FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
My fee is based on the 40 years I have of drum and percussion teaching as well as performing Classical and Jazz concerts. I also have a Masters Degree from Juilliard.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I like to get a feel for where they are in their playing, how far they want to go, and what areas they want to work on most. For a beginner we start at the beginning with easy technique, reading, and drum set playing right away.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I played in school in all the different bands, shows, and regional and state bands as well as rock band with friends. I also started teaching at 18 when my drum teacher would give me his overflow of students. He taught me how to teach initially. Here is my biography... With a background in both drum set and percussion performance, Sam Ruttenberg has performed with artists Dave Brubeck, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, and Lena Horne to name just a few. He has performed with the Pennsylvania Ballet, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Orchestra 2001, Salute to Vienna Orchestra, and the Philly Pops. He is also an active drum set clinician, presenting clinics in the U.S., Europe, Ukraine, and South America. Sam has toured and recorded with the Houston Symphony, Ballet, and Pops Orchestras, and has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, and the Kennedy Center. Sam’s students include Justin Faulkner (Branford Marsalis) and Shakoor Sanders (Tim Warfield, Wallace Roney). He has given lessons to John Roberts (Janet Jackson), Shirazette Tinnin (Tia Fuller), and taught Zach Mama, a drummer in Paris who made the move to Philadelphia to study with Sam at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Sam has also taught students via Skype in Finland, France, Portugal, Ukraine, and Singapore. Many of Sam’s students perform in the Sinfonia Youth Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, the Kimmel Center Jazz Program, as well as the All South Jersey and NJ All State Jazz and Concert Bands. He teaches (since 1994) at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia (largest community music school in the U.S.), and has taught at Camden County College, Rutgers University Camden, and the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Sam is also on the board of the Professional Drum Teachers Guild, and was named one of the top drum teachers worldwide from Modern Drummer Magazine in “Dom Famularo’s Teachers List” (Modern Drummer November 2015). He has written articles for PAS Percussive Notes and Modern Drummer Magazine. Sam was a longtime student of Joe Morello, and transcribed and worked closely on the creative aspect of his Master Studies II book. Sam wrote his own book entitled “Drum Tips” (HoneyRock 2009), which is designed to help drummers develop better technique and coordination through increased musicianship. Sam also created the HingeStix® practice drumsticks (Vic Firth HingeStix 2012-2017, and has since taken them on his own as HingeStix by Sam Ruttenberg), a learning tool that teaches drummers the free stroke rebound (for smoother and faster playing), finger technique, proper grip (that forces the use of the back fingers), and double and buzz strokes (for better rolls). The HingeStix won BEST in SHOW at NAMM 2011. Sam received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Miami, a Master’s Degree from the Juilliard School, and has endorsements with Sabian, Vic Firth, Remo, and Ludwig/Musser.