Tabla Lessons
Available Locations:
Online
Student's Home
Levels taught:
Beginner, Intermediate, AdvancedI teach tabla in the Hindustani Classical style, focusing on traditional tabla solo as a means to develop technique, vocabulary, and improvisation. My background is primarily in the Lucknow Gharana, taught to me by my teachers Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri and Randy Gloss of California Institute of the Arts, from which I received my Master's Degree in North Indian Classical Music
I teach ALL levels!! BEGINNING/INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED
In my experience, tabla is an easily accessible instrument to beginners. The sounds, its built-in language, and the way the compositions are built will ensure that you are a tabla player by the end of the first 2-hours.
**Instruments are also extremely affordable compared to most other instruments. A student model set can range from $200 - $400, whereas a Professional tabla set ranges from $500-$800. Compare that to a multi-thousand dollar professional clarinet.
About Colby B.
I look forward to meeting you!
My teaching style is built around incorporating and cross-pollinating all of my diverse and broad percussive roots as well as the pedagogical approaches of my favorite teachers. I am also familiar with common core standards. I am also very kind, communicative, and patient with my students.
I have been teaching private percussion lessons and various scholastic percussion ensembles and youth organizations since 2003. I teach Tabla, Marching Percussion, Kanjira, Riq, Frame Drum, Tala Systems, Svar Graam, Rhythm for non-percussionists, and world percussion composition. Not only do I teach each subject separately, I also let each subject crossover. One of my teachers, Randy Gloss, always told me: Rhythm is rhythm is rhythm. There is more in common between cultures than separates us. Find the common thread.
I received my BFA in 2015 and MFA in 2017 from the California Institute of the Arts in both World Music and North Indian Classical Music respectively. I have also been extremely fortunate to spend some summers studying at the Ali Akbar College of Music with my Guru Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. I was extremely fortunate to study with a plethora of world-renown teachers during my time at CalArts including but not limited to:
Randy Gloss, Pandit "Padma-Shri" Swapan Chaudhuri, Andrew Grueschow, "Beatrice" Ladzekpo, Yeko Ladzekpo, I Nyoman Wenten, and Houman Pourmehdi.
Before my time at CalArts, I marched with some of the best drum corps on the planet as a Quad player. I began my drum corps career with a small and currently extinct drum corps called Mystikal. I competed at the solo competition at the DCI world championships and received 9th place. After Mystikal, I marched with the Santa Clara Vanguard in 2005. Our quad section also competed in the Solo competition and received 3rd place. From 2006-2007, I was fortunate to march with the best drum corps in the world: The Blue Devils. At the time, they were an 11-time world championship. In 2007, we became 12-time world championships. I competed one last time as a soloist and received 1st place. We also won the Fred Sanford Percussion award which resulted in an unofficial "triple crown."
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Teaches students 5 and up -
Awarded 1st Place from DCI World Championships, World Class -
Teaches Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Reviews (3)
Colby is very knowledgable and highly skilled. He is incredibly clear and extremely patient in his approach. Excellent for any age or skill level and experience. Highest recommendation!!!!!
Colby is methodical, organized, and very creative. He is immensely helpful and patient with his students. Colby is an excellent listener, highly professional, personable, and I can't recommend him more highly. My son really enjoys his class and developed an everlasting interest in the art of tabla. Excellent teacher!
Show MoreVery knowledgeable and patient with any levelof student. Excellent teacher!
Experience
Tabla Accompanist
Aug 2017 - PresentRaga Ranjani School of Music
Raga Ranjani is located in Torrance and Thousand Oaks and is a Hindustani Classical music school that offers classes in Voice and Sitar. The classes are taught by two wonderful people: Sanjunkta and Aloke Dasgupta
Percussion Director
Jan 2019 - Oct 2019St. John Bosco High School
This was a multi-cultural Winter Drumline that combines musical and pedagogical concepts from Bali, India, and USA into a semester and creating a fun 6-minute concert from these ideas
Percussion Instructor
Aug 2017 - Dec 2018Murrieta Valley School District
Indian-Based drumline that utilized the languages of both North Indian Tabla and South Indian Kanjira to teach complex rhythms and to teach beginners how to learn/access/feel rhythms quickly and deeply.
Instructor
Oct 2015 - Apr 2017Community Arts Partnership
The Community Arts Partnership is a program hosted by CalArts that offers high-quality art and music classes for free for youth in the San Fernando Valley. The classes are taught by current students and alumni of CalArts. Tabla Ensemble - Teaches tabla from the ground up from the first sound through the first 3 compositions, the language, and how to practice World Percussion - explores a wide spectrum of percussion instruments from around the world including pandeiro, riq, kanjira, sogo, dumbek, tabla, bells, shakers, frame drums, tombek, etc Instrumental World Music - Open Instrumentation exploring Balkan rhythms
Education
MFA - North Indian Classical Music
Sep 2015 - May 2017California Institute of the Arts
BFA - World Music
Sep 2012 - May 2015California Institute of the Arts
Music Composition
Sep 2004 - Dec 2010University of California, Santa Barbara, College of Creative Studies
Languages
English
Fluent / Native Proficiency
Certifications
International Permaculture Design
Aug 2019Santa Barbara City College
Awards
2nd Place
Apr 2008WGI World Championships, World Class
1st Place
Aug 2007DCI World Championships, World Class
1st Place
Aug 2007DCI World Championships, Individual & Ensemble
1st Place
Aug 2007DCI World Championships, World Class