Lessons
I have been teaching private lessons full-time since 2001, and offer lessons for:
beginning to advanced drum set
school band percussion, including mallets (both two and four-mallets)
music theory tutoring
beginning to early intermediate piano
In addition to one-on-one lessons, I have taught high school DRUM-LINE, and also organized a week-long summer drum camp. I have also written a method book for drum set, which can be purchased here in the online Store.
my teaching approach is simple in that I tailor lessons to each individual student. While there are certain things that everyone should know, such as the rudiments, technique, reading, etc. I try to stay focused on the each student’s interests in an effort to keep lessons fun and keep the student engaged. In regard to mallet percussion, I tend to focus on technique, scales, reading skills, and literature.
I offer one-on-one in-person lessons, but I also provide online lessons via Zoom. Scroll down to find out more.
Drum Set
I try to be sensitive to every student’s taste in music. The idea is to keep it fun, while still keeping each student learning and progressing. Every drum lesson consists of warmups and rudiments, some snare drum reading, and drum set studies. Once the student has some drum set basics together, I like to work songs they want to learn into the lessons. I have two drum sets in my studio, one for me and one for the student, which makes for quick and smooth demonstrations. I teach a variety of styles and can also help with school jazz band charts.
School band percussion
For students who want to focus primarily on school band percussion, I have a variety of beginning to advanced method books I use for snare and mallets by Goldenberg, Whaley, and Cirone. In addition to two drum sets, I also have a concert snare and a 4.3 octave Adams marimba in my studio. And, of course, I’m always open to helping students with their band music for concert and marching band.
Theory Tutoring and Beginning Piano
Although I am a drummer, I can play a few different instruments. I also did very well in theory class in college… and even enjoyed it! If you are struggling with AP music theory in high school (or college), I can help. Also, if you are interested in beginning to early intermediate piano lessons, I have a few years of experience with that as well, and have had a great amount of success getting students started on piano. Once a student goes beyond the intermediate level, however, I will encourage that person to find a more advanced teacher.
Online Lessons
The Pandemic of 2020 made me rethink how lessons can be offered. For those students who would like to study with me, but don’t live close by, or who prefer not to drive, online lessons are a great option. I give lessons on Zoom, and have a setup that allows for the student to see and hear clearly. I use high quality microphones and sound processing, so students hear everything the same as I do. I also employ a multi-camera setup, so students can see what I’m doing from various perspectives. For piano lessons, I use a MIDI piano sound in Logic, which goes directly to the audio in Zoom, so the student hears a clean sound. Click on the video to see an example of what an online lesson would look like.
Online Lesson Example