There are some people whom you imagine will be in your life forever. I always felt that towards a man whom I met for the first time aged 12 at my school in Aberdeenshire, and who would change the meaning of what it means to listen. My school peripatetic percussion teacher, Ron Forbes, sadly passed away at the weekend. I am by no means the only one who is hurting right now with his passing because he truly did affect so many people like myself.
Ron has been a constant in my life, even if geographic locations meant we hadn’t seen each other for over 25 years until the reunion at the Polar Music Prize ceremony in Sweden in 2015 – I think of him most days one way or another, and that won’t change. I love to talk about Ron as much as I love playing percussion. As that 12 year old walking into the teeny shell of an annexe type school music room, Ron could see my hearing aids, but he listened to my eyes, and sensed my curiosity. He could have popped me in a box in his mind, but instead he opened up a landscape of possibilities. Because of Ron, I became a sound creator, musician, percussionist. Through his example, it is my continued aim to allow us all to be unselfish listeners so that we can assist and support each other to interpret self to self.
Thankfully, The Evelyn Glennie Collection has many photos, documents, articles and references in connection with Ron and the immeasurable impact he has had on my journey. I refer to a newspaper article, My Best Teacher, dated 14th August 1992 whereby the title quote is ‘He was our guide, like the dots on the page’. The Collection will aim to keep Ron’s legacy very much alive so that future generations can sense how unique he was as a teacher and musician extraordinaire.
My thoughts and love are with Ron’s lovely wife and family at this time, and to all those whom he so profoundly affected. He will always be my teacher and guide.
The above video features Ron during a visit to The Evelyn Glennie Collection in 2016. He discovers and plays my wrenchophone, and then plays the Mountain Rhythm Drum kit.