Drum Lessons Chicago

I teach private drum lessons to adults and children ages 10 and up. Whether you are a beginner or have some playing experience I would love to share my knowledge of drumming with you to help you achieve your musical goals. My musical background includes over 35 years of playing experience, which includes high school marching band (drum line) and orchestra, and a bachelor’s degree in classical percussion from Wheaton Conservatory of Music, which included orchestra, wind ensemble, and percussion ensemble. I am also an experienced drum set player and have been playing in bands for the past 18 years to the present day, which includes touring and recording. My most current project based in Chicago, is a dark experimental female fronted power trio, mixing Gothic, Shoegaze, and Post punk styles, called Solemn Meant Walks. In addition to my band in Chicago, beginning in June of 2016, I also play drums for legendary British punk band CONFLICT which originally formed in 1981 in south London. TEACHING EXPERIENCE: I have been teaching private lessons full time for the past 15 years. If you are looking for a teacher to help you gain a solid foundation in drumming, I can help you by teaching you the basic tools, such as reading, technique, rudiments, hand foot coordination and independence on drum kit, learning music by ear and transcribing. Having these skills will give you a solid foundation for learning any style of music you choose. If you are a student in a school band and orchestra program, I can help you prepare for solos, auditions, competitions or anything else you happen to be working on including mallet instruments and timpani, as I have much personal experience doing this both when I was in high school and in college. If you have a set of drums and need help setting them up or tuning them but you are not sure about lessons yet, I would be happy to help you get set up and tuned with no obligation to sign up for lessons. TEACHING LOCATIONS Most lessons are taught at my studio, which is located at the Smash Studios building, formerly The Music Garage, in the West Loop in Chicago, near Ogden Ave. and Lake Street. My studio is fully equipped with 2 full drum kits, snare drums, practice pads and a PA. I also sometimes teach in home lessons / at your location depending on the day, time, and location, if it works out with my schedule at the studio. There are several things I like most about my job. For myself, I love being my own boss and having the flexibility of my time. This helps with scheduling a lot because I'm in several different musical groups / projects. Also teaching has really helped me become a better musician. I learn from my students all the time. For the Students, I love the fact that I'm making a difference in someones life whether the student is a young kid just learning and discovering, a high school student or adult who is getting very serious about a musical career, or someone who is just doing it for a hobby. Having a musical instrument that you can play really makes a positive impact on someones life. I know it did for me. I didn't start playing drums till high school. If it hadn't been for my awesome band director letting me try out the percussion section as I only had a piano background at the time, I might not have become a drummer for so many years, gone on the tours I have been on, played on the stages I have played on, made the close friends I have and influenced many of the students I've had past and present.