Drum Lessons Person County, NC

Instruments: Drums, Mallet Percussion, Orchestral Percussion, Conga

For beginning students, I like to start from the very beginning, breaking down the fundamentals of how to hold the stick/mallet. Once the student has grasped how to hold and move the sticks/ mallets appropriately, we would then move on to some basic rudiments or permutations. After the student has figured out rudiments and rhythms, I would then move them to their respective instrument, and we would begin the basics on this instrument (Scales for Mallets, rolls and stroke types on snare drum, basic grooves on drumset), and the student can grow from there. Read More

Instruments: Drums, Mallet Percussion, Latin Percussion

I begin all students on snare drum. This allows for the proper development of hand technique that is the base of percussion. I teach the original 26 rudiments along with the Breeze Easy method books for beginners, or students that do not read music. With the drum kit I encourage students to become familiar with as many styles of music they can. I use the blending of styles to help mold the student from a drummer to a musician, and help create an individual sound; Read More

Instruments: Drums

I have been teaching music full-time for eighteen years. Primarily, I founded and led the Enrichment Center Percussion Ensemble (ECPE), a truly unique and acclaimed group. Our focus was on active music-making, performance, and recording. The group made three professional recordings, performed widely, and challenged audience expectations everywhere they did. Privately, I have taught drumming to many individuals, from young students just starting out, to professional musicians looking to add drums to their instrumental repertoire, to people needing help overcoming sensory issues. Read More

Instruments: Piano, Drums, Mallet Percussion

For beginning drum students, I typically like to start with the Percussive Arts Society sheet of rudiments to ensure a solid technical background as the student progresses. After that, we move on to simple reading and other drumming fundamental concepts including limb coordination, fills, phrasing and articulation, etc. With older students, I find it helpful to try and begin with what they are interested and comfortable in playing. This allows me to find connections and build lesson plans specifically for the individual. Read More

Instruments: Drums

Ensuring that my students succeed in their drumming is one of my most important goals. Thus, I strive to adapt my teaching style to how the student learns. For example, some students thrive off of written content and concrete examples such as sheet music that lays out a clear "road map" of what music is to be played, while other students play by ear, and prefer to hear what needs to be played before attempting it themselves. Read More