About Me:
I believe in an eclectic, flexible yet comprehensive teaching method that focuses on musical enjoyment and improvisation from the beginning steps. Each lesson I teach is completely different. I encourage music reading through playing and simple steps, but will challenge students who progress quickly. I believe that music is about expression and enrichment and that constant listening and self-analysis is important.

I provide set lesson plans, which we write in a book weekly for record keeping, but depend on each student for input on overall direction, as well as equal voice in discovering and solving musical issues. I also focus on material that students are comfortable with and use that as a foundation to learn other concepts that might seem intimidating at first. This helps to build not only a solid technical foundation, but the self confidence in playing from the first lessons that makes a great improviser/composer, minimizes performance anxiety, and liberates creative impulse. Even beginning students will play along to music, work on some basic fill writing, and eventually learn to transcribe drum parts. Students learn the basics along with some playing by ear, which can come from material and albums that the student selects.

I also have experience working with special needs students (ADD, autism, cerebral palsy), and have a great deal of education and psychology coursework under my belt. Especially if you have a younger student that has had a negative teacher experience in the past, you may want to try me out for a more positive student/teacher relationship. I am very patient and believe that any student with the correct guidance and a strong work ethic has the potential to play on a professional level if that is his/her passion. If you are an adult and have struggled with music or reading in the past, I will try to analyse your learning style and work with that. I am proud to use educational psychology in the way I structure lessons (ie, if a student is a visual, aural, kinesthetic type of learner).

All of my students who stick with it have strong reading and basic technical skills, and if possible learn the keyboard percussion and hand drum instruments as well. Reading proficiency is important for homework and recording your ideas. Finally, I am willing to work with people who need somewhat flexible scheduling.

Styles:
Musical Theatre, Jazz, Rock, Blues, Gospel, Country, Pop, Hip Hop, Heavy Metal, Latin

Subjects:
Harmony, Theory, Ear Training, Orchestration, Jazz Music History, Music Technology, Classical Music History, Rock Music History

Ages:
Elementary School, Pre-teen, Teenage, Adult

Availability:
White Plains area and south, Rockland, Bergen

Experience:

• Adjunct Clinical Professor, New York University, 2006-2007. Classical Percussion Department
• Music and Arts, Ellicott City Maryland, Drum Instructor, 2004-2005
• Free lancer - orchestral, rock gigs, musical theatre. Toured internationally and recorded playing frame drums and Bodhran.
• Modern dance accompanist (hand drumming improvisation), 2000-2005.

Education:

• Percussion Performance (PhD), New York University (PhD) [2008]
• Master of Music in Percussion Performance (MM), Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University [2005]
• Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance (BM), Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University [2004]
• Highschool arts diploma in percussion performance (Highschool arts diploma), North Carolina School of the Arts [2001]

Studied With:

• Jonathan Haas [2001 - 2008]
• Simon Boyar [2006]
• Kumar Das, tabla [2008 - 2005]
• Myron Bretholz, bodhran [2004 - 2005]
• Robert van Sice [2001 - 2004]
• John R. Beck [1999 - 2001]
• Jon Metzger [1999]
• Kenneth Trapp [1999 - 1996]

Seminars and Workshops Attended:

• Paris Perkumania Festival, National Conservatory of France [2006]
• Paris International Marimba Competition, National Conservatory of France [2006]
• Zeltsman Marimba Festival, Princeton [2001]
• Julliard Summer Percussion Seminar, Julliard [2001]

Awards:

• Peabody Career Development Grant - Peabody Alumni Office [2006]
• North Carolina School of the Arts Career Development Grant - North Carolina School of the ARts [2001]
• Semans Art Fund Grant - Semans Art Fund [2001]

Recent Performances:

• The Selfish Giant @ the Player's Theatre [September, 2008]
• Percussion People @ the Player's Theatre [July, 2008]
• Percussion Feast w/ Tambuco and Orchestra of the Americas [June, 2008]
• NY Percussion Composers Concert, 35 W. 4th St. [December, 2006]
• Paris International Marimba Competition [November, 2006]
• Concert, NYU percussion ensemble, and concert, Stravinsky L'Histoire du Soldat [October, 2006]
• NYC- Premiere, Odin the Opera, featuring trash percussion orchestra, [April, 2006]
• Solo Recital, New York [April, 2006]
• Percussion Ensemble Concert, Solo Performance and Western Premiere, Menachem Zur Translations for Percussion and Electronics [March, 2006]
• Concert, Ottawa, with Ensemble Galilei [November, 2005]
• Solo Recital, Baltimore [April, 2005]
• Concerts, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Washington DC, with Ensemble Galilei [November, 2004]
• Solo Recital, Baltimore [April, 2004]
• Concert, NYC, with New York Guitar Quartet [April, 2003]

Discography:

• Menachem Zur (composer) - "Translations for Percussion and Electronics" [2006]
• Ensemble Galilei - "Alta" [2005]