John C.

General Info

• Certified Music Teacher

  Certified Music Teacher

  Our rigorous hiring process requires a completed application; an interview with our professional recruiting specialists; personal and professional reference checks; and annual criminal background checks for the duration of each teacher's employment with us.

  
• Background Check Complete

  Criminal Background Check

  In order to ensure the safety of our students, all teachers undergo a thorough criminal background check, which includes: Social Security number trace, multi-state criminal search and a nationwide sex offender registry search.

  
• Levels: Beginner to Advanced

• In-Home Lessons: Yes
• In-Studio Lessons: Yes
• Ages: 5 & up

Subjects Taught

Drums, Piano, Music Performance, Music Theory, Percussion

Education

Berklee School of Music - - 1990
CW Post, Long Island University - Music Composition and Percussion - 1991-1993 (Bachelor's degree received)
Queens College/Aaron Copland School of Music - Music Composition and Percussion - 1994-1998 (Master's degree received)

Specialties

Rock, funk, R&B, pop, and many other styles of music on drumset, classical and latin percussion, and classical piano and composition.

Lesson Details

Learning to play an instrument begins with loving music!

The first question I ask a new student is: "What makes you want to play an instrument?". Some people want to play rock, others pop, and others have many different interests, but it all begins with a love for music.

I teach my students to play their favorite songs right from the start. I believe that when you learn music by figuring it out on your own -- by learning to listen -- you gain something very valuable that you can take with ... you no matter what your musical goals are.

I'm not a strict teacher, but I believe in being disciplined when it comes to the fundamentals. If you have good technique, it frees you to play anything you want to play.

In a typical hour-long lesson, my beginning students spend from 10-30 minutes on the fundamentals, depending on how much time the student has to practice at home. The rest of the lesson is spent applying what we've learned.

It usually takes just a few months before they're ready to play a song! I also teach students how to play in a band and encourage them to perform with other musicians as soon as possible.

In addition to being a drummer/percussionist, I am a classically trained composer with a background in piano. I teach beginning piano to students who are interested in playing classical music. I also teach music appreciation, theory, analysis and composition to students who want to delve deeper into the world of classical music.

Most importantly -- whether it's drums, piano, or anything else -- I teach in a relaxed atmosphere. Lots of people are nervous about playing a new instrument, and help them to turn that energy into confidence. Once you start performing, everything becomes easier and more fun!

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About

I started playing drums in my parents' basement when I was 9 years old. It was just me, a stereo, and a bunch of cardboard boxes I made into my first drumset. Every day, I listened to to my favorite songs over and over again to figure out how to play them. To me, there was nothing more awesome in the world than music.

Since then my musical journey has taken me far and wide. I've studied percussion and composition with world class teachers, toured Europe, composed music for commercials, ... co-written award winning songs, and performed with a variety of artists at such venues as the Hard Rock Cafe, BB King's, World Cafe, 55 Bar, The Living Room, The Bitter End, and many others. And the one thing that hasn't changed? I'm still totally in awe of it all.

These experiences have helped me to create my own style of teaching that's tailored to each student, whether they want to learn music purely for the enjoyment of it, or take their studies further. Sharing my knowledge and life experience with people is a great feeling. I really enjoy teaching -- In fact, I've learned just as much from teaching my students as they've learned from me.

I continue to perform, teach, and compose original music in New York City with my wife and two pianos.

My Education/Credits: Percussion, Berklee College of Music / Masters in Classical Composition from Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College.

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