FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
First 1/2 hr trial drum lesson is free!! 1-hour sessions are $70 each. 1/2 hour sessions are $40 each. Tutoring: 1.5h = $100 (save $5), 2h = $130 (save $10) **Referrals (if they sign up for at least 1 month) are rewarded with $50 off your next class!
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
The first session usually starts with me asking the student about their goals / requests, and then doing some real training (with the relevant materials) to help the student start improving right away. Often (for drum lessons) we start with a brief analysis of the student's positioning / grip / movements (I have studied efficient physical technique extensively). Any advice I have on technique usually becomes project #1... then we address the student's other skills such as rudiments, reading notation, rhythmic understanding / timing, groove coordination / vocabulary, fill agility / vocabulary, and song-playing experience. Based on these categories, it becomes easy to determine projects #2, #3, etc... and which level of the 'Play Drums Now' curriculum would be most appropriate to start with to cover those goals. I assign 'projects' to work on (a.k.a. 'homework', but that sounds boring) between lessons, and expect the student to show up at the next lesson with some progress made!
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
DRUMMING: I studied jazz and world music / percussion throughout early schooling and college, participating in all available jazz and percussion groups. I have also played with independent bands (rock, funk, etc.) throughout college and ever since, which has offered me opportunities to perform at both small and large-scale venues, and also to record in various studios / settings. I learned drumming and teaching from many sources, and built my skillset in those areas with a mixture of formal training and personal experience / research. Overall I've taught hundreds of students and have refined my approaches to various areas of drumset / hand-drum training. TUTORING: I have a degree in Physics from St. Mary's University, and have always excelled in all academic areas. I began my tutoring practice immediately after college and have enjoyed that work ever since, and have been refining my approach to help students ever more efficiently - I already feel like I'm probably helping students get results faster than they would working with other tutors.