Drums with Pete F.

My drumming adventure began when I was in elementary school, where I joined the school band. I soon branched out to marching band, learning the rudiments and developing stick control. Of course, I also started playing drum kit, both in school and with friends. Playing rock music for fun eventually lead me to drum circles, where I discovered the wide world of percussion. At this point, I started studying several instruments with world-class teachers, including Babatunde Olatunji on African djembe, Zakir Hussain on the tablas of India, and frame drumming with Layne Redmond. These great musicians not only demonstrated technical and artistic skill, but they also helped me to see that we are all connected by rhythm - we are surrounded by it and filled with it all the time. Day turns to night, the heartbeat moves our blood, the seasons turn - these are just a few of the rhythms that people express musically in unique ways around the planet. Soon I wanted to share what I had learned with others. This lead to the creation of Pangaea Percussion, an ensemble featuring drums from around the world along with a variety of melodic percussion, flutes, and didgeridoos. I also played with a Middle Eastern Folk / Jazz group called Slow Djinn Fez, and the new age jam band, Mandra. Each of these groups was asked by Reno's Pioneer Center Youth Programs to perform for schools and libraries in the region. Today I continue these school assembly programs with Petroglyph, a duet that includes ethnic instruments along with drum kit and electric guitar. In the mean time, I started teaching drumming. Using my educational experience as a high school science teacher, I developed both private and group lessons that break musical concepts down into a series of components. Students are invited to pick up the pieces that fit their needs and abilities, and then we add layers to build skills and add variety. These lessons have been presented in a variety of settings, including dance studios, private homes, and music festivals such as the California World Music Festival in Grass Valley. Whether you want to jam on the drum kit in our great American rock and roll tradition, learn interlocking polyrhythms from Africa, or explore complex cycles like 7-beat or 10-beat rhythms from India, I'd love to help you take your percussive skills to the next level!