Drum Lessons in Irvine, CA

Instruments: Drums

Whether my new students are children or not, I will usually start from the basics and work our way up from there. With children, I will stretch the basic lessons further until they have a solid foundation to build on. I write out every single lesson plan by the date and have each student do the same so that we do not lose track of where we are. Eventually we learn different styles of interest, but basic technique and rudiments are usually what we build on first. Read More

Instruments: Drums

In my teaching I make sure that my students never feel overwhelmed or confused by the material.  I give them reasonable assignments based on their skill level and make sure to give them reasons for everything they are doing.  I always try to help my students achieve little accomplishments in every lesson. I find this helps to prevent students from becoming discouraged or disengaged. I am always adjusting my lessons to fit the personality of the student I am working with. Read More

Instruments: Drums

I like to first get a feel for the students abilities and asses how to teach them by breaking things down to their bare essentials before suggesting a good book to go through and the right exercises. I find that most young students or beginners need to see some form of result to stay engaged so I try and get them moving with sticks on a pad or even learning a basic drum beat within the first two lessons. Read More

Instruments: Drums

I started drum lessons when I was 12. I started playing in hotels at 15 years of age with show bands and rock bands. I have played with high school bands at Carnegie Hall in New York and traveled to many places because of music. When I went off to graduate school my long time band mate went on the road as a professional musician. But I never stopped playing. I have played in Concert Band, Rock bands, Jazz Bands and more.I was always to go to drummer when someone needed a great drummer. Read More

Instruments: Drums Orchestral Percussion

I primarily use original material when I teach, but occasionally Ill work from standard method books such as Stick Control, Master Studies, and Syncopation, or assign pages from more recent books like John Rileys The Art of Bop Drumming. Ill also pull out books specifically for sight reading such as Anthony Cirones Portraits in Rhythm. For beginning and intermediate students I focus on fundamental technique, basic sight reading skills, and drum set playing (independence/coordination of the limbs, relaxation and balance, time and groove, fills and solos, introduction of musical styles, etc.) For advanced students I get into more conceptual and creative aspects of playing the drums, but I also introduce the Spivack/Wilson technique which I learned during my studies with Murray Spivack and Richard Wilson in the 1980s [check out the 4-part series featured in Modern Drummer magazine in 2011-2012]. Read More

Instruments: Drums

For all of my students I start by allowing them to sit and feel the kit. Building a strong trusting relationship is important. I then proceed to dive into teaching simple 4/4 grooves to loosen the student up which processes into teaching basic rhythm studies and eventually the concepts of feel, groove, dynamics and of course timing. As session continue I evaluate students knowledge with song learning lessons and with critiques that's being with the positives and lead into where work can be done to improve. Read More

Instruments: Drums Orchestral Percussion

Seeing my students excited about music drives my passion for teaching! As I structure my curriculum for each student, I like to incorporate things like active listening and history into lessons so that it's never just going through the motions and doing monotonous exercises. Often introducing an artist or moment that was crucial in music history sparks creativity and motivation in students when they might not have been introduced to it earlier. Read More