The Number One Drum Studio

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. I think the number one question a parent should be asking of a drum teacher is: "can you teach my child to read percussion music?" The more musicality your child has, the better the success they will have in school bands (Symphonic-Jazz-Marching) and orchestras.

Ask a potential instructor how much experience they have with students involved in school programs. Find out if they have students playing with youth orchestras outside of schools.

Ask that teacher what other percussion instruments they play. Drum set is only one part of the percussion section.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. I think most drum teachers want their students to succeed and have fun. Having said that, part of the problem with many instructors is they only play one or two styles of music. Many teachers don't work on the musical side of percussion.

At the Nasatir School of Percussion we work on ear training, chord structure, and how percussion fits in with music. We don't just teach "beats". A drum set student will learn Rock, Funk, Jazz, Mambo, Songo, and other assorted styles of music, but they will also learn scales & chords on mallet instruments, note intervals for timpani, and techniques for hand drums.

We also work well with PIANO students who want to actually play a part in the school band or orchestra (typically there are very few opportunities for pianists in a school environment). Piano students who play percussion are miles ahead of the "competition."

Q. Tell us about a recent job you did that you are particularly proud of.

A. I recently was a featured artist with the Alvarado Middle School concert band (Union City, Ca). It wasn't about my playing so much as it was about the three percussion sections filled with my students. I was most proud of their hard work and extraordinary performances under the pressure of concert performance.