Barry P
Instruments: Drums, Mallet Percussion, Orchestral Percussion, Conga
Styles: Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Country, R&b, Gospel, Musical Theater, Latin, Funk, Hip Hop, Salsa, Showtunes, Spirituals, Reggae, Merengue, Latin Jazz, Swing, Samba, Bossa Nova, Soul, Marching Band, Punk

My teaching experience actually began when I was a teenager, when I taught my little brother drum set; he became adept enough to form his own rock band when he was a teen! I have been performing for over 40 years. I started my teaching career over 15 years ago.Drums have been my life, and it gives me great pleasure to introduce these skills to young people and adults, and help them express themselves and become proficient, confident drummers.. I have taught over 50 students for Musika since 2003, providing drum instruction for students of all ages and ability levels, including providing special instruction and encouragement for students with special needs. I like to listen to my students and learn what music interests them and what they respond to musically. I also like to introduce students to different styles of music and help them discover new musical interests. I've helped students with their NYSSMA solos on snare drum and drum set. I help them with school band music as well.

I teach rudiments, technique, and reading drum charts for my beginner students. Wity more advanced students, we study sightreading, and explore different styles of drumming. Typically, I favor using drum method books, and listening to recordings for students to use and listen to in between lessons. Keeping a steady tempo is of course an essential part of good drumming -- I use a metronome to help mystudents achieve that skill, and encourage them to use one when practicing. The content of the lessons is flexible, responding to the interests and abilities of the indiviudal student. I also offer preparation for New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) performance tests and auditions.