Tag: Chicago drum teacher

I think human beings are not the weakest ones of the animal kingdom. It is not an obvious statement when you look at the formidable tigers, panthers and other cats that are loaded with weapons. Or the way a butterfly can camouflage and protect itself from predators, not mentioning, of course, creatures like turtles or…

When you start taking lessons on drums or piano, first you are excited about discovering new territories. If you are truly motivated, you might keep that flame going strong for quite a while. But, eventually, as with everything, it gets old, as the saying goes. So, what to do? Should you avoid going to your…

We do not live in a vacuum. In general, we need others. As a self employed musician, that part of ourselves can be the difference between making it or not. Being on your own imposes a lot of stress from the decisions you make and the consequences that ensues.  Although it is possible to white-knuckle…

When parents bring their child to my studio, I don’t ask them to go buy a book and have them follow it through the weeks. What I do, instead, is look at the pupil, talk to her and gauge what would be the best way to communicate music with her. What I mean is that…

Acquiring speed requires a lot of patience. The patience of watching an iceberg move, or a tree grow. Yes, it takes that much. And it is a very frustrating process: the one working hard to gain speed doesn’t see his own progress. I explain. Let’s suppose you are doing scales on the piano. When you…

When I talk to other piano teachers, pretty soon they discuss their two nemesis, the very things that students seem to be completely oblivious to: reading and rhythm. The story goes that, no matter what they try, students are not interested in reading, the metronome or a quarter note. And the younger the pupil, the…

Ah, dear new students, welcome! You are awaited here, at this very website, this very studio, by this very instructor. You are someone special and you do not know about it. New students always think they are approaching things the wrong way. They are afraid of making the wrong move, afraid of having the wrong…

What does it take to become a famous musician? Answer: it takes everything. EVERYTHING. But, and this is the funny thing about this line of job, even if you don’t intend to become famous, becoming a working musician ask for everything you got. And then some. Today we are going to talk about the part…

The wannabe pros can get stuck sometimes into their own comfort. Let’s take a wannabe. Let’s take a female one. And she has this dream of one day making a living as a musician. Now, she’s got the instrument. She even cleared up her schedule to be able to practice. To top it all, she…

All right, so, now you have the skills, you have the endurance, we’ve talked about that. You also know how to listen: good! And you’re careful not to put too much on your plate: good! Goes without saying: you’re familiar with the music programs and the internet. Great! That must mean you got it all,…