About
Dr. Eric Hines is a professional percussionist and music educator residing in Chicago, IL.
Eric Hines is a Sabian Artist, Tycoon Percussion Artist, Vic Firth Scholastic Educator, and DrumDial Artist.
With over 20 years of teaching experience, Dr. Hines offers several music courses and percussion lessons via web-based instruction from his home studio in Chicago. Hines accepts students from all levels, from beginners to professionals, and has extensive experience with online teaching.
An accomplished performer of classical, jazz, Caribbean, Brazilian, Mexican, and popular percussion, Hines maintains an active international touring schedule.
As a bandleader, Eric appears regularly in the Chicago music scene directing his steel pan driven Caribbean jazz ensemble Eric Hines & Pan Dulce. Hines is also the drummer/percussionist for Sones de México, a two time Grammy nominated Mexican folk music ensemble.
Specializing in Cuban folkloric music, Eric has studied in Havana and Matanzas with master rumba musicians Maximino Duquesne Martinez, Francisco “Minini” Zamora Chirino, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, and Los Rumberos de Cuba. His dissertation Recipe for a Guaguancó Sabroso: Understanding Quinto Improvisation in Cuban Rumba was published in 2015.
An in-demand clinician and lecturer, Hines has presented at the Library of Congress, International Percussion Festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico, PAS Days of Percussion, many universities, and many summer music programs. Eric has performed internationally throughout China, Puerto Rico, England, Scotland, Belgium, France, Canada, and Mexico.
In Chicago, Eric serves on the faculty of Ravinia’s acclaimed Jazz Mentors program, while also working as a core faculty member of The People’s Music School, where he directs Wind Ensemble while teaching Applied Percussion and Music Theory. From 2017–18, Dr. Hines was Professor of Percussion (Adjunct) at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL, where he taught Applied Percussion while co-directing Percussion Ensemble, World Percussion Ensemble, and Marching Percussion. Hines is the former percussion instructor for the Tucson Symphony Women’s Association, Tucson Academy of Music and Dance, and the Artistry Academy Music and Art.
I am a passionate educator and I enjoy watching my students succeed.
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
When working with a new student I like to get to know the student personally so that I can create a curriculum that is custom fit to their needs and style of learning.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I hold the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degree from the Univeristy of Arizona and the Bachelor of Music Education degree from the Univeristy of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign.
I have over 20 years of teaching experience with students age 5-80.
From 2004–08 I was a high school music teacher in south Texas.
From 2008–15 I was Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Arizona. During this time, I also taught at several private music schools in Tucson.
Since 2015 I have maintined a full time professional music performance and education career in Chicago, IL.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
Please contact me for more details on pricing.
How did you get started teaching?
I was inspired by my music teachers to go into the field of education. I have studied music since I was a child and have been blessed to have many outstanding mentors who instilled in me a passion for teaching and the performing arts.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have worked with hundreds of students from diverse backgrounds and just about every ability level. I enjoy teaching absolute beginners just as much as I enjoy teaching professionals and university students.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
I recently learned that a former colleague of mine passed away. We were both percussionists in the Valley Symphony Orchestra in Texas many years ago. His wife reached out to me to let me know that his 11 year old son Tommy loves to play drums and has been playing his dad's old drumset and percussion equipment. I offered to take Tommy on as a student. Tommy lives in Texas and I teach him from my Chicago studio through Zoom once a week. Tommy has been taking lessons with me for just over two months now and he has become one of the best student's I've ever had. It's very rewarding to think of his dad smiling down on him.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
If you are willing to practice and put in the work that it takes to become a successful student, the sky is the limit. There is no secret to becoming a fine musician. It takes daily practice.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
Do you have the discipline and drive to practice every day and complete your weekly assignments?