Matt N  
Instruments: Drums, Mallet Percussion, Orchestral Percussion, Latin Percussion
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Rock, Blues, Musical Theater, Latin, Funk, Showtunes, Swing, Bossa Nova, Punk

Throughout the years, starting back in college, I have had many wonderful performance opportunities. I have performed in Carnegie Hall in 2011 and 2012 with the LIU Post Wind Symphony and the LIU Post Chorus. I have also taken my performance from the classical world to the modern era being involved in the DCA Drum and Bugle Corps, The Long Island Sunrises in 2013, and the WGI Indoor Percussion Ensemble called Rage in 2006 and 2012. Being in these marching arts activities allowed me to begin teaching and instructing various marching bands on Long Island, including the Division Avenue High School Competitive Marching band in Levittown, as the front ensemble instructor and arranger, and Longwood High School in Middle Island, as the drumline instructor and arranger.

For beginning students, I will start off with some basic rhythm sheets that I have created, and begin to asses the competency and understanding of basic rhythm. I firmly believe for any instrument that everyone needs a strong foundation of rhythm in order to progress into more advanced levels of playing and reading. At this point, I will begin to use Alfred’s Drum Method Books 1 and 2 interchangeably, eventually leading to Podemski’s Standard Snare Drum Method at the advanced level along with Rolls Rolls Rolls. For mallet percussion, I start of with teaching scales, both major and its natural minor or relative minor scale. ( C major and a minor, Bb and gm etc.) From there I move into the Learn to Play the Keyboard Percussion method book.