Introduction: Hello and thanks for viewing my profile. My name is Blake Paulson. I offer the most effective, enjoyable, and easy to understand drum lessons in Los Angeles. I teach out of my custom built state-of-the-art drum studio that provides the best learning environment on Thumbtack. I support the high quality of my lessons and my studio with my 100% satisfaction guarantee.
I offer 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 minute lessons for $30, $45, $60, $90 and $120 respectively. My teaching hours are 8am to 8pm Tuesday thru Saturday.
My music education includes a degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and private drum lessons from the world's greatest drummers.
As a professional drummer since 1998, I stay busy as a recording artist and active performer. I have had the privilege to record hundreds of songs in the studio and work for some of today's biggest stars like Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Jonas Brothers, Hoku, Hayley Orrantia, Coffey Anderson, the Dales, and many more. I proudly endorse the world's top drum brands: A&F Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Remo Heads, Vic Firth Sticks, etc... please see full list below.
I teach around 25 students each week. I offer lessons to students ages 5 and up, of all abilities and backgrounds. You can be an absolute beginner, a touring drummer in a famous band, or anywhere in between, I will help you quickly improve on the drum set. I have experience teaching every type of student, including celebrities.
TEACHING STYLE AND DRUM METHOD BOOKS PUBLISHED
During my 15+ years of teaching, I have come to understand the two most important tools for helping people successfully learn the drums: 1) teach the most effective and relevant material available and 2) create a kind, comfortable and patient learning environment.
As I created my enjoyable, proven, and proprietary method for learning the drum set, I found there to be a shortage of effective drum set material. As a result, I wrote 5 drum set method books, available world-wide:
• Drumset Coordination (published by Hal Leonard)
• Drumset Overlay (self-published)
• Linear Drum Fills (published by Alfred Music)
• Drumset Supersets (published by Alfred Music)
• Groove Fundamentals (published by Hudson Music)
TWO LESSON LOCATIONS
1) IN-PERSON. I offer lessons at my state-of-the-art, custom built drum studio in Van Nuys, CA called Unleashed Drum Studio. My studio includes two great drum sets (teacher and student), high-end monitoring, beverages (water, coffee, tea, carbonated water, soda), and the ability to professionally record your lessons. These features create an ideal learning environment and set the bar for comfortable world-class instruction.
2) ONLINE. I offer lessons via FaceTime to students around the world. Having a working drum set, a good Internet connection, a computer's view of your drums, and the ability to communicate in English is all that is required for lessons via FaceTime.
LESSON TIME AND FREQUENCY
My students are welcome to take two, four, or eight lessons a month. As you can imagine, the more lessons you take, the faster you will improve.
STYLES, SKILLS AND LESSON PLANS
I teach all styles of music such as pop, rock, R&B, funk, country, blues, jazz, Latin/Afro-Cuban and more.
I teach all drumming skills such as technique, stick control, foot control, rudiments, chops, reading and writing music, four-way coordination and independence, music theory, learning songs, creating drum parts, working with other musicians and producers, playing with a click and loops, studio technique, linear drumming, playing with confidence and energy, and more.
I listen closely to my student's interests to create custom lesson plans for each student. This makes the lessons really fun.
HOW TO GET STARTED
Please contact me. I'm happy to answer your questions, e-mail you my resume, and provide more details about my lessons. You can read my full bio, view photos/videos, and read reviews from my students on my website.
I love teaching music; it is truly one of the most rewarding things I do. I wish I could teach many more students each week, but my performance schedule keeps me quite busy. I am currently accepting a limited number of motivated students.
PROFESSIONAL ENDORSEMENTS
I Proudly Endorse: A&F Drum Co. (Drums); Sabian (Cymbals); Remo (Drum Heads); Mogami (Cables); Humes & Berg (Drum Cases); Snare Weight (Drum Dampeners); I'm an Ultimate Ears Ambassador (In-Ear Monitors); and Vic Firth Educator (Drumsticks). In addition, I work directly with Drum Workshop (Hardware, Pedals); Avid (Recording Software); MakeMusic (Notation Software); FabFilter (Recording Plug-ins) and Sennheiser (Microphones, Headphones).