Drum Lessons in Usaf Academy, CO

Instruments: Drums

I am new to teaching, so I take a practical approach to my teaching style by being mindful of each student's personality and strengths, and then build upon a foundation of respect for each other. When a student is eager to learn, that makes my job easier and we can move forward into the next level of mastery. When a student is only somewhat interested, I slow down to help them figure out how to proceed. Read More

Instruments: Drums

For beginners, I like to start with the basics. Students will learn proper stick positions, basic rhythms, tempo, and count. A lot of work is done primarily on the snare drum, progressing to the full set when the student is ready. Once the student has a handle on the fundamentals, I can then have them play along with a simple song. I am using a Roland V-Drums electronic set for instruction, so any source of music can be played through the set, and the drums then mixed in with the song. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet Drums Synthesizer Piccolo Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Oboe Bassoon English Horn Keyboard

I love teaching, and I firmly believe that almost anyone can be taught to do almost anything! I have music degrees from Hope College in Holland, Michigan, and USF in Tampa, Florida. After teaching at Hope for 6 years, I joined the Air Force to play with the world-class musicians that make up their bands. I spent 8 1/2 years in Colorado Springs stationed at Peterson AFB, and I loved it! I then moved to Illinois to be stationed at Scott AFB, playing with the USAF Band of Mid-America. Read More

Instruments: Drums

On the first lesson, I seek to establish long-term goals based on the interest and skill level of the player. One of the first questions I ask is, "what song do you want to learn the drum part to?" The most important thing about playing any instrument is to have fun, so I custom-tailor every lesson in order to see the most enjoyment on my students' faces as possible. While I have hundreds of pages of exercises I have written from which to pull, I will usually hold off even opening my book until I feel the student is ready to have fun with it. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Drums Bass Guitar Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion

My style of teaching is personal and caring. Whether my students develop a desire to pursue music beyond our lessons, I care about their happiness and personal success in life. I develop a relationship with my students and I really enjoy it when I hear that they used a concept I taught them in our music lessons for something beyond music. I at least hope to instill a strong understanding and enjoyment of music in each of my students which they can share with the people in their life. Read More