Drum Lessons in Westlake, WA

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Djembe

I love teaching percussion and I am interested in music of many cultures. I specialize in drum set, African drumming, keyboard percussion, and orchestral percussion. I also play steel drums and guitar. I have performed with numerous professional orchestras including the Tacoma, Federal Way, Tucson, Phoenix, and Juneau symphonies and was the principal percussionist and timpanist for the Sierra Vista Symphony Orchestra in Arizona. I have a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance with a minor in Ethnomusicology. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums

I am a very hands-on teacher. We do lots of improvisation and call and response games and sometimes I turn on a record or even bring a guitar to jam with the student. Playing drums is a very visceral, tactile excersize, and I often tell students, "That right there,that is how it's supposed to sound! Memorize that feeling and try to recreate it everytime." I am also a huge advocate of having students listen to as much music as possible. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Bass Guitar Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Latin Percussion

Ihave been active in the Seattle music scene for the past five years as a drummer, percussionist, composer, songwriter, bandleader, and instructor.I have performed regularly with world-funk orchestra A Cedar Suede, rock quartet SpiceRack andelectro-prog group Spyn Reset. In addition, I have pioneeredmy own musical projects throughout the years. Ihave performed with greats such as singer-songwriter Keith Secola, psychedelic-jazz entrepreneur Wayne Horvitz, and New-Orleans based guitarist Cliff Hines.My musiccan also be heard on many recordings including, the 2013 video release of Mary Lambert's "She Keeps Me Warm". Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion

For my beginning drum students, I use Mark Wessels "A Fresh Approach to the Snare Drum and Drum Set", Rod Morganstein's "drum set musician", and Mitchell Peters' "Developing Dexterity". For students that have a good grasp of the basics, I work through material that caters to their specific interests (jazz, rock, latin, West-African, orchestral/school band, or marching percussion). I also write original etudes for my students based on their needs and include a midi accompaniment to motivate students to work on their assigned material. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone Clarinet Drums Mallet Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Djembe

My teaching style is laid back and technical. I like to go at the pace of the student and really make sure technique is perfect. With good technique you set yourself up for success and develop good habits from the start. I can't tell you how many times I've seen students, even in college, dramatically improve their sound with just a simple posture change. Once technique is handled, the doors to all genres of music are open. Read More

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

In addition to the recording and performing experience listed above, I've been a full-time private lessons instructor since 2010. I've taught at countless local schools, but found that the freedom of teaching completely independently (or, at most, through a referral program like Musika) can't be beat. The more of my *own* students I have, the more I can focus on each one, and the more time I have to plan out their progress. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Drums Conga Latin Percussion Music Keyboard

I've been a musical director of K-8th grade private school as well as substituting for local band teachers .During that time I taught children all aspects of music, as well as preparing them for recitals and competitions. I've taught students privately at my home studio for more than 20 years, many of my students have gone on to further their education at the university level. I've worked with schools in developing after school music programs that have been successful. Read More