Drum Lessons in Forest Hills, NY

Instruments: Drums

My teaching approach is very relaxed and focused at the same time. I always strive to make every lesson motivating and fun, depending on the level and the interests of each student. Often times I like to discuss and converse with my students about parallel topics of life as analogies to create a more comprehensive and cohesive understanding of any given assignment or concept that the students are trying to achieve or learn. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Drums Recorder Keyboard

Because every student has his/her own learning style, my lessons cater to those styles. I figure out a student's strengths and weaknesses. I acknowledge the accomplishments caused by the strengths while I focus on developing the weaknesses. For example, if a student excels melodically but has trouble maintaining accurate rhythm, I will engage the student in listening to and playing many interesting melodies that require him/her to pay close attention to counting the rhythms in order to master playing the melodies. Read More

Instruments: Drums

My teaching experience dates back to when I was back in Brazil, teaching privately young students and also adults. Here in New York, I have been teaching privately as well as writing various articles to drum magazines such as Modern Drummer Magazine, Drum! and recently I have a column in Drumhead Magazine called Brazilian Beat. I am a very all around drummer and teacher being exposed, researched and performed many different styles of music, not only Brazilian enabling me to pass along some knowledge in many different types of music. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Drums

While I have no degrees in music education, I believe, that my experiences as a professional musician have equipped me with the necessary tools to be a great teacher for any age or skill level. Being classically trained, I believe that a foundation in formal, classical piano is a great tool to not only teach technical proficiency, but also to instill an excitement and curiosity about music, and just how much it can make you feel. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I have always found great joy in student success. I have dedicated my career to the cultivation of my teaching style and methods. I have coached students for auditions into the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College division among other prestigious honors. I find that seeing the joy my students take in performing their hard work has come to define my approach. I center teaching on a goal oriented system that allows students to make progress toward small and large goals. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Conga Latin Percussion Music Djembe

I have been drumming and performing music for nearly 30 years. I started out playing by ear at 5 years of age and shortly after received professional lessons. I became interested in a diverse variety of musical genres that grew as I did. I was very lucky to have two supportive parents, Bryan and Deborah who noticed my talents and nurtured them at a very young, impressionable age, introducing me to different instruments and live music. 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