Drum Set and World Percussion Instruction

Michael is an accomplished drum set and percussion teacher/clinician in a broad range of styles, including jazz, pop, rock, concert percussion – including various mallet percussion, hand drums and various world music – including congas, bongos, timbales, djembe, tabla drums, dumbek, and various instruments and methodology from the world over, including the Caribbean, South America, Asia, and Africa. Other drumset styles include straight ahead jazz, big band jazz, hip hop, latin, salsa, R&B, motown, and hardrock/metal to name a few.

Philosophy

Learning the art of music is a journey – a process of self discovery that should be fun and rewarding. With this in mind, the best teachers are not only focussed on a curriculum that is best for the student, but a larger view of the learning process – I believe that the best teachers are constantly striving to inspire the process of learning – to help make students self motivated in their own practicing – this is the primary reason I am always performing with my students during the lesson, or recommending various concerts or recordings for inspiration.

Method

The best teachers will customize a curriculum that is best for the student, given their previous musical history, specific stylistic interests, goals and needs. The lesson and practice program should be well balanced between technique, vocabulary, music applications – such as playing along with your favorite song, and exploring creativity – and eventually artistry. As an instructor (and a life student of music myself), my performance/composition degrees from DePaul Unversity and formal training are certainly helpful, but as any good teacher will tell you, having professional experience is invaluable. My 25+ years of professional performance experience give me a wealth of insight that I enjoy passing on to my students.


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