Drum Lessons in East Elmhurst, NY

Instruments: Guitar Drums

I so enjoy when a student is passionate about music and learning their instrument. I try very hard to make learning their instrument fun. Yes I do let them know that Practice Makes Perfect but at the same time I let them know that I do understand that sometimes life gets busy. We will continue to learn, enjoy, and laugh as much as we can during lessons and stress practice but be compassionate to their situations . Read More

Instruments: Piano Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Music

My method of working with drums and percussion is to first get a sense of what the student's goals are. These include both goals involving general drums/percussion and career/performance goals. We will then work together to form a plan to achieve them. This will include exercises tailored directly to the student's needs and desires within drums/percussion as well as overall musical standings and guiding the student to repertoire that will both be fun for them to play and will teach them more about the concepts we are working on. Read More

Instruments: Drums

I began teaching private lessons at the age of 15 while attending high school in Millbrook. These students spanned from beginner to intermediate levels. I saw vast improvements from seeing them on a weekly basis and seeing that progress motivated me to have a very regimented, but fun lesson planned for each week. Implementing the fundamentals of technique, the language of rudiments and reading music early on save a ton of time later on when proceeding to more advanced practice routines. Read More

Instruments: Drums

We start by doing proper warm up exercises followed by learning or practicing rudiments. We work on our grip of the sticks and our movements while drumming. In other words, I teach economy of movement for maximum energy. If a student is flailing their arms, we talk about a more fluid movement by utilizing the wrists and incorporating finger control. Then we move on to reading out of instructional books which is then followed by practical application on the drum sets.With a beginner student I find Basix Syncopation for Drums by Alfred Publishing to be a very effective tool. Read More

Instruments: Drums

I draw attention to the importance of listening and help the student identify what to listen for. There is nothing more frustrating than practicing a particular fill 1000 times, only to later realize you've been practicing it incorrectly. This is very common among drummers young and old, but is easily dealt with by simply cultivating a sense of listening and apt imitation. However, I do not endorse perfectionism as a means of effective learning either, and I also will remind the student of the fact that sometimes when you're jamming,even if what what you're playing is not perfect, it's "good enough for rock and roll." This is part of the attitude of rock and roll that I feel is conducive to better, faster learning: a willingness to make mistakes, acknowledge them, learn from them, and move on. Read More

Instruments: Drums

There is nothing more rewarding than to see a student develop a passion for music! This is something that takes time to develop. I encourage students to set goals, both short and long term. I have found that one of the best ways to teach, is to teach a student to teach themselves. Then they will work to broaden their own horizons, introduce the teacher to new material that they might not have heard about without their students. Read More

Instruments: Drums

My name is ERIK! But you already knew that from the top of the page. I've been playing drums for about 13 years (taking my own lessons for 10 of them) and have been lucky enough to learn under some great musicians who influenced greatly what I know and can do today. I've done Jazz bands, funk bands, rock bands, pit bands, marching bands, and even pep bands! In addition I learned some Japanese Taiko drumming while I lived in Japan for a few months. Read More