Percussion & Marimba Lessons

Teaching Philosophy

The snare drum and the marimba are the core percussion instruments. With the snare drum, we learn rhythm and stick technique. This can lead us to concert style snare playing, rudimental drumming, DCI style snare work, and on to drum set.

With the marimba, we learn how to work with melody and harmony. We adapt the basic snare drum strokes to the marimba and learn how to use four and six mallets. This can lead us to concert xylophone playing, solo marimba performance, vibraphone playing, and jazz.

Timpani study combines the techniqes and listening skills from both snare and keyboard study.

Small percussion instruments; triangle, tambourine, castanets, cymbals, maracas, etc. are the icing on the cake!

Lesson Content

Each student is unique, from the fifth grader who loves Orff xylophones to the middle school snare drummer, to the accomplished high schooler who is competing for All State or getting ready for college auditions, to college students, to the professional percussionist: we discuss your reasons for studying and your goals. Then, together we create your own curriculum or action plan.

Each lesson is a step forward on your path to achieve your musical goals in percussion.

Practicing

One of the joys of playing a musical instrument is the process of practicing. I love hearing my marimba as I practice. I also enjoy finding out again and again that if I just work on a musical problem, I will get better and better at it and improve. If I break down a difficult task into smaller ones, and work hard on them, I can learn to play anything and so can you!

Student Achievements

My students have won honors at the middle school, high school and college levels. Some have gone on to become professional musicians.

Here’s a selected list of Student’s Awards:

  • All District Band, Jazz Band Loudoun County
  • Virginia HS All State Band and Orchestra
  • Boston University’s Tanglewood Summer Institute
  • Interlochen Summer Arts Academy
  • Minnesota Orchestra Young Artists Competition Winner
  • Brevard

A selected list of music schools my students have been admitted to:

  • Manhattan School of Music
  • The Cleveland Institute
  • New England Conservatory
  • Eastman School of Music
  • Indiana University School of Music
  • Oberlin
  • Northwestern University
  • Boston Universtiy
  • University of Maryland
  • UMKC Conservatory of Music

Location

All lessons take place in my personal studio. This is located about 10 miles north of Leesburg, Virgina, very close to highway 15.

Applying to Study

Contact me by email or phone