Andrew B  
Instruments: Drums, Bass Guitar, Tuba, Mallet Percussion, Orchestral Percussion, Conga, Latin Percussion, Keyboard, Djembe, Acoustic Guitar
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Blues, Folk, R&B, Musical Theater, Latin, Funk, Hip Hop, Electronic, Salsa, Showtunes, Reggae, Merengue, Latin Jazz, Swing, Samba, Bossa Nova, Soul, Marching Band, Punk

My teaching experience started while I was attending high school. I began working at local band camps over the summer during my senior year and I found the experience to be cathartic and extremely rewarding. At the beginning of my college career, I started working with several band programs as an instructor and private lesson teacher. I have been actively teaching students of all ages since 2007. Since 2015, I have proudly served as an instructor during the summer for the percussion ensemble at the world class, Colts Drum and Bugle Corps. Since 2014, I have devoted my winter weekends to the independent percussion ensemble, ConneXus, as an instructor, board of director member, music coordinator, and ensemble director. I also work locally as the assistant percussion director at Kettering Fairmont Schools. I find all areas of teaching fascinating and intrinsically gratifying! I love keeping my students motivated, engaged, and tracking their successes throughout their careers with music!

For younger beginning students, I tend to use more high-energy and captivating method books like Mark Wessels' "Fresh Approach." We will spend a good amount of time on fundamentals to ensure success with at-home practicing. For middle school students, I use more practical methods and techniques that steer them towards high achievement in their school's music curriculum. This would include books like Mitchell Peters' "Developing Dexterity", "Elementary Snare Drum Studies", "Intermediate Snare Drum Studies", and repertoire for middle school honor band and solo and ensemble pieces. For high school students, I use more advanced methods and techniques that ready them for competitive auditions and college careers. I adhere to their high school curriculum while developing very specific lesson plans and practice routines that fit their desired goals. I tend to use solo pieces and repertoire that will increase the students' sight reading proficiency, playing dexterity, and target strengths and weaknesses, while refining a solid technique package. For adult students, I like collaborating to create a custom lesson plan on a week by week basis. I am open to any methods that fit into the curriculum the student wants to create from themselves.