How to find a Great Drum Teacher in Toronto.
Looking for a Drum Teacher in Toronto? That can be a daunting task. There are hundreds of drum teachers in Toronto that offer lessons at a number of different rates in studio or in your home. What's important is knowing what to look for when trying to choose the right drum teacher for you.
1) The first thing to look at is whether or not they went to school for music.
There are great drummers and teachers out their who have not gone to school for music but I always recommend studying with a schooled drummer/teacher. There are a number of reasons for this. The first one is the fact that they show serious dedication to their craft and realize the importance of learning and studying to the best of their ability with higher education. Just getting into a post secondary Toronto Music School like Humber College or University of Toronto requires an audition that involves rigorous study of all styles of music, sight reading, brush playing, playing to a metronome, playing with other musicians, drum soloing and improvising, snare solos showing a high level of technique etc. I could go on for days.
Drum Teachers who have studied at a music school have most likely studied with at least three or four fabulous drummers/teachers for a year at a time while in school. This will have taught them a lot about playing but also about teaching. The best way to learn how to teach an instrument is to study with great teachers and model your teaching around the things you liked and absorbed from those teachers and then of course adapt them to create your own style.
2) Musical Experience
Another thing to look at when choosing a drum teacher in Toronto is their musical experience and background. Who wants to study with a drummer who only teaches? Look into what artists and bands they play or have played with. Have they gone on tour, played venues in Toronto, recorded albums? If you want to do this yourself one day then wouldn't you want a teacher who has some experience and wisdom when it comes to this stuff? I think so!
There are many other things to look into but I will leave you with one more.
3) Ask the drum teacher what they do in a first lesson and what they plan on doing in the lessons going forward?
A good, experienced drum teacher in Toronto should easily be able to tell you what they would do in a first lesson. First off because they have most likely done this hundreds of times with new students and also because they should have enough experience to know what works and what doesn't.
In my first lesson I always start with a meet and greet. I tell the student a bit about myself and musical background and ask them about their background and why they want to play the drums? Then we talk about the names of the drums, how to hold sticks properly and what sticks to buy. Then we usually try and play a simple drum beat and fill to get the feel for it. We then discuss what the student wants to learn over a 3-6 month period (and I explain how I can help them get there. You can find out more about my lessons on my lessons page Toronto Drum Lessons.
In conclusion, when looking for a great Drum Teacher in Toronto go through my little checklist and you should be just fine. I'm also always happy to take on drum new students and can be contacted here.
For more information about me you can visit my bio page here.
