Drum Lessons in La Crescenta, CA

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Cello Viola Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet Drums Bass Guitar Organ Synthesizer Harp Accordion Harmonica Lap Steel Guitar Banjo Ukulele Mandolin Recorder Lute Electric Violin Fiddle Double Bass Euphonium French Horn Tuba Piccolo Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Shakuhachi Oboe Bassoon English Horn Conga Latin Percussion Keyboard Electric Guitar Djembe Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

He is featured on the John Daversa Big Band's latest studio album, "American Dreamers". As a grad student at Miami, Derek was a guest lecturer in Jazz Pedagogy courses and guest conducted the Frost Studio Jazz Band. He has been a member of the Jazz Education Network since 2013 and the International Trombone Association since 2014. His teachers include Vern Kagarice, Jan Kagarice, Tony Baker, Steve Wiest, Andre Hayward, and Dante Luciani. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Cello Viola Flute Drums Bass Guitar Organ Electric Violin Double Bass

I have been insfluenced and surrounded with music since childhood. I have experience in multiple aspects of music from performance to teaching and just about everything in between. I love working with students to achieve their goals. The most rewarding feeling for me is when my student feels they've accomplished a technique or method on their respective instrument. I strive to keep lessons joyous yet keep the student motivated to practice at home. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Drums Bass Guitar Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

As a passionate and experienced music instructor, I work with students of all ages and backgroundsfrom adults and teens to neurodivergent learnersoffering personalized one-on-one instruction as well as coaching for choirs and orchestras. My teaching philosophy is simple: music is a universal language that connects us, empowers us, and gives us a voice when words fall short. Especially in challenging times, I believe music is not a luxuryits a necessity. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trumpet Saxophone Drums Mallet Percussion

I know that music is about developing a vocabulary. Developing the ability to construct music without the need for a teacher is the direction I like to go in. A good teacher will only guide the student not dictate to them. Having an interest in many styles of music allows me the chance to be more open to teaching the beauty of writing a simple 3 chord progression or orchestrating for a full orchestra. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Drums Music Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I like to mix instructional books with opportunities to learn songs outside of the text books appropriate to the student's interests, style, and skill level. For the guitar, I like Terry Carter's Rock Like the Pros, Beginning Class Guitar Method and Intermediate Class Guitar Method. These books have comprehensive practice exercises, including classical and popular music exercises, and great songs of all levels to learn. The Mel Bay and Alfred music method books are also great for guitar or drums. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Latin Percussion Djembe

Here's how many drum lessons I've taught: An average of 15 lessons per week times 50 weeks since 1993. 15 x 50 is 750 per year. 25 years of 750 lessons is 18,750, and I have fine-tuned my lesson plans all along the way. Between 2013-2018 I taught a minimum of 30 lessons weekly and had to employee an assistant (an advanced student) to teach my beginners. My students often see me for years. I have taught at Berklee College Of Music's Summer Percussion Festival, School Of Rock, IKnow Music, Join The Band, Santa Monica Music Center, Modern Music, Pop/Rock Academy, Pedrini School Of Music, Walpole Music, and Boston Music Co. 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