Drum Lessons in Bixby Knolls, CA

Instruments: Drums

There is not a one-size fits all teaching method for beginners, or any playing level for that matter. Every student had different goals for what they want to play or what they want out of music in general. Bombarding a new student with drum rudiments and prescribed drum patterns (unless it is what they desire) can be very daunting and could lead a student to dislike drums or any instrument. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion

I have been teaching privately over 19 years, currently online and remotely, as well as almost 10 years at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California. The majority of my students have been young, college age students between 17-30 years of age. I have also taught children as young as 4 and adults up to 69. Many of my students have been international, thus I have experience in clearly stating the goals in an understandable and convenient way. Read More

Instruments: Drums

For beginner, start with simply touching every part of Drum set, thus students can see how it sounds like, and how fun it is to simply hit the drums. After that I would start with hand technique, which is 3 basic stroke patter, and how to apply them to every part of Drum set. For Advanced beginners, I would start from getting touch with rudiments, and sight reading so that student will have well rounded skills, over all good drummer so to say. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Djembe

When I receive a new student the first thing I do is assess where they are technically and what their interests are. From there I develop custom lesson plans that are design to improve a certain technique while learning new music. For example if a student comes in and really loves Michael Jackson's music but doesn't know how to hold the drumsticks or read music, I will give them basic exercises to improve their lack of technical ability and then we'll apply it to a song. Read More

Instruments: Drums

I began teaching younger kids in my high school that were also starting to play in bands. I learned very quickly just how much experience I already had gathered to provide insight to people who were just a few years behind me in skill level. Over the course of my college and post college years I've had the opportunity to teach rosters of students ages 5-50. There is nothing more fulfilling then having a chance to connect on an educational and creative level, with an individual, and watching them progress to a point where they can feel a sense of fulfillment in the work that they put in. Read More

Instruments: Drums

For any level I like to check to see if they have a solid enough grasp on fundamentals. For drum kit users I like to only have the kick drum, snare and hi-hat available. If its a more experienced player, I like to have them play a simple groove just to see where they are and tailor how I teach them to most benefit where they would like to go in their journey. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Bass Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Its a great jumping off point to work on finger placement, rhythm and picking; all the while we get to learn a song, too! My intermediate students have focus heavily on musicianship. With these types of students I often play (or jam) with them during lessons. This gives them the chance to start really listening and to use their skills to function as a musician. I find students who miss out on this can often play lots of songs but sometimes are missing solid rhythm and finger placement work. Read More