Drum Lessons in Monrovia, CA

Instruments: Piano Drums

For piano I use a combination of the Bastien books, if you are a beginner. For more intermediate or advanced I use whatever music the student is interested in. It could be the Great American Songbook or classical music. For percussion, for beginners I use the Garwood Whaley book, Fundamentals for the Snare Drum. For drum set I use the Syncopation Book by Ted Reed and a variety of other books depending on the need. Read More

Instruments: Piano Drums

I am a people person. During my time as a Finance professional I worked with many different types of people and it was my job to help them learn and understand and how certain " market " forces work as it pertains to their life and their goals. I look at teaching music in the same way. Everyone has their own idea of what they want to do with music and where they want to go. Read More

Instruments: Drums Synthesizer Orchestral Percussion

I try to see what skills the beginning learner may already have. Then I try to attach rudimentary skills to the players natural skill set. This is my basic approach. I teach both ear training and formal theory. I also examine popular music with students to keep techniques current with current trends in music. When teaching DAW production technique, I focus on tuning and refining a students, "production" ear or to instantly be able to refine a mix of music to a professional level. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Bass Guitar

I want my students to not only have a working knowledge of music, but also a passion and love for it. One of the beauties of music is that it stays with you for a lifetime. I will encourage and guide my students to the best of my ability, by setting realistic goals and inspiring them to keep progressing in their musicianship. 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: Piano Guitar Voice Drums Bass Guitar Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion

I use Faber and Faber for piano, Hal Leonard and/or Mel Bay for guitar, and I actually wrote my own percussion. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Djembe

I use patience, clear communication, and having fun to get knowledge across to my students! To me music is about connection and expression, and my goal is to get my students to feel that! I also understand that learning new things can make you vulnerable and frustrated so I try to be more relatable as opposed to an authority figure with my students. However, if I see that a student is not respecting themselves and their goals (not practicing, discouraging behavior) I will be a bit more strict in order to motivate them. Read More