steve P.

Hi. My name is Steve. I've been playing drums professionally for more than twenty-five years and have been teaching for twenty years. I have a degree from Berklee School of Music and have studied with many great teachers including legendary jazz drummer Alan Dawson and Boston favorite Bob Gulotti.

I have taught at music stores as well as high schools and middle schools and I also have my own studio here in Watertown equiped with two full drum sets, a high quality stereo system and a T-V with VCR and DVD for viewing drum instruction resources. For those younger students, parents have three options: they can sit through the lesson, they can wait in a comfortable waiting area away from the drums that ha a T-V, sofa, magazines, etc..., or they can drop the student off and do errands being rest assured their child is in a safe learning environment.

 I am also currently teaching at Acton Music Center in Acton. Some of the other places I have taught are Antonellis' Music Center in Medford and North Andover, Norfolk School Of Music in Readville, Needham Music, Beverly High School and Dedham High School; all of which are in Massachusetts. 

I teach Rock, Jazz, Funk, World-Beat , etc... and can get you reading, playing beats, solos, and fills in no time as long as you are committed. I teach all levels from beginners to advanced. Some of my past students have included members of Bostons' Blue Man Group. I can provide you with references from past or present students, band leaders and store owners where I've taught, so that you can be assured you are getting quality instuction. 

I generally start each lesson off with one of several warm up excercises for the snare drum or drum kit and quickly move to rudiments and hand/tecnique developement.

After that it really becomes very individualized since there are so many different levels of students with different goals. Some of the things I work on with my beginner students is basic independence among the limbs and excercises to help develope that as well as playing basic rock beats and playing to basic songs. With more advanced students we continue to work on more advanced independence excercises and more challenging beats and songs. I always try and incorporate drum solo ideas as well as different styles of music to open up a students creativity and versatility.

The main focus is always on getting the most out of playing the drums by offering challenging things that are not impossible, so I really gear each lesson towards each individual. the two drum sets really help since most people learn better by both watching and hearing, then mimicking. This is why the set up I have is ideal and I really encourage students to have their lessons at my studio rather than me go to them. If travel is an issue how ever, I'm always willing to travel to the student.  

Jazz, Rock, World Beat, Blues, Funk.

music, drums