Drum Lessons in Larchmont, NY

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Music Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For all students, regardless of age or skill level, I like to gauge their musical interests (i.e., what music they listen to, what inspired them to pick up the guitar, etc.), and then work from there. For someone who has never picked up an instrument before, I generally work out of Hal Leonard's Guitar Method Book 1. Once we're past that, I'll start showing them some basic songs, as well as seeing what kinds of songs they would be interested in learning. Read More

Instruments: Drums

I draw attention to the importance of listening and help the student identify what to listen for. There is nothing more frustrating than practicing a particular fill 1000 times, only to later realize you've been practicing it incorrectly. This is very common among drummers young and old, but is easily dealt with by simply cultivating a sense of listening and apt imitation. However, I do not endorse perfectionism as a means of effective learning either, and I also will remind the student of the fact that sometimes when you're jamming,even if what what you're playing is not perfect, it's "good enough for rock and roll." This is part of the attitude of rock and roll that I feel is conducive to better, faster learning: a willingness to make mistakes, acknowledge them, learn from them, and move on. Read More

Instruments: Piano Drums Synthesizer Orchestral Percussion Keyboard

I strive for the right balance between enjoyment and progress. I believe, especially for beginners and younger students, a good atmosphere is the most important thing; I want them to have a good impression of music and the instrument. There are a multitude of ways to learn the drums so I believe it is important to find the right way for each student. I listen to the student and try to learn who they are and how they learn best first and foremost, then I use my knowledge to guide them down a path of learning that is most natural. Read More

Instruments: Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Music Djembe

I have been playing percussion for at least 40 years and share my love for music through teaching and performance. I presently am a show group member of Samba New York where I am section leader for the third surdo section. I play many Brazilian percussion instruments as well. I am also the section leader of the North Shore Symphony Orchestra and the Massapequa Philharmonic Orchestra where I play timpani. And though I presently play timpani, I have extensive experience playing mallet instruments, drumset, latin percussion and world percussion. 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: Piano Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Music

My teaching style is very thorough and patient. I welcome mistakes of course! It is not about how often you fall down, but about how you get up again. If you want to work hard, I will work hard as well. My students know the importance of regular practice in order to build dependable muscle memory in their playing. In a lesson we will spend half the amount of time working on technical building exercises and half the time working on repertoire. Read More

Instruments: Drums Latin Percussion Djembe

There's a ton of books about drumset out there. I like to use some of the best ones in my experience that offer us infinite possibilities to create our own individual practice routines. These include: - Stick Control by George Lawrence Stone - Syncopation by Ted Reed - Modern Rudimental Swing Solos by Charley Wilcoxon - The Drummer's Complete Vocabulary As Taught by Alan Dawson More than the books I like to focus on the desire, the flame in the student which drives them to want to play music in the first place... a favorite song or band, and then use these books in order to service that. Read More