Top Drum Lessons for Kids in Clifton, NJ

If you're interested in learning to become a musician through the many instruments that make up your drum kit - send me a message.

My influences include Buddy Rich, Animal from The Muppets, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, John Bonham, very recently Keith Moon, and my mentor & favorite person in the world, Normie Wayne.

My emphasis is in two area:
1. a strong technical base on the instrument
2. an understanding of music forms
the student is encouraged to follow whatever style fit them the most, in keeping with these fundamental principles

I specialize in teaching proper and healthy technique as well as musicianship and confidence as a player. I teach students how to handle many styles of drumming and how to be a confident musician.

My approach to teaching drums will have you playing within the first few weeks of lessons. I teach with the focus on getting students ready to play in any sort of ensemble. Jazz, rock, pop, funk and free styles will all be discussed.

With private teaching experience and a degree in Jazz Composition & Professional Music from Berklee College of Music, Granville adopts the teaching methods of the accomplished performers and educators who instructed him, such as the late Joe Morello(Dave Brubeck), Terri Lyne Carrington (Grammy Award winning artist), Dave DiCenso(Hiromi, Josh Groban) among others.

Granville's curriculum centers on the building blocks; great technique to empower flexibility in his students. He uses methods perfected by Alan Dawson (The Rudimental Ritual), Gary Chaffee (Odd Time Stickings), Sanford A. Moeller (The Moeller Technique), and other great teachers while employing methods he has found successful through his years of teaching.When necessary, music theory elements are employed to teach song form, dynamics and overall musicianship.

Granville is also a composer, producer and touring artist which will aid in creating focused progress if and when the decision to grow in a career direction is ...

As an educator, I strive to provide my students with the tools that they will need to explore the direction that they want to take with their instrument. This can include from enjoying drumming as a hobby, performing in small jazz ensembles, recording electronic and acoustic drums in major recording studios, to performing with a full orchestra! There is literally no limit to what you can do.

My focus is to get hobbyists to enjoy performing drums in the comfort of their own home or with friends, and to have my professionally-minded students go out into the world of performing and recording music. All of these environments are where the ultimate joy of playing an instrument can be expressed.

As a gigging and studio musicians, I understand what it takes to get to the stage or studio, apply oneself in that environment, and come away with a satisfying experience that you can then build upon for the rest of your life.

Aside learning to play the drums in a short time, I teach the music behind drummimg which is what distinguish a drummer from everyother drummer. I also teach ear training and learning music with solfas. 12years of experience and ridulment

10+ years of teaching. I teach all genres, especially Jazz, American folk / world music (Brazil, Trinidad, Cameroon), and Classical percussion. I'm primarily a jazz drummer and I bring all my performance, business, and practice experience to my students to help them achieve their musical goals. We focus on strengthening the fundamentals, (time, sound, AND the feeling of your groove). I'm honest and frank in lessons. I hope my genuine passion for teaching inspires that openness in my studio. My students have been selected for Jazz at Lincoln Center Middle and High School Jazz Academy, Manhattan School of Music pre-college and summer camp, and Columbia University’s jazz ensembles.

For the past 40 years, I have had extensive experience touring and teaching around the world in Asia, Europe and the US. I have recorded 200+ CD's in Rock and Jazz. I am able to bring my vast experience to students enabling them to reach their potential and become the BEST players they can be!