Drum Lessons in Franklin Lakes, NJ

Instruments: Drums

I have been teaching for eight years, I have taught privately, in group settings, and with students of all ages. I have found that one of the most important things to have in a student teacher relationship is trust. If a student does not trust his or her teacher than they will be less encouraged to learn and practice. I have also found that building this kind of relationship will also help students to develop a love for music, maybe not in the way that I did, but in a way that is over all beneficial to their character and life philosophy. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion

For beginners drummers I like to introduce them to rudiments. For aspiring orchestral players is always important to build a repertoire, this is a list of materials I use: 150 Rudimental Solos - Charlie Wilcoxon Bass Drum Technique - Ted Reed Portraits in Rhythm - Cirone Beyond bop drumming - John Ryley It all depends to what the students are interested in. For aspiring popular music performers the most valuable resource are recordings. Read More

Instruments: Drums Bass Guitar Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Djembe

Although I have my own methods and "prescribed" teaching materials, I love to keep a dialogue with the student. I always ask what their goals with music are, as I will then tailor the lessons accordingly. If a student says to me that they want to work towards an audition, I know that I can push them harder in terms of expectation and material. Or, I've had students who want to learn how to play a specific style or song, and those lessons can be much more mellow. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trumpet Drums Bass Guitar Organ Synthesizer Harmonica Banjo Ukulele Mandolin Recorder Double Bass Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Keyboard Electric Guitar Djembe Acoustic Guitar

I guess my point is, I can play any instrument and if I had more time in the world, I could practice more. I took all of the music classes in my college and I passed with flying colors (except brown because he has a broken wing so he can't fly that much, but other colors flew high). I even took Opera and passed that with an A. I love all kinds of music and I am willing to teach any kind of music to my students. Read More

Instruments: Piano Drums Keyboard

When I meet with a student the first thing I try to find out is what they want from music lessons with me. I then assess their ability level and try to create a lesson plan that includes a lot of what they want to learn along with a bit of what I think they need to learn. I like to assign short term goals such as weekly or monthly homework that I can check up on in every lesson. Read More

Instruments: Drums Latin Percussion

For beginners, I always start with very basic technique elements such as the proper way of holding the drumsticks, how to position the drum set and having a proper posture while playing to build good habits right from the beginning. From there, I like to work on simple rudiments, and connect this with how to use the rudiments to play simple grooves. I will also bring charts with written grooves of popular songs and we will start playing along with songs, to get used to the feeling of playing in a musical context. Read More

Instruments: Drums

The one book I use for my students is Ted Reed's "Progressive Steps to Syncopation For The Modern Drummer". I use this book for my own benefit on a daily basis. Its interpretation and application is limited only by the student's or instructor's imagination. This book is such a great resource for assisting the student in learning basic reading skills. Once the student becomes familiar with recognizing certain rhythmic sequences, It enables them to study and learn from other publications with an increased level of facility. Read More