in his own words:
“This is pure gold for anyone who’s interested, especially in musical theater, but it applies to any kind of musician doing all sorts of gigs. Beyond our instrument — we get really focused on the instrument — but looking up content and resources that are important for a professional musician’s training... financial education, negotiation, understanding contracts, and the laws that apply to musicians. I think all of that is important for us to become better professionals and to improve the market for everyone too.”
Coming from someone who’s spent 23 years developing his own teaching method, that’s not a compliment I take lightly.
Who is Leo?
Leo Bandeira is a Brazilian drummer, author, and educator — and honestly, someone every drummer reading this should be following. He’s the author of Teoria Musical para Bateria (Music Theory for Drums), the accompanying Livros de Exercícios volumes 1–3, and Leitura à Primeira Vista (Sight Reading). He also teaches A Bateria no Teatro Musical — Drums in Musical Theater — so when a guy who spends his career teaching this stuff calls my book pure gold, that means a lot to me.
His beginner-level video course builds directly on those books: over 400 exercises covering reading, writing, coordination, orchestration, and rhythmic dictation, all developed over two decades of teaching drummers how to actually read and understand music, not just play by feel. If you’re a drummer looking to get more literate on your instrument, his material is worth your time.
Follow Leo here: instagram.com/leobandeiramusico
Leo’s Full Review (translated from Portuguese)
I wanted to share it in full, exactly as he gave it, rather than just pulling the one line:
Guys, I want to share with you a book I just finished reading, and it’s amazing. Clayton is a Broadway drummer with a ton of experience. He has a podcast where he interviews Broadway musicians, so he really lays out how the industry works over there, you know? Which is basically the top of the musical theater world.
So, in this book, he explains exactly how everything works over there: contracts with producers, how negotiations happen, how you break into the market. He talks about networking — honestly, he covers so many topics. This is pure gold for anyone who’s interested, especially in musical theater, but it applies to any kind of musician doing all sorts of gigs, you know?
Yeah, it’s really important information that every professional musician should have access to.
So folks, I’m leaving his Instagram here so you can find his materials. I think being a good professional musician also means doing your research. Beyond our instrument — we get really focused on the instrument — but looking up content and resources that are important for a professional musician’s training, you know?
Financial education, negotiation, understanding contracts, and the laws that apply to musicians. I think all of that is important for us to become better professionals and to improve the market for everyone too.
Alright? So here’s the golden tip.
Follow him over there, and look for the book. Thanks!
And if you’ve been on the fence about the book like Leo was — go grab a copy on Amazon. Or get a copy from me here at SignatureBrandworks.com.
Also, Leo, if you’re reading this: I’m taking a lesson from you the day I finally make it to Brazil, no excuses.
I’m proud of this one, and it means the world that it’s resonating with musicians outside the Broadway pit too.
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