Meet Darryl Yokley

We were lucky to catch up with Darryl Yokley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Darryl, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I’ve had many great mentors, both musically and otherwise that have influenced my work ethic. As a musician, especially being a woodwind player, I try to take good care of my body so that I can perform at my best always. This entails paying attention to what I eat, making sure I exercise, and try to get enough sleep although I’m plagued by a slight case of being a workaholic. I read, and watch interviews/documentaries of athletes and how they train their bodies, and the level of detail they pay attention to in their craft, and I incorporate it into my own discipline. Musically I’ve seen interviews and read up on the practice habits of many of the great artist I admire. First hand influences would be all my teachers over the years in school. I’ve also received great advice from mentors outside of my teachers such as Timothy Adams Jr., the former principal timpanist of the Pittsburgh symphony and Chris Hemingway, whom I met in college and who is still a close friend to this day. I also pick up things just observing my contemporaries and having conversations with some of them.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a musician, my primary instrument being saxophone and I also play flute and clarinet. Being a musician, I have quite an array of jobs so to speak. First and foremost I have my own band which is called Sound Reformation and we have been together for around ten years now, with two albums to our name with a third on the horizon. I’m also collaborating with other artists such as pianist Kyle Walker who is an amazing classical pianist, so I’m happy to be taking part in these projects. I have my own private studio of students that I teach, and I also help run a recording collective, Truth Revolution Recording Collective with the hopes of opening up my own label in the future. I find it exciting, challenging, and rewarding to be creating my own job and there’s never a dull moment. I’m always allowed to be creative, which is what I love.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I think one of the qualities that has helped myself is having a relentless mindset. There’s were times where everything was going my way and then there were other times when it seemed that I hit a wall, but no matter what I keep going. Whether there’s success or failure, tomorrow is gonna come and things go back to being even. So I’ve learned to enjoy the process rather than the end result. I would also say to be open to change. Not in the sense where you change direction too quickly, but not so stuck that you are one dimensional. Especially in the music industry, the more skill sets you have, the more valuable you are. Finally, surround yourself with people who know more than you and are better than you so that you are forced to elevate yourself. I’ve found that this is the best way to improve yourself in life, not just in your job.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am always looking for other creatives to collaborate with. It’s a main reason why I got into this line of work in the first place! I love to collaborate with people who are passionate and dedicated to fulfilling their potential in their craft, and who do not shy away from taking on a project that they don’t know how to do. Working with people who like the challenge of the unknown is always a fun experience and I find they are the most valuable experiences for myself.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Anthony Montez 1-2, Vanessa Ramos 3, Steven Ramos 4

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