Drum Lessons in Mastic Beach, NY

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

My teaching style is very laid back and comforting for students to progress at their own pace. I will always remind students to not rush and encourage them to have confidence within themselves. The most important thing for a musician to have is CONFIDENCE!!!!!! It’s important to develop that at a young age because it will make performances easier as they get older. For older students I will help them develop the confidence because I believe it’s never to late. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Drums Mallet Percussion

For beginning students, I usually work with Hal Leonard's essential elements as well as use the piano as a tool for them to hear the pitches they are playing. Once the fundamentals are grasped we can work on introductory solo repertoire. For children I'd like to make this a bit more fun as well, introducing some easy tunes they will be familiar with or excited to play. (for example, Jason Derulo's song "Trumpets") For adults, I think its best to find out what their interests are and we can target what to work on from there. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums Bass Guitar Organ Synthesizer Ukulele Mandolin Double Bass Keyboard Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I custom tailor my lessons to each individual student so that they are inspired and equipped to develop both their love and ability for playing. Balancing this with the proper techniques, understanding and exercises affords the opportunity to assimilate the material on a practical, useful playing level. The Joy that the student experiences in their playing as they develop gets transferred to the listening audience and is a very rewarding experience! Read More

Instruments: Voice Trumpet Drums

I believe in teaching discipline, responsibility and dedication through the art of music! I use the NYS Common Core in Music to teach. My students are more likely to excel in all of their studies, have enhanced critical thinking skills and will have a higher level of focus discipline than students not studying music the arts. As an adult, learning how to play an instrument is a way to challenge your brain in an effort to stay sharper and alert for longer. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Djembe

For beginning students we usually start with sitting at 2 drum sets and learning to hold the sticks. It's then about trying to get the sticks to strike the drum and practice getting a nice sound on the instrument. Even at a young age, it's important to help the students to think about tone and how we are creating sound on these instruments. I use the same technique on the vibes, learning to hold 2 or 4 mallets and just creating simple sounds. 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: Piano Guitar Voice Drums

Nothing makes me happier than having the opportunity to share my love of music and guitar. Upon graduating from Skidmore College in 2000, I was accepted to Florida State University to the classical guitar program under the study of Bruce Holzman. I feel my decision to simultaneously work towards two masters degrees speaks clearly for my motivation and passion towards music. While I focused on music theory/composition for my PhD studies at Louisiana State University, I continued performing newly composed works by graduate composers for the instrument. Read More