Reuben G  
Instruments: Drums
Styles: Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Country, R&B, Gospel, Latin, Funk, Hip Hop, Electronic, Salsa, Reggae, Latin Jazz, Swing, Samba, Bossa Nova, Soul, Marching Band

My teaching experience dates back to my Sophomore year of college when I was asked to come back to my local high school (of which I only attended two years before transferring to study music exclusively at the Chicago Academy for the Arts)  to help instruct the indoor winter percussion ensemble and outdoor marching band ensemble (drum line and front percussion ensemble). There I gained a great amount of experience working with passionate students and was able to help them achieve their individual goals, as well as overall ensemble goals (ex. playing as a unit). Since then, I have continued to teach students at all levels while finishing out my college studies. As a teacher, my main objective is to help my students achieve his or her personal goals. I want to help him or her continue pursuing both their passion for music and their instrument. As a teacher, I regularly encourage my students to maintain a regimented practice routine in order to maximize overall forward progress in their musical development.        

First and foremost, my number one goal is to help my students achieve their goals - always! I believe that in order for anyone to make progress in anything, there must first be a (decently) strong foundation on which to build upon. What that means in terms of an overall application towards the drums (and percussion instruments in general) is that I believe having a strong understanding and foundation in reading music and general hand/feet technique (i.e. how to hold the sticks) should be developed in order to, for example, properly facilitate around the drum kit, regardless of genre and/or style. Once a strong foundation has been established, I will introduce certain practice methods and tips, instructional books, and transcription projects to help my student achieve a good sound and feel on the kit.