From 1991-2000, I was fortunate to teach part-time at the Juilliard School in NYC with the Music Advancement Program. MAP is dedicated to bringing music to “intermediate and advanced music students from New York City’s five boroughs and the...
Read moreDesert Island Drum Book
Over the years, I have acquired quite a few drum books. The majority of them are very useful, well written, and I refer to them time and again. However, if I had to pick one book for my “Desert Island Drum Book” it would be John...
Read moreAt the Rehearsal
At a rehearsal recently, I was having trouble reading some music. This was due to the fact that the arranger had written some rhythms in a not-so-conventional manner. The notes were all there, however, there were bars on eighth notes where I...
Read moreReading Music and Counting
When I was first learning how to read music, my drum teacher made sure that I could count while playing. I got used to playing snare drum rhythms and counting at the same time. This started with fairly simple rhythms and also with the drum...
Read moreSight Reading Drum Music
I had the benefit of a good high school band program and also a private teacher. My teacher, Ted Fulte, and the various ensembles in school exposed me to music that was outside of my comfort level. I was required to start to understand what swing...
Read moreLearning Tunes and Being Prepared
I’m working on learning some tunes today. Over the next few days, I have three very different gigs. I get to play some jazz, some blues & rock, and then play with a 10-piece big band playing just about everything! There are charts for...
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