
TEACHING
Hey there! Feel free to reach out to me to schedule a trial lesson or if you have any questions I would love to open a dialogue with any potential students or parents.
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I am an Athens, GA based jazz drummer, percussionist, composer and multi-instrumentalist with a practice that centers on live performance in settings both formal and casual. My teaching approach focuses on building up good fundamental drumming technique in a way that is fun and approachable for musicians of all skill ranges.
My online lessons will be dealing primarily with good fundamental snare drum technique, rudiments, reading exercises, and listening. I always encourage input from students or parents regarding specific goals or ideas in terms of tailoring a more customized lesson plan. In short, tell me what you want to do and I will help you achieve your goals!
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Throughout my music career I have studied with great teachers like Neal Smith, Bob Gulotti, Dave Zygmunt, John Piefer and Greg Strohman. I currently hold a BA in East Asian Studies from Dickinson College and an MM in Jazz and Contemporary Music from the Longy School of Music.
A rough break down of the first trial lesson would look like this:
15 min: Get to know the student and what their interests are and assess a baseline skill level.
15 min: Overview of good playing technique and posture, warm up with a very basic exercise
15 min: Intro to some of the reading work and discussing goals for the future ( ie, want to play a specific song or style of music)
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Here are some of my favorite things when it comes to getting a student up and running.
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A good pair of drumsticks:
Vic Firth 5As are a great place to start for smaller hands. 5B's are good for slightly larger hands.
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A practice pad:
The Evans Realfeel Practice Pad is a life long friend of mine and will be great for keeping the noise down when practicing singles and doubles.
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Here is a good bundle that I can recommend with a few of these items.
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A metronome or a metronome app:
A metronome is crucial for developing musicianship and should be a integral part of your practice routine as a drummer. I recommend the Korg TM60 or the app Tempo which can be found for free on the app store.
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Books:
These books are just a few great resources that I like to use with students of all ages. I used them when I was learning and some I still use today in my own personal practice.
Breeze Easy Method for Drums Vol 1
This book is great for getting early students reading and playing basic snare drum parts.
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Excellent resource for early Drum set instruction
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George Lawrence Stone's Stick Control
Another fundamental book every drummer should have in their collection
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Good for more advanced drum set students looking to develop coordination
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While all of these things will help students learn and progress more smoothly, they are not absolutely required for all students. I understand cost can be a prohibitive factor so I want to emphasize this point. Music (and especially rhythm) should be available for all to enjoy.
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Please feel free to reach out to me to schedule a trial lesson or if you have any questions I would love to open a dialogue with any potential students or parents.
Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to check out the wealth of content here on my website including recordings and videos from some of my past performances.
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Thank you and have a nice day! :)
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