Drums with Nicholas M.

*** General Bio *** Hi, my name is Nick and I am born-and-raised in the pacific northwest! Initially from the Olympia, WA area, I relocated to Seattle in the fall of 2002, and have called Seattle home ever since. I received my education from the renown University of Washington School of Music with a Bachelor's in Music Performance (jazz studies). My career in music since moving to Seattle has provided me many extraordinary experiences both as a performer and an educator that I am quite thankful for. I am most known in the northwest music/percussion community from a recent 7-year stint instructing and coordinating the University of Washington Husky Drumline. During my time with UW, I helped propel the UW drumline from regional to national prominence by consistently elevating the level of performance year-by-year while bolstering multiple social media platforms that led to greater recruiting outreach and subsequent response. I was also able to engage the group in similar publicity endeavors with our corporate sponsors such as Remo Drumheads, Pearl drums, and Vic Firth Drumsticks. In the summer of 2013, I held the position of Percussion Caption Head for the World Class DCI Corps, The Seattle Cascades. We led the Cascades Drum & Bugle Corps to their highest percussion scoring in 6 years, and in any year since. Last but not least, I have also been involved with both the Seahawks Blue Thunder Drumline & Sounders Sound Wave spanning 4 seasons total. Outside of marching percussion, I've spent significant time fine-tuning a wide array of musical genres behind the drumkit including Rock, Pop, Jazz, Big Band, Funk, Blues, R&B, Soul, Rock Opera, and Electronic, and I've even dabbled in Gospel, Folk, Roots, Country, Musical Theater, Classical, Metal, and Punk. I currently tour with cinematic-electro-pop band HARPS and over the years have been lucky enough to be involved with Allen Stone, Megan Wilde, Headwaves, Tess Henley, Cracker Factory, and Discs of Fury along the way. In addition, I've built a sizable following of drumming enthusiasts on YouTube gaining world-wide acclaim from a short series of note-for-note transcription performance videos. Perhaps most remarkable was a very accurate replication of a near 5-minute classic Aaron Spears solo from his performance at the 2006 Modern Drummer Festival Weekend of Usher’s hit “Caught Up”. Spears himself lauded the effort via Twitter within hours of the original upload. I proudly endorse Pearl Drums, Remo Drumheads, and Vic Firth Drumsticks and mallets. *** Lesson Details *** I believe that good teaching revolves around finding the right balance of three things: what the student wants, what the student needs, and what the student can handle. As your teacher, I will do my very best in making you a more complete and well-rounded musician while helping guide you toward your goals. Whether you're just starting out, or an experienced pro wanting to brush up on a few new skills, I can help you. Over the past 13 years, I have successfully instructed folks from every age range and skill level, both in ensemble settings of various shapes and sizes, and one-on-one. I'd love to have the opportunity to help you, too! I have a general core curriculum that I like to follow, but also understand when being overly regimented can take the fun out of the experience. I try my best to go at the student's pace while working to expose them to the necessary material that will ultimately allow them to achieve their goals. My curriculum utilizes recordings, videos, demonstrations, transcriptions, books, play alongs, and the like. I focus a great deal on maintaining great posture with relaxed playing technique, as well as listening, reading, improvisation, and ear training. Note for those with special needs: I have experience working with kids with the following conditions: Dyslexia, Partial Deafness, and Asperger Syndrome. In all cases, I was able to help each individual overcome these tremendous obstacles and become quite proficient performers within their ensembles. However, I do ask that any parents get in touch prior to booking lessons so that we may have a conversation about the details of each person's respective situation. That way, I believe I can make sure that I am the right person for the job as each situation is different and requires such special consideration. Also: I do have experience teaching through a translator. *** Studio Equipment *** Two drum kits, sound equipment for listening/playalong purposes, metronome, practice pad station (w/mirror setup), video camera, sticks and mallets. *** Travel Equipment *** Sticks and mallets, practice pads, metronome, video camera. *** Specialties *** Jazz, Rudimental, Drum Corps, R&B, Rock, Funk, Pop