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Levels: Beginner to Advanced
In-Home Lessons: Yes
In-Studio Lessons: No
Ages: 5 & up
Subjects Taught
Drums, Music Theory, Percussion
Education
University of Central Florida - Music - 2006-2011 (Bachelor's degree received)
Specialties
When playing or performing on the drum set I am most experienced in fundamental styles like Jazz, Funk, Rock, however my true specialization and biggest interest is Latin Jazz. With the drum set I attempt to incorporate Latin rhythms extraneous to the instrument to make it fit in a variety of styles like Mambo, Cha-Cha, etc.
Lesson Details
I understand that the best learning environment is one where the student feels comfortable and confident enough to try new things and not be afraid of failure or embarrassment, and because of that I am laid back in my lessons. However I do still try to keep them challenging to the student's level.
In my lessons I like to keep a balance in between different important subjects, namely technique, theory, and application. I will spend about equal amounts of time and effort on improving my
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student's technique and making sure he/she understands music theory properly, but we'll also have plenty of fun getting to apply those concepts on the instrument, and playing alongside great music in order to relate to the technical and theoretical exercises.
I like to use a variety of books and learning materials in my lessons. Some of these books focus on technique by applying great exercises which help the student develop a good sense of time and build essential muscle memory. There are also books which focus more on the different and essential musical styles which every student must learn in order to improve feel and become a complete musician.
Besides books I like to use recording devices to record the lessons so that the student has something to bring home and feel more comfortable about working without the teacher. I also stress that the student records him/herself when practicing, and teach the student how to listen in order to improve upon what he/she has heard.
When taking lessons with me, you will in the end learn how to play with proper technique, and sound with great feel and proper balance, and know music theory in order to play well with other musicians. Most importantly, I will teach the student what and how to practice so that his/her musical development continues even in my absence.
I started playing drums at the of 10, when my mom told my dad to buy me a drum set so I wouldn't ruin her new set of pots and pans instead. From then I moved to annoying my neighbors with charged and loud drumbeats emanating mostly from late 90's Heavy Rock and Punk bands, and occasionally taking lessons from great teachers.
More than 13 years have passed and today I have expanded my tastes and abilities to include all kinds of music. Attending music school at the University of Central
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Florida and eventually obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree had much to do with my musical expansion and maturation. In music school I learned how to play different orchestral and chamber percussion instruments, and became the percussion section leader of UCF's Concert Band. Most importantly however, I expanded my drum set abilities to the world of Jazz.
Today I perform on the drum set around town in a variety of styles, my favorite so far being that of Latin Jazz, where an incredible mix of music and culture occurs.
As a teacher I look back on all this and try to make it happen again, only better and for somebody else. I try to instill into my students the concepts, techniques, and values that have gotten me this far in my career, but I only make that my minimum performance. I start there, and then work to make my students learn much more than I did, and experience music to the best of their abilities.
My mission is to make every student the best they can be, and then some more.
