Waltham High grad Celeste Fox wins prestigious drumming scholarship 

A Waltham High School graduate who credits the school’s Rock Band Camp with helping her develop as a performer has received an international award honoring one of rock music’s most celebrated drummers.

Celeste Fox was recently named the 2026 recipient of the Neil Peart Spirit of Drumming Scholarship, an annual award created in memory of the longtime Rush drummer. Modern Drummer presents the scholarship in partnership with Universal Music Enterprises and Peart’s family. 

Now a freshman at UMass Amherst, Fox was selected after submitting an essay about Peart’s influence on her and a video demonstrating her drumming. For her performance, she chose “Moby Dick,” the Led Zeppelin song known for an extended drum solo.

In announcing the award, family members Carrie and Olivia Peart said Fox stood out among the applicants, calling her a “clear choice” and praising her percussion skills.

“My dad encouraged me to apply, even though it was a little out of my comfort zone,” Fox said. “It’s an international award, so I was shocked and star struck when I won. I found out just a few days before moving away to college, so a lot was happening.”

The scholarship includes a year of private instruction with drummer Rob Silverman, Modern Drummer’s director of worldwide education, along with a subscription to the magazine, Rush box sets and four premium tickets to a concert on Rush’s Fifty Something Tour.

No more hiding

Fox participated in Waltham High School’s Rock Band Camp, which brings young musicians together to form bands, rehearse songs and eventually perform them before a live audience.

She told the Waltham Times this summer that when she first started performing, she tended to “hide behind the drums.” 

Rock Band Camp helped change that. At the end of the program, Fox was comfortable enough behind the kit to take center stage for her own drum solo during the Rock Band Camp performance.

“The camp was incredibly important to me. I grew so much, especially during the last few years,“ Fox said. “It helped shape who I am today as a player and taught me how to be part of a band – something bigger than yourself.”

The Neil Peart Spirit of Drumming Scholarship honors Peart, who died in 2020 after more than four decades as Rush’s drummer and primary lyricist. He was known for technically demanding performances that influenced many rock drummers. 

The scholarship was established to encourage young drummers to continue developing their musicianship while carrying on Peart’s approach to the instrument.

“I love Led Zeppelin, and John Bonham is one of my great influences. I did Moby Dick as part of my solo for Senior Review. It showcases a lot of my playing, so I wanted to make it a highlight of my submission,” Fox said. 

Fox is also a big fan of drummers Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers — “He has great pocket” — and Alex Van Halen of Van Halen — “He has a really good swing beat.”

Formative camp experiences

For the teachers who watched Fox develop in Waltham, the award shows what can grow out of a summer program designed simply to give young musicians a chance to play together.

Kevin Burke, a longtime Waltham Public Schools music educator and professional percussionist, co-founded Waltham Rock Band Camp with fellow music educator Kevin Coyne in 2004. 

The program began with six students and has grown to approximately 50 participants annually, giving middle and high school students an opportunity to learn, rehearse and perform together in rock bands. 

“Celeste is a wonderful young lady with immense talent. It’s been a pleasure to work with her and see her grow as a musician,” Burke said. “I started working with her in fourth grade as an instrumental music teacher in the Waltham schools, and seeing her fantastic performance on the Rock Band stage was the culmination of her hard work and dedication.” 

Fox gives special credit to Burke and her dad for helping her develop her musical talents and achieve the success she’s enjoyed so far. 

Now beginning the next stage of her education at UMass, Fox will have another year of specialized instruction through the scholarship while continuing to develop the skills that began taking shape behind a drum kit in Waltham.