Drum Lessons in Far Rockaway, NY

Instruments: Drums Conga Latin Percussion Djembe

Matt has been a professional musician since 1995. He has studied with Randy Knudsen, Dom Famularo, Al Miller, Ralph Peterson, Jr., John Riley, Carlos “Go-Go” Gomez and many other notable drummers and percussionists. He received a Bachelors of Music in Jazz Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in 1999.  He can be heard on countless recordings featuring a wide variety of musical styles such as Jazz, Heavy Metal, Afro-Cuban folkloric, Afro-Latino Soul, R&B, Hop-Hop,  Rock, Folk, and everything in between! Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Djembe

I think the most important part of teaching is developing a positive mentoring relationship to the student. My favorite teachers always went above and beyond to not only educate me on their favorite subject, but also to show me life lessons along the way and listen to my problems. Ultimately I know that not every one of my students will become a professional musician, and that is okay! I do want them to develop a positive relationship with rhythm and music, and an ability to enjoy these things in anything they listen to. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums

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Instruments: Piano Drums Latin Percussion

One thing I strongly encourage is the student to go at his/her pace. There is no judgement on the capability of learning an instrument and because of that I completely understand how long (or how short) a student can learn the drums/piano etc. I try to make every student feel accomplished in a session especially when the material being taught is new and intimidating. But regardless, there will always be a sense of accomplishment because as long as the student feels as if they accomplished something(small or large) I will make it my duty to make sure they know it. Read More

Instruments: Drums

For beginner level students I start out with learning how to strike the drum as well as simple coordination exercises and intro level drum beats. After the student can grasp basic exercises, I introduce learning how to read music which will lead to reading out of various drum set instructional as well as technique books. For more advanced students I work out of books focusing on furthering coordination and technique, widening the ability to play different styles, chart reading with play alongs, soloing as well as the students interests. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trumpet Drums Bass Guitar Organ Synthesizer Harmonica Banjo Ukulele Mandolin Recorder Double Bass Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Keyboard Electric Guitar Djembe Acoustic Guitar

You can also improvise on songs that you hear on the radio without knowing the key of the song just by getting a feel of how the song sounds and you will find the notes on your instrument and start jamming to the songs you hear on the radio. Having a good memory will also help you with that. If you don't know the chord progression for the 1st verse of a song, usually, the 2nd verse has the same progression. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Drums

Studying jazz has also opened my eyes to the spontaneity of music, which is another important aspect of music that I try to encourage students to explore. While studying the classics is important, I think another vital element of maintaining a students' excitement in music study is for them to explore and delve into what it is that they enjoy, understanding how it's made, and figuring out why they like it, from a musical perspective. Read More