San Diego Drum Lessons
Thanks for checking in. Firstly - I would like to keep you up to date with various happenings coming up. Having been forced to turn down a number of musicals this Summer due to my schedule, I am happy to confirm that I will be playing two shows in the coming months. The first, is the San Diego Junior Theater production of the award winning hit musical Hairspray. SDJT is based at the Casa Del Prado Theater in Balboa Park, and runs from July 29th until August 14th. SDJT is about to enter it's 63rd season, and I am excited to be asked back, following my involvement in the shows Fame and Willy Wonka last year. Secondly, In September, I am very excited to have been asked to play at the Moonlight Amphitheater in Vista. I will be playing drums for the show The Marvelous Wondrettes. This show runs from September 14th until October 1st. Just a note - the links to the shows Hairspray and TMW above are official websites of the musicals for information only. They are not the cast, crew or production involved in the shows in San Diego and Vista.
If you are interested in working as a drummer in the orchestra for theater productions, you have to understand that it is a massive time commitment. To give you an idea, just the two shows listed above will be played around 40 times (both shows combined, not each); including orchestral rehearsals and dress rehearsals. Add to that dozens of hours of your own preparation time, and you get the picture of just how big the commitment actually is. When I undertake musicals, my goal is to know the show inside out before I sit behind the drums in the first rehearsal. That way, you already have the charts down, and you can spend more time watching the Music Director rather then reading the dots. And that's another thing - if you are serious about working in theater, you must have a high degree of sight reading skills.
Drum Lessons in San Diego with myself include all aspects of music notation and reading. Regardless of your level, I will have you reading basic drum notation in the very first drum lesson. If you are an experienced drummer, but never learned to read, I can fast-track you to where you need to be using a series of really good books and exercises. Remember, you are much more employable as a drummer in professional situations if you read music, but equally important - if you can read, you have access to hundreds of books with amazing grooves and fills that you may never have thought of playing. I am continually amazed and inspired by what I find in the multitude of drum books available. There is also another big benefit. Learning to read opens up questions on technique, sticking, counting music - and understanding of the importance of the drum set rudiments. You can really take your drumming to the next level by focussing on these areas. I can break down music notation in to understandable and manageable sections - and make it interesting and fun.
If you have any questions about drum lessons, sight reading, technique- or anything drum related, please feel free to send me an email: sandiegodrumlessons@gmail.com. I want to make playing the drums to your desired level a reality for you.
