___________________________________________________________________________
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
A good musician is not necessarily a good teacher. Being effective requires patience and the ability to address
each student's unique circumstances and abilities. An elementary school band student and a fifty-year-old hobbyist have
vastly different needs, and recognizing those needs is crucial to successful motivation and progress. Not every student
will become a serious musician, but every student can benefit from learning to drum. Lowered stress levels, a sharper
mind and increased self-esteem are some of the rewards to be enjoyed by both young and old.
TEACHING METHODOLOGY
Students are taught to read and write standard musical notation for snare drum, drumset, and keyboard percussion
(if needed), using a commbination of proven textbooks and personalized worksheets. Playing along with recorded music
is incorporated into lessons, putting to use the student's expanding vocabulary of rhythms, and maintaining the "fun
factor" that attracts most students to the drums in the first place.
Drumsticks, a
music stand (with light), and a practice pad are all that is initially required, but students can usually begin playing the
entire drumset within a few lessons if one is available to them.
For drumset players, lessons
are geared toward achieving versatility of playing styles, beginning with basic pop/rock beats, and expanding into jazz, blues,
latin, etc. Jazz drumming skills are especially emphasized for those students who have the opportunity and desire to
play in a school jazz ensemble. Students also learn the basics of song structure in order to gain an understanding of
how the drums fit into the "big picture" of a musical composition, regardless of style.
For students involved in concert band or orchestra at school, lessons typically include ongoing study of intermediate
and advanced rhythms and techniques applicable to all percussion instruments, as well as the aforementioned drumset studies.
Lessons for adults typically emphasize playing actual songs as much as possible, whether the
goal is playing with a live band or simply playing along with recordings just for fun.
For
all students, an emphasis on fundamentals is maintained, as this is crucial to success!
