Seattle, WA Percussion Lessons

ian and I'm proud to call him and his manager my friends. His new album coming out is nothing short of amazing.

In fact everyone I've mentioned above are pro all the way and great guys as well. I"m honored to have played with them.

I challenge my students to view music more than just as a "skill", but also a tool to communicate effectively and to combat life's obstacles.

I have had many guitar teachers myself including one true Famous Rock Star legend here in Pacific NW. Congrats Rog. U Earned It, & inspire myself, & others everyday.

You got to know the rules 1st, before you can then break the rules. This is how you develop your own unique style. And it's what separates the Pro Players from the rest of the pack.

But even if you don't want to play professionally, maybe you just want to learn a few chords, licks, songs, for yourself, or to impress friends. That's okay too!

I welcome every level and style. I always learn something from my students.
That's what music is all about. Learning & trading tips and licks from other musicians.

Bottom Line Is... I can help you learn and progress on your instrument faster...

Let me be the Music Coach to get you there!

*** Lesson Details ***
The most important thing in a lesson with me is to learn while having FUN! I am a very laid-back teacher who wants to focus on music making you smile. We will choose material and a pace of learning that will keep you excited to rehearse and return the following lesson improved!

PERSONALIZE your guitar lessons by learning techniques used by your favorite artists in "their" songs.
FEEL FREE learning in a comfortable atmosphere where you can excel successfully as a musician!
CONQUER shyness and insecurities by unleashing the dynamic performer in you!

Most All Styles/Genres/Experience Levels Taught - We go over everything systematically. Music Theory, Songwriting, Chords, Scales, Determining Key Of Songs, Performance, etc

After 3 to 6 months, you should expect to be playing some of your favorite songs and artists accurately

Be sure to check out some of my you tube demos. Let me be the Music Coach to get you there!

*** Studio Equipment ***
I have a Sound Proof Pro Recording Studio, PA System, guitars, basses, amps, drums, recording gear, mics, mic stands, strobe & lights, fog machine, seating for parents.

Sorry No Disco Ball Yet.. You Can Bring Your Own If You Want Though.
I've Got Some Bell Bottoms Somewhere Around The Studio Here.

*** Travel Equipment ***
*** Brand New*** Now Offering Music Lessons Online (From My Recording Studio To Your Home via Skype)
I'm really excited to add that to offer lessons online through TakeLessons! It's a great thing to get to work with students all over this country and I'm looking forward to help pioneer the future of music lessons!

*** Specialties ***
*Teachers classified as a Student Favorite have taught a minimum of 25 lessons and have received the highest feedback rating from students.

My Unique Specialty - is teaching students the rudimental basics 1st, & then how to copy your favorite artists off the CD, radio or iPod, almost note for note. Believe me, it can be done. You just have to know what to listen for..

Brand New - MEASURE your success by recording your music progress along the way. I do own a recording studio, so we can record students progress via audio or video and then post to my YouTube channel.

ip and stroke technique as well as the use of a metronome. I will teach the student to read rhythms and drum set notation. I know how to isolate difficult patterns, break them down into understandable parts, and reintegrate them into a piece. I like to use the music that a student enjoys to relate to the written music. I have found YouTube to be an indispensable tool for this, and my students have responded very well. I will work on snare drum technique as well, because it is the primary voice on the set, and the touch and nuance required to play it well relate to the set as well. I will tailor my instruction to suit the student's learning style and preferences. I want to make the learning fun, so I will help the student quickly gain the basic skills to play along with their favorite bands. This promotes musicality as well as solid time. It will also aid in transcription, which will come with development and is a valuable tool. I will use this in tandem with technique-building exercises to form a well rounded musician. I believe that a student should have a familiarity with his/her instrument, so we will also go over the anatomy and tuning of the set. Above all, music should be fun!

*** Studio Equipment ***
Music room w/ drum set, hand drums, and seating for parents

*** Travel Equipment ***
I have a practice pad, snare drum, and sticks. If a student wishes to have drum set lessons in his/her home, that instrument should be there.
**Please note** I do have a drum set in my home.

*** Specialties ***
For the drum set, I am the most experienced in rock, country, and bluegrass styles. I am comfortable with both Stevens and Burton grips for mallet instruments.

1. *** See my article on drum set tips! ***
http://takelessons.com/blog/how-to-read-drum-sheet-music
2. ***See my article about the benefits of learning drums as an adult.***
http://takelessons.com/blog/learning-to-drum-as-an-adult
3. *** See my article on Efficient Practice Methods. ***
http://takelessons.com/blog/how-to-practice-drums-z07
4. *** See my article on Coordination Exercises. ***
http://takelessons.com/blog/hand-eye-coordination-exercises-for-drummers-z07
5. *** See my article on Snare Drum Basics. ***
http://takelessons.com/blog/5-exercises-to-master-snare-drum-basics-z07
6. *** See my Gear Guide article on drum sticks. ***
http://takelessons.com/blog/which-drum-sticks-are-the-best-z07
7. *** See my Gear Guide article on Drum Sets. ***
http://takelessons.com/blog/best-drum-set-brands-z07
8. *** See my Gear Guide article on cymbals. ***
http://takelessons.com/blog/drum-cymbals-z07
9. ***See my article about different grips.***
http://takelessons.com/blog/how-to-hold-drum-sticks-z07
10. **See my article about drum apps. ***
http://takelessons.com/blog/apps-for-drummers-z07
11. **See my article about drum thrones. ***
http://takelessons.com/blog/drum-thrones-gear-for-drummers-z07
12. **See my article about nailing performances.**
http://takelessons.com/blog/drum-performance-tips-z07
13. ***See my article about rudiments.***
http://takelessons.com/blog/7-essential-drum-rudiments-z07
14. ***See my article about tuning your drums.***
http://takelessons.com/blog/drum-tuning-z07
15. ***See my article about reading drum charts/tabs.***
http://takelessons.com/blog/drum-charts-for-beginners-z07
16. ***See my article about different types of sticks/effects.***
http://takelessons.com/blog/types-of-drum-sticks-z07#comment-910418
17. ***See my article about Bass Drum Technique.***
http://takelessons.com/blog/bass-drum-technique-z07
18. ***See my article on Snare Drum Technique.***
http://takelessons.com/blog/how-to-play-snare-drum-z07
19. ***See my article on Fills.***
http://takelessons.com/blog/drum-fills-z07
20.*** See my article on Different Drum Types.***
http://takelessons.com/blog/guide_to_different_types_of_drums_z07

Recording Credits: "The Mary Rose" and "Normandie" from the album, Demos and Premiers, by Callen Clarke and Kyle Dillingham

books for a beginning drum student:
Fundamentals for Snare Drum by Garwood Whaley
Elementary Snare Drum by Mitchell Peters
Encyclopedia for Reading Rhythms by Gary Hess

Things that guitar students should have: A guitar, a guitar tuner, and a music stand.

Recommended book: Hal Leonard Guitar Method (Complete Edition) by Schmid and Koch.

My specialties:

Drum specialties: Jazz, Latin (Brazilian, Cuban), African, Rock, Funk, Metal, Pop, Hip-hop, R&B, Blues, Country, Reggae, and Marching. I am proficient in drum reading, drum transcription, practice techniques, and drum rudiments and their application on the drum set.

Orchestral percussion specialties: keyboard percussion (marimba, xylophone, glockenspiel, vibraphone, chimes), snare drum, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, tambourine, triangle, orchestral excerpts, etudes, technique, important literature, and practice techniques.

Guitar specialties: reading music, tablature, chords, scales, improvisation, and technique.

and New Jersey and has taught at the secondary level in both states. In addition to both instrumental and choral ensembles at Penn State, Thomas was a student leader in the Penn State Blue Band and a member of the brass section of the Cadets of Bergen County Drum and Bugle Corps in 1993 and 1994. He served as an Associate Director of the Warren Junior Military Band of Youngstown, Ohio from 1995 to 2005. He also served as a visual staff member for the renowned North Penn Marching Knights of Lansdale, PA for one season in 2004.

He is a current adjudicator with Drum Corps International and Cavalcade of Bands. He is a member of MENC, PMEA, NJMEA, ASCAP, CASA, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and the National Band Association. He appeared in the Marquis Who's Who Among American Educators in 2004 and 2005, an honor rarely bestowed upon teachers, as students who appear in the Who's Who Among American High School Students must nominate them. He currently is a music teacher at the Center for Performing and Fine Arts of the PA Leadership Charter School in West Chester, PA and resides in Downingtown, PA with his wife and two sons.

Thomas will happily work with students on the autism spectrum or students with ADD.

*** Lesson Details ***
My lessons are tailored to the needs and interests of each student. If a student is involved in school music ensembles, we will work with their lesson books from school in addition to material outside of the books, including SmartMusic, Noteflight, and teacher-created materials. We will focus on building proper tone production and individual technique - something that often is difficult to learn in a large ensemble setting.

I am capable of starting a beginner student on any band instrument including percussion, any classical string instrument (violin, viola, cello, string bass), and piano. I can begin a student on drum set and work with them through their first method book, but I would then recommend they find a specialized drum set teacher after a period of six to twelve months.

For advanced students, I work from selected conservatory etude books on developing advanced skills and can work with students on audition pieces for honors bands/orchestras or college auditions.

My lessons are a half-hour once a week, with the option of working for 45 minutes or 60 minutes.

*** Specialties ***
music, band, orchestra, flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, saxophone, trumpet, french horn, trombone, euphonium, tuba, violin, viola, cello, string bass, piano, Percussion
classical, jazz improvisation

p forty beats.

3) 15 years of PIANO: which utilize
several years of personal instruction in classical, popular, and some ragtime,
in addition to an intimate knowledge of Piano Proficiency (scales & modes,
chord structures & inversions, common chord progressions, intervals, circle
of 5th, and finger exercises)

4) 2 years of MUSIC THEORY and COMPOSITION at college level.

Lessons will include additional materials to the primary instrument such as sheet music for
sight reading, rhythm patterns, tabletures, and chord charts.

***Above all, I encourage students to select those pieces, tunes, or songs that have appealed to them the most; perhaps even inspiring them to learn a musical instrument in the first place. Adaptations are a common and enjoyable part of the teaching process.

*** Lesson Details ***
Expect efforts, on my part, to steer learning into areas of the students particular interest as well as conventional genres such as classical, popular, folk, blues, etc...

Moreover, I rely on ear training as a strong complement to written music theory and sight-reading; often using recorded music samples or simple patterns on a piano.

I try to balance method-type published lesson books with beginner, intermediate, or original composition sheet music to specifically selected pieces.

Ideally, with a reasonable practice schedule each week, full comprehension of the written music grand staff and an ear to catch a false note will become second nature. By then, more opportunities to learn actual pieces and styles become greater, having got the initial learning curve under the students belt.

*** Studio Equipment ***
*snare drum
*electronic keyboard/piano

*** Travel Equipment ***
lesson material/music media samples can be provided for copy
student would have own instrument

*** Specialties ***
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Drums, Percussion, Music Theory
finger picking styles and chord progressions - guitar
lead and rhythm patterns - electric guitar
latin, blues, rock, jazz styles - drum kit & percussion
classical & popular tunes - piano/keyboard

ns, and Pony Up.

When I have free time I volunteer with the Houston Chapter of Girls Rock Camp to help teach girls empowerment through songwriting and music.

*** Lesson Details ***
I began teaching as an afterschool job when I was 16. I was homeschooled, so I feel that the experience taught me that everyone learns differently and that there is not just one standardized method to playing music.

My teaching style varies with each student, but the one constant is my ability to make each and every client I encounter completely fall in LOVE with music. It's my super power.

Lesson plans are tailored for your specific needs and to help you achieve your musical goals and aspirations at your desired pace. I enjoy my students and making music with them.

Here is an overview of the lessons that I provide.

Guitar:
Finger Picking, Song Writing, Rhythm, Lead, Scales,Modes & Ear Training.

Songwriting and composition: Learn techniques, how to brain storm and plot your musical story line. This class pairs great with vocal lessons or guitar lessons.

Bass:
Scales, Rhythm, Beginner and Advanced song structure, Ear Training

Ukulele :
Technique, Intro to Chords, Ear Training, Strumming patterns - Ukulele is one of my favorite classes to teach. You simply can not help but smile when playing this instrument!

Vocals :
Breathing techniques, Scales, Harmonizing

software (write out your parts, charts, lead sheets etc. so that others can play your original compositions)
- Classical percussion techniques

Students can expect to have a lot of fun learning with me! We can write soundtracks, band pieces, solo pieces - whatever the student finds most interesting. :)

BIO:
I’m a composer who currently lives in Bellvue, Washington. I started my music career when I was 9 years old playing the Zimbabwean marimba and mbira (a traditional Shona thumb piano). Not only are the instruments beautiful, but they express our connection to the world around us. I completely fell in love with the polyrhythms and melodies of Zimbabwean music!

I continued to pursue my passion for music by studying percussion and composition at The Boston Conservatory of Music… then completed my M.M. in Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games at The Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain.

Now I write music for video games and help our stories unfold.

***Checkout my music at:
soundcloud.com/taylorambrosiowood