Teaching

[TheLoneGunman]

In my ever expanding ways of trying to generate income through playing the drums. I've always wanted to give lessons. Now I'm sure I could just start giving lessons and be fine with that, but I was wondering if there was an educational training program out there or some kind of certificate one can earn that says they can teach drums?

I currently don't have the ability to go back to school and get a music degree. Is there another option for me?

thanks

 

[40th]

I dont use a degree to teach. I have 2 students and I always test them on first day to see what they know and I work backwards from there! Start with kids- they like drums, they want to bang on things and if you can show them some good stuff- I teach them to read as well as aplay, the parents will pay for it. I get 20 bucks an hour.

 

[Opopanax]

My local store (quite a good place to take lessons) charges $40 for an hour - except for one drum teacher who charges $50 per hour. His lessons usually go about 1:20 though, according to my audio recordings of the last 4 lessons. I'd say $20 an hour is pretty low, but then again I'm in CT so we're used to paying through the nose for everything, then asking what else can be bought while we're here

 

[40th]

There is no real need for music teachers here in VT. So we never ask for "a lot", butI have to eat and drive just like everyone else...CT is an expensive place. Start with 10 bucks an hour like I used to and find some people close to you that can come over and take lessons. Saves time.

50/ hour. Thats a lot. You better be going for Juliard!

 

[skitch]

In my ever expanding ways of trying to generate income through playing the drums. I've always wanted to give lessons. Now I'm sure I could just start giving lessons and be fine with that, but I was wondering if there was an educational training program out there or some kind of certificate one can earn that says they can teach drums?

I currently don't have the ability to go back to school and get a music degree. Is there another option for me?

thanks

You don't need the degree to teach drums as in our field, the proof is in the pudding which means that while having a degree is nice, it doesn't mean that you can play. Or teach. I teach out of music store and I find it rewarding.

 

[Opopanax]

$50 seems high but it's worth it to me. Like I said, the lessons end up being about 1:20, and my teacher has been playing for 49 years. I'd be happy to take lessons from one of the less experienced teachers, but the store owner (also a drum teacher) recommended him over everyone else when I mentioned I was into funk, Drum n' Bass, latin beats and doom metal. I'm happy to pay for it; I have improved much more in the past 3 months than in my 24 months on my own.

So for kids, yeah you can charge a lot less. My teacher won't take students under 16; I wonder why..

VT is certainly less populous than here. I love it up there, but I don't know what I'd do for work. Starve maybe?

If you think you can teach, go for it! I hope you don't get any hot-shit students who can't listen

 

[skitch]

$50 seems high but it's worth it to me. Like I said, the lessons end up being about 1:20, and my teacher has been playing for 49 years. I'd be happy to take lessons from one of the less experienced teachers, but the store owner (also a drum teacher) recommended him over everyone else when I mentioned I was into funk, Drum n' Bass, latin beats and doom metal. I'm happy to pay for it; I have improved much more in the past 3 months than in my 24 months on my own.

So for kids, yeah you can charge a lot less. My teacher won't take students under 16; I wonder why..

VT is certainly less populous than here. I love it up there, but I don't know what I'd do for work. Starve maybe?

If you think you can teach, go for it! I hope you don't get any hot-shit students who can't listen

A few years ago, I took lessons from THE jazz guy around here, and he is a great jazz player. Then I took one lesson at UNT from Ed Soph and learned more in that one hour than I did in five from the other guy. Not saying the other guy was a bad player; Ed was just a better teacher.

 

[skitch]

So for kids, yeah you can charge a lot less. My teacher won't take students under 16; I wonder why..

The Rockstar mentality may be the answer....I have one who thinks he already knows it all (and so does his mom). I was telling him that the time is the drummer's primary role and his mom scolded me about, " You stop telling him that! HE'S the STAR!" I don't think he can learn anything from anyone; to learn you must first to be humble enough to admit there is something you don't know and be willing to suck. By being willing to suck, you give yourself the opportunity to understand, and having the opportunity to understand is the chance to learn and improve.

If you think you can teach, go for it! I hope you don't get any hot-shit students who can't listen

See the above paragraph.

 

[Opopanax]

The owner of my local store was taught by Ed Soph, I think back in the 70's. Small world?

It must be interesting to deal with these kids and their parents. I agree, you've got to suck it up and say "I want to learn" if you want to.

 

[TheLoneGunman]

to learn you must first to be humble enough to admit there is something you don't know and be willing to suck. By being willing to suck, you give yourself the opportunity to understand, and having the opportunity to understand is the chance to learn and improve.

amen

 

[SGarrett]

So for kids, yeah you can charge a lot less. My teacher won't take students under 16; I wonder why..

The Rockstar mentality may be the answer....I have one who thinks he already knows it all (and so does his mom). I was telling him that the time is the drummer's primary role and his mom scolded me about, " You stop telling him that! HE'S the STAR!" I don't think he can learn anything from anyone; to learn you must first to be humble enough to admit there is something you don't know and be willing to suck. By being willing to suck, you give yourself the opportunity to understand, and having the opportunity to understand is the chance to learn and improve.

That's when I would've asked them to leave, with a refund for any remaining lessons.

 

[Homki890]

The owner of my local store was taught by Ed Soph, I think back in the 70's. Small world?

It must be interesting to deal with these kids and their parents. I agree, you've got to suck it up and say "I want to learn" if you want to.

My teacher was taught by Ed Soph. It IS a small world.

Homki890

 

[Rob Crisp]

So for kids, yeah you can charge a lot less. My teacher won't take students under 16; I wonder why..

The Rockstar mentality may be the answer....I have one who thinks he already knows it all (and so does his mom). I was telling him that the time is the drummer's primary role and his mom scolded me about, " You stop telling him that! HE'S the STAR!" I don't think he can learn anything from anyone; to learn you must first to be humble enough to admit there is something you don't know and be willing to suck. By being willing to suck, you give yourself the opportunity to understand, and having the opportunity to understand is the chance to learn and improve.

That's when I would've asked them to leave, with a refund for any remaining lessons.

Damn right, parents can be a nightmare. I had one who would make excuses week in week out for her son not practicing. Lovely people but no commitment to practcing on his part or hers. I felt I was wasting time so canned it.

As for the need to admit you don't know it all, that is so true. I actually use that all the time when referring to the England football (soccer) team.

 

[Opopanax]

Ed Soph must be a hell of a teacher

 

[SGarrett]

So for kids, yeah you can charge a lot less. My teacher won't take students under 16; I wonder why..

The Rockstar mentality may be the answer....I have one who thinks he already knows it all (and so does his mom). I was telling him that the time is the drummer's primary role and his mom scolded me about, " You stop telling him that! HE'S the STAR!" I don't think he can learn anything from anyone; to learn you must first to be humble enough to admit there is something you don't know and be willing to suck. By being willing to suck, you give yourself the opportunity to understand, and having the opportunity to understand is the chance to learn and improve.

That's when I would've asked them to leave, with a refund for any remaining lessons.

Damn right, parents can be a nightmare. I had one who would make excuses week in week out for her son not practicing. Lovely people but no commitment to practcing on his part or hers. I felt I was wasting time so canned it.

As for the need to admit you don't know it all, that is so true. I actually use that all the time when referring to the England football (soccer) team.

I had one of those. "Dude, he's a teenager, you can't expect him to put a lot of time into playing drums." I said, "I understand that, but when I was his age I played for 3-4 hours a day because I just loved playing and he's barely putting in that much time a week". Our lessons ended the following week after he completely bombed a pop quiz. To this day, that guy still can't put his drums together and even worse he can't even put a cymbal on a stand properly.

 

[skitch]

The owner of my local store was taught by Ed Soph, I think back in the 70's. Small world?

It must be interesting to deal with these kids and their parents. I agree, you've got to suck it up and say "I want to learn" if you want to.

My teacher was taught by Ed Soph. It IS a small world.

Homki890

I have pictures of Ed Soph in the 1970s - talk about your blackmail material! I should get a free lesson every week......and gas money!

 

[skitch]

I had one of those. "Dude, he's a teenager, you can't expect him to put a lot of time into playing drums." I said, "I understand that, but when I was his age I played for 3-4 hours a day because I just loved playing and he's barely putting in that much time a week". Our lessons ended the following week after he completely bombed a pop quiz. To this day, that guy still can't put his drums together and even worse he can't even put a cymbal on a stand properly.

And what my response to the "put alot of time into it" is that he is going to have to work at something one day and it is his choice; he can either do something he is passionate about or he can go put on the ox yoke and pull the plow for someone else and hate every minute of it - a great way to spend at least a third of your life, right? I also will admit that he doesn't have to spend 3-4 hours a day practicing what I give him, a half-hour every day would be sufficient. But I also do try to explain to him that the competition among drummers is fierce. He has supportive parents. He has great equipment to practice on and more time than most of us here. The sooner he starts working hard on the drums the more "ahead" of the game he will be when it comes scholarship time, audtion time....etc. I told him early on to get rid of "He's pretty good for a thirteen year-old voice" inside his head and replace it with "Better than I was".

 

[TheLoneGunman]

I maybe be getting my first student today, woot. I hear he's a hard worker, but isn't happy with the lesson's he's getting now. And I know the person he's getting them from, talk about a snooze fest of a teacher. We'll see what happens.

peace all

 

[Opopanax]

I maybe be getting my first student today, woot. I hear he's a hard worker, but isn't happy with the lesson's he's getting now. And I know the person he's getting them from, talk about a snooze fest of a teacher. We'll see what happens.

peace all

Cool - let us know how it goes!

 

[SGarrett]

I had one of those. "Dude, he's a teenager, you can't expect him to put a lot of time into playing drums." I said, "I understand that, but when I was his age I played for 3-4 hours a day because I just loved playing and he's barely putting in that much time a week". Our lessons ended the following week after he completely bombed a pop quiz. To this day, that guy still can't put his drums together and even worse he can't even put a cymbal on a stand properly.

And what my response to the "put alot of time into it" is that he is going to have to work at something one day and it is his choice; he can either do something he is passionate about or he can go put on the ox yoke and pull the plow for someone else and hate every minute of it - a great way to spend at least a third of your life, right? I also will admit that he doesn't have to spend 3-4 hours a day practicing what I give him, a half-hour every day would be sufficient. But I also do try to explain to him that the competition among drummers is fierce. He has supportive parents. He has great equipment to practice on and more time than most of us here. The sooner he starts working hard on the drums the more "ahead" of the game he will be when it comes scholarship time, audtion time....etc. I told him early on to get rid of "He's pretty good for a thirteen year-old voice" inside his head and replace it with "Better than I was".

Totally. His thing was that he always wanted to go skating. He'd have people hanging out waiting for his lesson to be over and they'd be going out to skate before I was even done packing up. I'd say "how are you coming with those bass drum exercises I gave you a few weeks ago?" and he'd say "I haven't really practiced it any...can you show me a new beat?" "Well, when you develop the tools to play more beats, I'll start showing them to you but right now you're still having trouble with what I've already given you." And I'm an extremely supportive teacher offering plenty of positive reinforcement. The first time you hit what I'm asking you to do, I'm going to give you a great big smile and a "right on!". I won't hold your hand and make you learn, though. You're either going to do the work or you won't be my student. You don't need to cross a canyon in a day, but I'd like to see you at least making the effort to move your feet towards that goal. Know what I mean?