Piano Lessons in Niles, IL

Instruments: Drums

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Practicing should always be a musical experience. Even mechanical exercises can soothe the soul and open the mind the way singing your favorite song can do. Every moment on your instrument is precious and the more special moments you have on your instrument, the deeper your relationship with it will be. If you can be passionate both about the mechanics and the magic of your instrument, you will be able to make it speak profoundly for your own enjoyment and for others. This all requires you to be thoughtful and careful about how you spend time with your instrument. Me methodical. Create goals that will guide what you do during practice, and why.

How do I know if my child is ready to start lessons?
Are they willing to talk about their instrument even when they're away from it? Are they willing to watch others play it and to learn by observation? When it comes to drums, this is especially important. If your child enjoys banging a drum, but doesn't seem interested in allowing someone to talk to them about it or show them more about it, or if your child forgets about the drum the minute it's out of sight, they may not be ready for lessons. This does not mean they're not musical or that the drums aren't for them. It just means they need more time to enjoy banging the drum on their own before they attempt to undergo structured learning.

When will I start to see results?
I have a history of getting noticeable results from my students within the first week. You'll be playing rhythms that are legitimate, and that will make others want to pull out a guitar and play along! What will be more significant, though, will be your ability to keep achieving new results and to not stay in the rut of what is immediately achievable. You can be confident playing basic rock music after about 3 months. Then, after about a year, you'll have confidence playing basic funk rhythms. After two years you'll have basic competency in jazz, and after 4 years you'll be able to play Latin music and make people dance!

Did you have a teacher that inspired you to go into music? How did they inspire you?
My first teacher, Jaime Jesperson opened my eyes to the fact that the most exciting music to play on the drums was not the music I was excited about in middle school. He inspired me to learn funk, jazz, and Latin music. My second teacher, Jay Lawrence, then inspired me to seek a music scholarship that ultimately became my ticket into college and earning a BA in Music. In addition, my high school jazz band instructor Jim Kurchner was a true master. The music he challenged us to learn and the level of excellence that he demanded led me to some of my life's happiest moments.

Why did you choose your primary instrument?
I was only thirteen years old and wanted to be in a rock band. Since most kids my age were drawn to the guitar, I chose the drums so I wouldn't have to compete so much for a place in a band. Luckily, my family already owned a drum set which my sister had used for a few years and then packed away in storage. My mom allowed this because she wanted me to take at least some kind of music lessons after I had refused to continue with piano lessons.

What musical accomplishments are you most proud of?
I'm most proud of my jazz trio which consistently becomes the favorite feature of events we play for (see mikepecktrio.com). I'm also proud of my musical accomplishments that have gone beyond drumming, which include my own original compositions of choral music, performing with the Salt Lake Choral Artists as a baritone, and forming my own choir called the Kekchi Choir, which has traveled to Guatemala to perform music in the Kekchi language as a way to inspire others with high quality musicianship.

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