Gevry Music

My process for working with a new student is as follows: I start by having a conversation with the student to find out how much experience they have and what their musical goals are for the near future. I then usually book a 30 minute lesson to start unless the student has enough prior musical experience on their intstrument to meet for an hour right away. I make a lesson plan for the first few lessons and start wherever the student needs to. In the first lesson, I get a better idea of what the student already knows and fine tune my process for the next time. I have a general curriculum already in place for each instrument so I start where it makes the most sense. I always keep the fundamentals in mind. Learning the basics is crucial to making meaningful progress.  

I have a High School Degree from Fair Haven Union High School and a BA in Music Performance and Recording from Johnson State College. I have also been playing music for 30+ years and teaching, technically, since 2002 but didn't officially establish my business by registering a business name and recieving a tax ID until 2005.

Rates

In-Person Lessons cost $45/half-hour and $70/hour.

Band Coaching costs $80/hour.

I got an early start on my music career. I decided I wanted to be a professional drummer at age 5 and started taking formal lessons at 7 years old. I got my first drum set when I was 8, which was the start of my addiction to playing music. I would often practice before school, after school, and for 4 – 6 hours on the weekends. In high school, I played to my favorite surf, oldies, and alt rock records and continued to take lessons. This allowed me to play with older musicians in bars even though I wasn't technically old enough to play there yet. After playing in various bands throughout high school and basically majoring in music my senior year at Stafford Technical Center, I decided to take the next step and get my BA in Music Performance and Recording from Johnson State College. There, I studied percussion extensively with Jeff Salisbury. With a tip of my hat to all my past and present music teachers, I started teaching drum lessons while in my third year of college. After college, I continued to further my career and have played venues like The Iron Horse and The Middle East in MA, and The Knitting Factory and The Living Room in NY, NY. I have also played local venues like the “Top of Church Street” Jazz Fest Tent, Nectar's, The Flynn Space, Higher Ground, and The State House right here in VT. I have opened for the Seth Yacavone Band (and play with Seth Yacovone occasionally), Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, Dizzy Reed from Guns N' Roses, and Saving Able. I have played with Master of the African Kora, Youssoupha Sidibe, Craig Myers of Rubble Bucket and Barika, and have played with Bookem Blues Band subbing for Russ Lawton from Trey Anastasio Band. I have done tours with singer/songwriter Gregory Douglass around New England and can be heard playing drums on Greg's album “Up and Away” (2006). I played drums in Burlington's psychedelic pop staple, "Lendway", and currently play with the original surf group "The High Breaks", members with whom I have played with since college. Gevry Music Services, licensed since 2006, is my own teaching business. I have been teaching lessons since 2002. I teach drum, guitar, bass, and ukulele lessons, and coach bands. I am interested in teaching anyone who is interested and dedicated to learning to play music and hope to help YOU on YOUR musical journey!

I have worked with students of all ages, all nationalities, who are at many levels, with many different interests. I have worked with multiple students with learning disabilities with great success and do not discriminate for any reason. Literally anyone is welcome to my services but I prefer to teach those who are dedicated to learning music on a weekly basis with a positive attitude! 

Some questions students should ask themselves before talking to teachers like myself are: 

1. Do I have time or am I willing to dedicate some time to playing my instrument if I sign up for private lessons?

2. Am I interested enough to dedicate time for a weekly lesson and rehearsals in-between lessons?

3. Do I think I will have fun playing this instrument? (It helps to pick up the instrument you are drawn to and experiment with it a little before deciding to take lessons. Though, a month's worth of lessons can never hurt to figure out if it is a good fit.)

4. What kind of music do I listen to and does this music motivate me to want to PLAY music?

5. Will playing music be a priority for me, hence fulfilling a need I have to create art and enjoy my craft?

These are just a few quesions that can help get the student in the right mindset before taking the next step in the learning process.