• Undergrad:

  Western Michigan University

• Tutors Out Of:

  Brooklyn, NY

• Travel Radius:

  12 miles

• Tutoring Certifications:

  drums - music theory

• Tutor's Fee Per Hour:

  $36.00 * with a 10% discount after purchasing $360

Hello, my name is Jon, I am a drummer recently relocated to Brooklyn from Kalamazoo, Michigan. I received a Bachelors degree in music from Western Michigan University where I studied classical percussion with Judy Moonert and jazz drums and history with drumming legend Billy Hart. Aside from college I have had a long history of taking private lessons from local teachers including Rupert Kettle and Derico Watson and finished high school at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy.

I've been teaching privately for the past seven years, teaching students of all ages and experiences levels, from 8 to 60, beginning to advanced. I specialize in teaching the fundamentals of technique and rhythm, and exploring various styles ranging from jazz traditions to modern rock and funk. I also specialize in jazz independence, learning how to becoming more coordinated and improvise.

Email this tutor in Brooklyn, NY!

• drums

  I have been playing drums professionally for over ten years and teaching privately for seven. My formal education in music began in middle school where I played in the jazz band and concert band, and continued in high school while i studied with many notable Michigan drummers including Rupert Kettle and Derico Watson. I finished high school at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy where I studied classical percussion with Dr. Amy Barber. I received my Bachelors degree in music, jazz studies, from Western Michigan University where I had the opportunity to study with Judy Moonert, Keith Hall, and drumming Legend Billy Hart. At WMU I also had the opportunity to perform in the highly acclaimed Gold Company Vocal Jazz Ensemble as well as the Jazz Orchestra and other school ensembles. Throughout college I earned a living playing and teaching music. I played for five years with Hip Pocket, a 10-piece motown horn band, and two years with Zambonie, a pop/punk band. Most of my playing experience, however, has been in the jazz context being an on call drummer for area jazz groups. I've worked on many projects including Rhetoric jazz trio, the Vine Street Alternative, and the East End Orchestra, and have shared the stage with Bobby Mcferrin, Randy Brecker, Slide Hampton, Shawn "Thunder" Wallace, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Rob Smith. I have taught between one and ten students at various intervals throughout college, and worked as a teacher at a Marshalls music store for two years. I have had the pleasure of teaching students of varied age and experience level from complete beginners to advanced players. My style of teaching first of all focuses on the excitement and fun of playing an instrument and connecting with music with an emphasis on the fundamentals of technique and rhythm. For more advanced students I focus on a widening study of different styles and musical vocabularies and have a detailed approach to developing jazz drumming independence.

• music theory

  My own education in music theory began when i attended Interlochen Arts Academy in high school and continued through college where i earned a Bachelors degree in music from Western Michigan University. I have passed with highest marks through the music theory curriculum at both schools and therefore have a firm grasp of what are commonly considered the basics of music theory, i.e. tonal harmonic progressions and cadences, construction of scales, modes, and chords, note values, meter, key signatures, etc. I also have extensive experience with more advanced concepts of four-part harmony, form, polyrhythm, mixed meters, and other modern concepts about music theory. My knowledge of music theory has had it's chance to be put in practice on a regular basis in my own compositions as well as on stage during jazz performances. I feel comfortable teaching music theory from the very basics through the typical undergraduate college-level material.