Introduction: About
Drum 4 Life Studios is a drum and percussion instruction studio dedicated to excellence. I specialize in drum set, concert percussion and hand drumming (world).
Description
Drum 4 Life Studios is the drum and percussion studio of Glenn Thilman. My studios are in Issaquah (Mills Music), my East Hill Kent home studio, and now in Maple Valley. Students of all ages, abilities and musical backgrounds are welcome to study with me. I have experience teaching students from beginners to advanced levels. My background includes over 40 years of playing, performing and teaching experience.
Mission
My mission is to have students excel at drumming and develop a lifelong joy and passion for the instrument and music. My passion is to pass on what I've learned, and share the joy of discovery and learning with them. My goal is to provide professional, quality instruction that challenges and inspires students to reach and attain their unique musical goals.
What I teach and what you can to learn at Drum 4 Life Studios:
* Drum set: Learn styles in rock, funk, jazz, Afro-Cuban and Afro-Latin, and world drumming; the application of the 40 snare rudiments to drum set, made into drum grooves, and use in drum fills and solos.
* Drum set: 4-limb coordination and independence, applied to all styles (i.e. jazz, Latin, rock, funk, etc.). You can play with all 4 limbs at the same time and groove; systems that make it easier, step by step.
* Applied Music Theory: drum set notation for jazz ensemble charts and general chart reading; the development of creative accompaniment skills to improvise solos for rock, jazz, Latin, or world music is emphasized greatly; understanding song form made simple and logical; how to transcribe drum parts and write drum charts.
* Snare Drum: the 40 snare drum rudiments, stick control, roll technique, the Moellor Method (accent control system), sight reading rhythms.; how to use the 4 basic strokes - the rebound, tap, down stroke and upstroke to make learning rudiments easy and fun.
* Concert Percussion: technique for snare, bass drum, cymbals, keyboard percussion (bells, etc.), tambourine, triangle, etc.; applied music theory to read percussion music; application of snare/mallet technique to playing percussion parts; memorizing parts through note repetition and ear-training skills for ensemble blending.
* Hand Drums: djembe, conga, doumbek, bodhran, and various hand percussions. Playing djembe (hand drums) to modern music styles and using hip grooves for hand drums is everywhere. Learn tips for creating a hand drum or percussion set up for a band.
Lessons are often recorded with a digital MP3 stereo recorder and video recorder to enhance the learning experience further and have the student enjoy for reference later. These are often posted on my FB page. Students are encouraged to and can engage anytime with me through my FB page with questions, and posts of a music or drumming nature.
My simple mission is to have students excel at drumming and develop a lifelong joy and passion for the instrument and music. Happy drumming to you!
Warm regards,
Glenn Thilman
Testimonial:
"My son started playing drums when he was 15. It was his first experience playing an instrument. I thought he was a typical teenage boy wanting to be in a rock band and figured the interest would die, but somehow, Glenn got him hooked and he fed that interest and developed my son's talent. Over the three years of lessons, his skill and confidence grew quickly."
-- Lisa (Sept. 28, 2011)
