Level Up Drums

Customized Lesson Agendas

In addition to custom playlists, there are 20+ learning modules that we go through to find what motivates students the most. These include games, exercises, drum notation, ensembles/jams, and performances.

-Games:

Waterfall Rounds, Skateboarding, Level Up Challenge, Catapult, Battleship, Copy/Paste, Music to my Ears, Elimination game, Battle Jams

-Exercises:

Isolation Exercises, Note4Note, Hurricanes, Call and Response, Jumpstarts, Metronome Training, Drum Pad Rudiments 

-Drum Notation:

Song Structures, Sight reading, Full Scores

-Ensembles:

Family bands, Talent Show Ensembles, Trading 4’s (Jazz Improv phrasing)

With younger students I use game-based activities that double as exercises and stack points to track progress. For example with Waterfall Rounds, we simultaneously play drum fills without knocking into each other; this builds coordination, stick control, sticking patterns, tempo control, and more.

For drum notation, we choose songs to learn from the student’s personalized playlist (this can include any song they choose). For beginners, I write the musical notation for just one drum beat to start, and then we can advance to multiple beats, then to song structure, then down the line to full scores. Once students advance to Song Structure, they will have their own manuscript book with all of their songs.

As for the ensembles/jams, I play keyboard and lead them by conducting with the count, which the students pick up and start counting themselves. Once they can count the phrasing, we work on instrumental improvisation and song structure. If friends or family play instruments as well, we can arrange them to be part of the ensemble module of the lesson, especially for possible talent shows.

As for performances, I hold monthly student drum shows at the Bixby Park stage in Long Beach.

I have pricing options for lessons: 30 min, 45 min, or 1 hour. Also I offer bundle discounts for prepaid lesson packs.

Currently, my students age range is 6-15. My top student is 14 and is learning Tom Sawyer. My youngest student plays the "copy/paste" and "battle jams" games.

I also teach music classes to middle school and elementary school students. I simplify the theory to make it fun, allowing students to enjoy jumping into something brand new.

The Star Earth Day Festival is an event we perform at every year. The event includes amusement park rides, arcade games, food vendors, wild animals, and three big stages.

Try out different teachers before settling with someone. It takes some extra time and research but it pays off in the long-run. I had bad teachers when I first started out and it was such a waste of time. It's not worth it!