Hi there! I'm Malcolm. I graduated from Douglas County High School, where I served as percussion captain for three years with the DCHS Marching Tiger Band and produced consistent Superior ratings in percussion at competition. During my junior and senior years, I spent my Thursday afternoons offering lessons to less experienced students and helping them prepare for auditions. I'm currently performing under Dr. John Lawless with the Kennesaw State University Percussion Ensemble, and I compose...
Hi there! I'm Malcolm. I graduated from Douglas County High School, where I served as percussion captain for three years with the DCHS Marching Tiger Band and produced consistent Superior ratings in percussion at competition. During my junior and senior years, I spent my Thursday afternoons offering lessons to less experienced students and helping them prepare for auditions. I'm currently performing under Dr. John Lawless with the Kennesaw State University Percussion Ensemble, and I compose and arrange percussion ensemble music in my spare time.
Years ago, someone told me that "excellence in music is not the ability to play difficult music, but the possession of the skills required to play what you want and play it well. That is the mark of true musicianship." This is the approach I take in teaching others. I won't show you exactly how to play a piece of music, but I will show you everything you need in order to learn that music yourself and make it your own.
I conduct my lessons in one of two ways. If you have something specific you want to work on, like a audition piece or solo, or if you want to learn or improve a particular skill, we can form a tailored practice routine to reach your goal. Alternatively, if you're just looking to add a few skills to your repertoire, or you're relatively new to percussion, just tell me what you do know (even if it's nothing). I'll meet you wherever you are and do my best to get you where you want to be. I knew next to nothing my first year of marching band and was taught everything by older students. I consider it an honor and great responsibility to pass on my knowledge to others, knowing that in doing so I am all at once, cementing the legacies of those who taught me and seeding those of the ones I teach.
I have roughly 9 years of experience as a musician, 7 of which include time spent working in an ensemble setting. Three of those years were spent leading ensembles and/or sections of ensembles and I spent two of those years in a semi-official teaching capacity.
Let me b
