Drum Lessons in Manhattan, NY

Instruments: Trumpet Drums Mallet Percussion

It's important to set realistic goals, I will assign short things to work on per week. I can tailor my instruction to the needs of any student by listening to their wants and needs. Everyone progresses at their own pace, so remaining patient and being able to work together to become successful is key! I find that sometimes it is best to find out from the student what makes them most excited about playing the instrument. Read More

Instruments: Drums Bass Guitar

I have recently relocated back to NYC and love it here. I am originally from Atlanta, Georgia and a graduate of UGA. I have been fortunate enough to record on tons of records and tour the world many times over. My work has kept me super versatile as I have done everything from big band and small group jazz to rock and funk. I have performed at some of the great rooms, including, the Sydney Opera House, with the ASO at Atlanta Symphony Hall, The Apollo, Paisley Park, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Getty, National Sawdust, Birdland NYC and countless others. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums Organ Synthesizer Recorder Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion

Positive reinforcement is key. I never learned from the mean or the overly strict teachers. In fact those teachers pushed me in the opposite direction of wanting to pursue music professionally. By going at the pace that is comfortable to the student, and praising them at every hurdle they encounter, the progress made can be exponentially greater than if the student is rushed to prepare a piece of music they don't truly care for in the first place. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion

Everyone who picks up an instrument is not going to tour the world as a musician. While this is true, every student can play and be proud. It is my job to help students progress and reach that level. I like to keep lessons light in attitude, but still put responsibility on my students. Work outside of lessons is a must for progress, even if only ten minutes is all that is possible. One of my goals is to show students how to reflect on whatever work they are doing and tell for themselves whether it is good work or not. Read More

Instruments: Drums Orchestral Percussion Latin Percussion

The first and most important thing that I like to do with the student is give them a general idea of how to basically read notation I then immediately get the student into basic coordination to be able to play basic beats so that they can eventually play to actual music the next important step that I like to accomplish with most students is to get them to actually be able to play some basic pills along with the rhythms so that I can prepare them to play music if their goal is to play in school band I immediately get them into the notation necessary to be able to audition for the school band 0 if they want to play in the dance band the goal is to get them to be able to play those rhythms to be able to perform in the dance band or the marching band if they want to participate in nysma I immediately get them into the exercises necessary to perform those types solos those are usually very challenging if they're in high school and want to go on to college to study music I also get them prepared for the necessary exercises and skills to be able to perform in the college setting as far as playing to music is concerned I love to work with a lot of pre-recorded tracks without drums many of the music minus one tracks are very effective to get a student ready to actually play in a band most students want to actually accomplish this goal the main thing that I like to emphasize is to have the student learn the things that they want to learn as far as styles is concerned for example if they really like Latin music all concentrate on that style if they really like rock music all concentrate on that etc etc etc. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Djembe

For beginning students we usually start with sitting at 2 drum sets and learning to hold the sticks. It's then about trying to get the sticks to strike the drum and practice getting a nice sound on the instrument. Even at a young age, it's important to help the students to think about tone and how we are creating sound on these instruments. I use the same technique on the vibes, learning to hold 2 or 4 mallets and just creating simple sounds. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I do believe in the fundamentals of music and ultimately, no matter what you hear, learning music is not re-inventing the wheel. There is technique, reading music and understanding the basics of how the particular instrument works. I like the Essential Elements for Guitar or bass for guitarists and bassists and Alfred's Piano method books. Ted Reed's Guide to Syncopation is a good drum book. Ultimately I like to get the know the student as much as I can as soon as I can so I can help them get to what they want as soon as possible with a few laughs along the way. Read More