Drum Lessons in San Marino, CA

Instruments: Piano Drums

For beginning piano students, I start them with a variety of materials, beginning with John Thompson's piano books, along with stanzas of finger exercises to develop dexterity. But more importantly for me, is that I understand that people, especially now, want to start playing songs as soon as possible. So, I immediately teach them chords and scales. Weekly, I introduce a new one so they get comfortable and then get them used to moving from chord to chord. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trumpet Drums Bass Guitar Euphonium Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

When I see a smile on someone's face in the presence of a musical accomplishment, the spiritual reward for that service is something I live for! To be able to help a student attain their goals requires a flexible teaching style, that can cater to every type of person. Positive affirmations are a key ingredient to helping a student feel good about they mile stones, but remaining realistic for the student at the same time allows them to make progress at their own pace, and feel good about it nonetheless. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Drums Recorder

From Newbreed to Chapin to Afro-Cuban Rhythm for drum set, there are many methods that are worth exploring. That being said, sometimes learning songs (covers) can be the best way to learn quickly and it can be a lot of fun. Something I've done many times too is writing precise exercises for students in order to address and target specific needs. Let's say a student has difficulty with his ghost notes on his/her left hand, I can easily come up with fun exercises in order to speed up the progress and get improvements for that student. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums Synthesizer Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Latin Percussion

Teaching style could easily be summaried and paraphrased with my above stated pedagogy! Teaching style changes from student to teacher. I enjoy trying to decipher what the student enjoys hearing, wants to learn, prior knowledge, and desires are. These help in my search to find the perfect style at which the student understands and enjoys the task at hand.  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

Instruments: Guitar Drums

For beginning students who aren't quite sure what path they'd like to take in drumming, I like to start by teaching out of Joel Rothman's Basic Drumming, which will help build a solid foundation of the fundamentals that will be essential for being any style of drumming. But my ultimate goal is to let you guide your own journey, and we can focus on diving deeper into more advanced exercises, fine-tuning your technique, improving your pocket, time, and feel, learning to play your favorite songs and why the drums make them so good, composing your own parts, songs, or solos, and truly any aspects of your drumming you'd like to improve! Read More

Instruments: Drums

My teaching experince dates back to my college days, as I began teaching private lessons part time 15 years ago, and have been consistently teaching private include in Yamaha Music School. Encouraging regular practice on a consistent schedule is one of the key points I like to emphasize for younger students, as it tends to help the student progress and gain a passion for the instrument. Read More