WHAT ARE YOUR QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE?

Aside from 20 years of teaching, playing, and performing experience, my official qualifications include a BA(Hons) degree in Contemporary Music from Edinburgh Napier University, Distinction Grade 8 with Trinity Guildhall, and Merit Grade 5 with the ABRSM. As well as private tuition, I have ample experience teaching in universities, schools, and private institutions.

 

IS THERE AN AGE LIMIT TO LEARNING THE DRUMS?

 

Rhythm and the drum kit can be learned at any age, but my recommendation is no younger than 5 years. For children as young as this, certain adjustments to the teaching approach and drum kit may have to be made to accommodate them, but this is by no means a barrier to their ability to learn rhythm and music.

 

I HAVE A DISABILITY/MEDICAL ISSUE. AM I STILL ABLE TO LEARN THE DRUMS?

 

While the nature of all disabilities being unique situations to the individual, this shouldn't be a barrier to learning the rhythm as a wider concept. I have taught individuals with a varied range of physical and mental disabilities, and bar the most extreme cases, this has never proved to be an obstacle for learning. Any disability and your respective needs is discussed before lessons take place to ensure that I am able to accommodate you, and of course, any information divulged is treated with 100% confidence.

DO YOU TEACH GRADED UNITS?

Yes. I teach from the Trinity Guildhall Rock & Pop syllabus. While learning a graded unit is an excellent way to improve and measure progress, it is by no means mandatory. Students are free to request that one of their personal goals is to sit a graded unit, and this will be incorporated into their tuition plan accordingly.

DO YOU TEACH ONLINE?

While I do have the capability to offer online tuition in exceptional circumstances (for example, mobility issues and long-distance learning), I do not offer online tuition as a standard approach. I've found online tuition to be generally lacking in a crucial part of the learning experience, somewhat unreliable in terms of connectivity/latency issues, and a fair amount of what makes drumming enjoyable often gets lost in translation.

WHAT WILL I NEED FOR MY LESSONS, AND WHAT RESOURCES ARE SUPPLIED?

A pair of sticks, a notebook, and an open-minded attitude are the bare minimum requirements to get the most out of your tuition. Ear protection is also heavily recommended as there will always be a small risk of hearing damage when playing loud instruments. You wont actually need a drum kit itself to begin taking lessons as quite a lot of rhythm can be taught without. However, students that pursue learning the drum kit as a longer-term hobby may struggle without regular access to one.

 

Students progress is documented and detailed via an online service/app called Showbie. Showbie is a teacher-to-student/parent service used in educational institutions for teachers to provide lesson-by-lesson updates, materials, and resources for students/parents to view and download. Registration to Showbie is free, and will be discussed after the first few sessions.