Mark D  

5

  5.0 (18)

Instruments: Drums, Orchestral Percussion, Conga, Latin Percussion
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, R&B, Gospel, Musical Theater, Latin, Funk, Salsa, Showtunes, Reggae, Latin Jazz, Swing, New Age, Samba, Bossa Nova, Soul, Marching Band

My teaching experience started in the late 70’s, as I began teaching private lessons in drums at a young age. Since then I have been working with students in music schools and lesson studios around the world including Japan and Brazil. My goal is to inspire and encourage creativity and individualism through music by establishing a rapport and building trust with my students. I strive to create an enjoyable learning experience for students while incorporating a practical, innovative, step-by-step, hands-on method to learning drums and percussion. My students are encouraged to come together in percussion ensemble performances as well as form bands, rehearse and perform live music. I always welcome new students of all ages.   My teaching credits include: Drum/Percussion Instructor for the Yamaha Popular Music School, Tokyo, Japan, and Latin Percussion Ensemble Instructor for the Kyoto Conservatory of Music, Kyoto, Japan, and Drum/Percussion Instructor for the Antonio Adolfo School of Brazilian Music, Hollywood, Florida.

I encourage an understanding of music and drum-set/percussion performance by listening/analysis of music and transcription of different rhythms with a practical application to the drums/percussion.  I aim to promote multi-cultural awareness by incorporating traditional rhythms from around the globe into modern-day drum-set and percussion performance. I use a number of different teaching strategies to tailor-make the learning experience for each student. A few of the many books I use are 'Syncopation for the Modern Drummer' by Ted Reed, ‘Stick Control for the Snare Drummer’ by George Stone and ‘Teaching Rhythms’ by Joel Rothman.