Ellicott City, MD Percussion Lessons

I have taught drum set, snare drum technique and percussion for over 25 years. The majority of students study with me for years. Several of my students have gone on to major music schools such as Berklee College of Music. Several students are working with major recording acts such as Linkin Park, Adam Lambert, Paul McCartney and others.

I've got a drum set, a djembe, and a dumbek in my studio. Along with many shakers, a wooden fish, lots of sticks, tambourines.... We can start at the beginning of counting to four or work out of the the book Pure Rhythm by Adam Rudolph if you are really into advanced Polyrhythms.

In these lessons our focus is mainly on hand drumming, teaching the student techniques and styles for various styles of hand drums from around the world including; Cajon, Bongos, Congas, Djembe, etc...

- Develop good time keeping skills by playing with a metronome or click track or all ready recorded music
- Study basic hand strokes specific to the student’s type of drum
- Learn proper hand position
- Gain knowledge of the origins and history of various types of hand drums
- Play and read rhythms specific to the student’s type of drum
- Learn the proper way to hold and position drums

For past 8 years, I've been teaching students Pre K- 8th grade to play percussion instruments to create a rhythm and keep a beat. They were taught to explore different percussion instruments. As a music student, you'll learn about drums, tambourines, xylophones, and other instruments you strike, shake, or rub to make music. You will also learn the types and parts of percussion instruments and then explore how pitch changes based on the size of the air column.

I can teach set playing as well as concert percussion, including classical snare, marimba, vibraphone, etc.

Find the voice of any drum or percussion instrument and make it sing. Students of every level benefit from rhythmic breath and speaking the words of the rhythms. Beginners will find the sounds of the drum, learn the language used to explain patterns, and quickly memorize rhythms by name. Everybody learns differently, we will write, speak, feel, or clown around until you fully grasp the rhythm. Intermediate and advanced students will benefit from a variety of techniques from around the world to employ to make even familiar patterns sound fresh. Special attention is given to the trance rhythms of the world, from the Sahara and the rest of Africa, north across the sea, west across the ocean, and from the east.

My diverse background in percussion allows me to offer instruction in many styles, including rock, jazz, and latin drumset skills, world percussion/hand drums, orchestral percussion, and solo repertoire including marimba. I earned my Bachelor of Music from The University of Michigan, and my Master of Music from the Peabody Conservatory. I am incredibly passionate about sharing my love for music and percussion and I am looking for eager students of all ages!

I am a Baltimore-based percussionist with both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Percussion Performance from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University.

For over a decade, I have honed my craft as a professional musician by working with world-renowned faculty, competing and performing internationally, and instructing all ages and skill levels. During my time at Peabody, I actively sought out and gained exposure to every aspect of the percussion world, from Orchestral music to Jazz improvisation, from chamber groups and symphonies to solo performances. Additionally, I have years of experience teaching percussion in private lesson formats.