Teaching

[dumbassdrummer]

I'm giving teaching a though - beginners, that is. I'm going to go back and take two months of lessons myself (I'd do more if I could afford it) to prepare myself.

Anyone have any tips or suggestions for doing this as a part time job? I've taught a few kids, know how to work with them and have no problem with younger ones, but nothing so formal, I guess you could say.

[Kainen]

make sure you have material to give them, and a practice routine/guide of sorts to go through with them. I guess - be prepared, and informative.

[dumbassdrummer]

Yeah, that's what I've done in the past. The kids I've taught just to teach them all wanted to play drum set, so to get them to play the rudiments I would show the rudiment and show them a few ways to use it on the kit. It gives them that "aha!" moment and they realize they need those rudiments. If you're teaching rudiments, you have material for a solid year, throw in basic drumset technique and work, you've got a great year of educational material for a brand new drummer.

I'm really wondering about the other aspects of the work - dealing with parents, payment, advertising- any horror stories or success stories would be great too.

[Ellx]

Im being taught by a 18 year old, and its pretty cool. That what his been doing, showing me a few beats, making my play rudiments, showing me why you need rudiments by ripping it up on the kit, and giving my some work to do for the week.

[Tillmon]

Give them a notebook or have them bring one, and write down everthing you guys talk about in a lesson. Otherwise, your student WILL forget.

[CARMEN77]

Dont do what my teachers in the past have done.

1. Dont talk about your personal life
2. Dont make the situation more akward than it needs to be
3. Dont answer your ****ing cell phone
4. Dont expect me to remeber everything you said if you wrote nothing down
5. Be intrested in how the student wants to play
6. Dont make drumming seem more diffcult that it already is

[some jive turkey]

^
Good advice. I was going to say something similar.

Also,
Try to make it fun, for you and him.

I had one drum teacher for about 5 years in he 80s/90s, a Berklee grad, ...he was great, extremely knowledgeable and I learned a lot, but from him I sensed that fun wasn't a real big part of it. Drumming and music were so.....SERIOUS.

Maybe he was preoocupied with paying off his tuition. (ooooh, sting)
-nah, just kidding, no disrespect

[dumbassdrummer]

"1. Dont talk about your personal life"

I dont buy this. I think it's all in how you present your life. Learning drums is more than just learning drums, you know? You learn drums through hard work and dedication, just like you do anything else. If you can give students lessons such as this on top of the normal "drum" lessons, you're really teaching them, then.

"I had one drum teacher for about 5 years in he 80s/90s, a Berklee grad, ...he was great, extremely knowledgeable and I learned a lot, but from him I sensed that fun wasn't a real big part of it. Drumming and music were so.....SERIOUS."

Wow, that sucks man. I also took lessons from a Berklee grad, took for a year and a half, but he was all about fun with it.
Not everything with drumming is always funs; he taught me to make it fun though, make it a game. Playing rudiments is borning? Alright, start slow, and see if you can go up one notch on your metronome every day. It's a challenge. He got you to challenge yourself.

[Bernie812]

make them sign up for the D&P page.

[Corkofski]

yea

d+p < my teacher

but county music lessons are so cheap!

and they come to my school / college

[drummingducktape]

Give them a notebook or have them bring one, and write down everthing you guys talk about in a lesson. Otherwise, your student WILL forget.
yea but my teacher gave me a bookof staff paper and he writes what i need to do down but also often writes music. just a bar or 2.

also during the lesson hell give me the book and he'll play something on the conga and makes me write it down. im slowly getting better at that but i think thats a pretty interesting way to develope hearing the beat and being able write it down

[CARMEN77]

Dude my teacher talks to me about how sucessful he is at drumming, like I give a ****. Then he tells me how hard drumming is and how there is so much to learn, as if I didnt know this...He answers his cellphone during class and talks to me for 10min about how drummers always get girlfriends(not true).

[Josiah]

Sounds like you guys have had some crap teachers....

I just ask what a student wants to do with his drumming, where he wants to go, how he wants to play. Then after observing his playing I can bring together particular elements and excerises that will hopefully fill in the gaps and bring him to those places he'd like to go.

Some people are big on teaching technique, rudiments, grooves, reading, etc.. truth is all of them are needed to produce a quality drummer. It then becomes a matter of approach and how you can best motivate the student to work on all the nessicary areas for his development.

Though - the better you can read, the faster you can learn.

[CARMEN77]

Ive gotten 2 crap teachers in a row. It really makes me think about quitting my search for teacher and just learning on my own.

[dumbassdrummer]

Thanks for the tips guys, keep them coming.

Is there anything(s) in particular you guys suggest I brush up on by fall?

[billdrum]

I would suggest you gather infomation on what materials/books you are planning to use and be sure you are current on them as well.

Be creative and flexible in how you approach each student as each will have different needs, methods of effective learning, strengths, and weaknesses. And........don't let them hold onto bad habits.

[crazyguy832]

I've got a hypothetical question for you people:

Let's say you're an amazing teacher. You've taught dozens of people and they're all amazing drummers now. Then, you get a kid who just can't play worth ****. Even after countless lessons, he refuses to improve at all. What would you do?

[CARMEN77]

Tell him to pick up guitar? OR maybe consider my teach methods are of no use to this player.

[some jive turkey]

the better you can read, the faster you can learn.

Yeah, reading should be a important part of your lessons. I keep getting these students who have had like 9 months of lessons and they can't read for ****. I keep wondering what they were learning for 9 months from their previous teachers. Seriously.

[DillingerEscp]

my teacher was a berklee grad too... odd

Umm my teacher, after a while, he would talk about politics all the time.

dont do that, especially cause he and I differed BIG time in our beliefs... sooo that just led to an awkward situation... its like

"I hate you, you hippie"
"I hate you, you conservative bastard"

"Okay, so what we have here is a double paradiddle in 4/4...yadayada"

awkward.

[CARMEN77]

So were you the hippy?

Would you guys quit a teacher who doesnt remeber your name after your 3rd lesson, doesnt remeber what you did your previous lessons, doesnt write anything down, answers his cellphone during lessons, and tells you drumming is really hard...

The thing is I payed a 20 dollar deposit. ****

[crazyguy832]

Ask for it back, the guy's a moron.

[some jive turkey]

i would just finish out the lessons, be diplomatic and tell him you don't think you want to continue. Or that maybe he's not the right teacher for you.