Arthur T
5.0
(9)
Instruments: Piano, Drums
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, R&B, Musical Theater, Latin, Funk, Reggae, Latin Jazz, Swing, Bossa Nova, Marching Band
5.0
(9)
Arthur T
5.0
(9)
Instruments: Piano, Drums
Styles:
Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, R&B, Musical Theater, Latin, Funk, Reggae, Latin Jazz, Swing, Bossa Nova, Marching Band
Where I Teach:
My Studio
Online
Ages Taught: 10-80
ABOUT
Degrees / Training / Special Info:
MM Music (Jazz Studies); Georgia State University
BA Music; Mansfield University of Pennsylvania
Diploma; US Armed Forces School of Music, Naval Amphibious Base, VA
Overview:
I love teaching drum lessons and have been doing so full time since 2001. My musical career began with the U.S. Army Band in 1987 with which I got to travel throughout the southeastern U.S. and Germany. I also had the opportunity to play for President George H. Bush during my tour of duty. My education includes a diploma from the U.S. Armed Forces School of Music, a BA in music from Mansfield University of PA, and a MM in jazz studies from Georgia State University. Recently I have been playing around the United States with a variety of acts, including an Elton John Tribute act called Almost Elton John www.almosteltonjohn.com. I have recently relocated to the Poconos from the Philadelphia area and am looking to rebuild my student roster, so my schedule is pretty open at the moment. Please feel free to request me if you feel like I would be a good match for you.
EXPERIENCE
My teaching experience began while I was an undergraduate at Mansfield University, teaching approximately four to five students per week. After college I instructed outdoor and indoor drumlines for one year. I have been teaching privately full-time since 2001. At first I viewed teaching as a means to making some extra money during the months of the year when gigs were slow, but after doing it for a while I realized how much I enjoyed it, cared about it, and enjoyed seeing my students progress. So I began putting more of my time and effort into developing my skills as a teacher. One of the results of my passion for teaching is a method book I wrote for beginning drum set. In fact, one of my motivations for attending graduate school was to learn how to teach more effectively on all levels.
METHODS USED
For beginners I prefer to start with a snare drum method. The reason being that everything they will learn on the snare drum can be applied to other percussion instruments such as drum set or mallets. I will typically use the Vic Firth Snare Method, Alfred Snare Method, or the Haskell Harr Snare Method. These are great books to help the student with the necessary fundamentals such as reading, rudiments, and basic technique. I also use Ted Reed's book, Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer as a supplement, as well as write additional exercises, rudiments, and warmups in a blank staff paper book that I typically have everyone get. The drum set method I use greatly depends on the student's ability level. For beginners I use my own method, The Beginner's Handbook for Drum Set. For advanced students i use a variety of books that are more specialized such as Advanced Funk Studies by Rick Latham or The Art of Bop Drumming by John Riley. For mallets I like the Garwood Whaley books which go from beginning to advanced as well as the Leigh Howard Stevens book Method of Movement for Marimba.
LESSON STYLE
I tailor lessons according to the needs and desires of each student. Of course, there are fundamentals that everyone should know, but once the student reaches a point where they are proficient with the basics I will move them on to other areas that they are interested in studying such as drum set, mallets, marching style snare, etc., while still readdressing the basics until that is ingrained in them. For drum set, a big part of my approach involves having students play along with music from a CD or iPod once they have aquired some vocabulary for that instrument from my book. I also have play-along tracks and transcriptions I can print out and give to students. I try to balance the book work with the play-alongs to keep things fun and exciting while making sure they are learning something along the way. I've found this approach to be very effective while at the same time keeping things fresh for the student. I will also allow students to bring their favorite music to learn once they are at the point where they can play and I feel they have a grasp on the basics. Most importantly, I work at each student's individual pace. I understand that everyone learns differently and I am more concerned with my students learning and having fun than I am with keeping a schedule. Finally, I would like to say that I am more than happy to do lessons at student's homes. However, I feel like I am able to be more effective in my studio due to the fact that I have more resources there such as two drum sets, a 4.3 octave marimba, a concert snare drum, and a mixer and video recording equipment which can be used to record a student's performance in his or her lesson. Parents are welcome to sit in on lessons as well.
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RATING & REVIEWS
Anita Ingram
Awesome
Anita Ingram
Amazing very patient with my son!!! Communicates well.
Colby Baldwin
Arthur does a great job of explaining with enough detail about how to hold the sticks and why you do each thing certain ways. It’s already helped!
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