Lesson plan for a new student

[slingerland755]

I know this subject has been addressed but I would like to know how you would create a lesson plan for a new student. For example, in a one hour lesson, I am using the first 15 minutes to review the previous lesson while playing to a click. The next 15 minutes is used for explaining the next lesson (i.e., linear beat, polyrhythm, Stone exercise, Chapin beat etc.). The next 15 minutes is used for teaching a new rudiment and applying it to the drumset. And the final 15 is used for fun. Sometimes we just swap fills (two kits), or talk about drums. Sometimes I'll just play and if they like something they hear, I will slow it down and show them how to play it. I have been adjusting this lesson plan, but so far I think it engages the student and keeps them from getting bored. Any thought or suggestions.

[jeffwj]

Of course the specific amount of time will depend on the difficulty of the material and how easily the student picks up the concepts, but here is a general breakdown of a lesson. I have broken it into fractions because I offer different lesson lengths.

1/4 Snare Drum Reading
1/4 Hand Technique
1/2 Drum Set - To include coordination, style knowledge, chart reading etc...

With students that are enrolled in school band, I usually do:

1/3 Snare Drum Reading and Hand Technique
1/3 Mallet Percussion
1/3 Drum Set

Jeff

[slingerland755]

Thanks Jeff,
Your lesson plan makes a lot of sense. I have only been at this for 5 months but really enjoy it. I appreciate your comment regarding how long the student "picks up the concepts." My 14 year old student picks most things up in a flash. However, my 19 year old...not so much.

I also like the idea of spending a portion of the lesson with snare drum reading.

Thanks again,
Michael

[bballdrummer34]

Of course the specific amount of time will depend on the difficulty of the material and how easily the student picks up the concepts, but here is a general breakdown of a lesson. I have broken it into fractions because I offer different lesson lengths.

1/4 Snare Drum Reading
1/4 Hand Technique
1/2 Drum Set - To include coordination, style knowledge, chart reading etc...

With students that are enrolled in school band, I usually do:

1/3 Snare Drum Reading and Hand Technique
1/3 Mallet Percussion
1/3 Drum Set

Jeff

How long are you lessons? I find it hard (without overloading a student) to cover that much information even over a long period of time with my students (drumset/snare drum/ and enough technique to make me feel like that I helped them with something). You must have some pretty impressive students.

[slingerland755]

How long are you lessons? I find it hard (without overloading a student) to cover that much information even over a long period of time with my students (drumset/snare drum/ and enough technique to make me feel like that I helped them with something). You must have some pretty impressive students.

I believe Jeff wrote that he offers different lesson lengths so that's why he broke down his lesson plan in fractions

I'm new at this, but both of my students have one hour lessons and I think breaking up the hour really engages the student. I remember back when I was taking lessons and my teacher would spend the whole hour on one concept. Looking back, I would have preferred to learn with a varied lesson plan. Students have different strengths, so go ahead and teach a concept, work on it and move on. So far my 14 year old student has had no problem grasping the concepts and appyling most of them into his playing. I don't know about Jeff, but I would say yeah, I guess I do have a pretty impressive student.

[jeffwj]

How long are you lessons? I find it hard (without overloading a student) to cover that much information even over a long period of time with my students (drumset/snare drum/ and enough technique to make me feel like that I helped them with something). You must have some pretty impressive students.

Even with my half hour students, I tend to fit everything in without overloading them. I just don't give them a ton of work in each topic. Maybe 2 pages of snare reading, a page or 2 of technique, and a page or concept to work on on drum set.

Lesson timing seems be be something that comes with experience. I remember constantly going over by a few minutes to cover the material. But now without even watching the time much, the lesson seems to come together like clockwork (no pun intended).

Jeff

[jeffwj]

I also like the idea of spending a portion of the lesson with snare drum reading.

Michael

Reading transfers over to drum set. That's why I feel it is important to start with reading exercises. I tell my students, "If you can't read a rhythm on one drum, you won't be able to play it on drum set.

Jeff

[bballdrummer34]

Even with my half hour students, I tend to fit everything in without overloading them. I just don't give them a ton of work in each topic. Maybe 2 pages of snare reading, a page or 2 of technique, and a page or concept to work on on drum set.

Lesson timing seems be be something that comes with experience. I remember constantly going over by a few minutes to cover the material. But now without even watching the time much, the lesson seems to come together like clockwork (no pun intended).

Jeff

I just feel like i have a complex sometimes. I want them to know so much and so little time. But i'll try what you're talking about.

[k3ng]

I've sort of made it up as I went along. Most of my lessons incorporate getting to a satisfactory playing level to jam with friends. This seems to be the goal for most of my students. Very few are actually interested in actually getting to be good at drums, they just wanna jam along with their favourite pop band or something.

Every lesson I introduce drumset applications. First few things I go through
- Reading (needs to be explained why reading is important..)
- Basic 4/4 grooves
- Basic 4/4 fills
- Ideas on how to expand your own grooves and fills
- Basic 3/4 and 6/8 grooves
- Basic 3/4 and 6/8 fills
- Extra additions - i.e cross stick playing, ride cymbal playing
- open hi hats
- 16 beat rhythms
- flams and accents

What I also get them to do is experiment with the ideas I give them and come up with something of their own for the next lesson. Like a 4/4 groove or a fill or something.

I don't usually plan my lesson lengths, I usually make it up as I go. I know it's not very strict, but the kids who 'just wanna play' seem to enjoy it. I only go thoroughly through technique and everything if I see the student is actually keen on getting good at the instrument. Boring students with grip and technique is very necesary yes, but when you've got more than half your students uninterested in the subject it hardly becomes an option to teach it.



*On a side note, for those of you who teach rhythms to your students, how much do you make them repeat it in class before moving on to something else? I would like perfection in the sense that they can play it well and feel like they can hold it for as long as they like, but sometimes students just can't seem to keep the same bar or phrase repeating.. and asking them to repeat over and over bores the heck out of them. So how many times do you make them repeat before you move on?

[bballdrummer34]

*On a side note, for those of you who teach rhythms to your students, how much do you make them repeat it in class before moving on to something else? I would like perfection in the sense that they can play it well and feel like they can hold it for as long as they like, but sometimes students just can't seem to keep the same bar or phrase repeating.. and asking them to repeat over and over bores the heck out of them. So how many times do you make them repeat before you move on?

I can attest to that. What do you do? I mean even I get bored. But when a kid doesn't get something, how can you move on?

[jeffwj]

*On a side note, for those of you who teach rhythms to your students, how much do you make them repeat it in class before moving on to something else? I would like perfection in the sense that they can play it well and feel like they can hold it for as long as they like, but sometimes students just can't seem to keep the same bar or phrase repeating.. and asking them to repeat over and over bores the heck out of them. So how many times do you make them repeat before you move on?

If it is a rhythm in a snare book, I have them play it as written in the book, with repeats if written.

For drum set, many books use one measure patterns. In this case, I like to explain to my students that music is most commonly felt in 4 bar phrases (12 bar blues, 8 bar verse/chorus etc...) I have them try to play the coordination patterns for 4 measures. Some have a difficult time even repeating something four times. Then I have them build up to 8,12,16 measures. I explain to them that if they can hold that beat for 16-32 measures, they shouldn't have a problem holding it throughout an entire song.

We can also play along to drumless tracks that have forms such as 12 bar blues to make the repetition more interesting.

Jeff

[Deltadrummer]

I don't have much to add except to say that the lesson for me, is a guided practice session. In other words, if I work one third: hand technique, snare drum, drum set, I expect that it outlines what and how the student will be practicing daily at home.

[slingerland755]

I don't have much to add except to say that the lesson for me, is a guided practice session. In other words, if I work one third: hand technique, snare drum, drum set, I expect that it outlines what and how the student will be practicing daily at home.

Great point! Essentially I do the same, but sometimes I feel that they are just "jamming" when they practice and not follwoing the lesson plan. I always try to encourage and not act upset, but there is a level of frustration when you know they have not practiced anything from the previous lesson.

[slingerland755]

*On a side note, for those of you who teach rhythms to your students, how much do you make them repeat it in class before moving on to something else? I would like perfection in the sense that they can play it well and feel like they can hold it for as long as they like, but sometimes students just can't seem to keep the same bar or phrase repeating.. and asking them to repeat over and over bores the heck out of them. So how many times do you make them repeat before you move on?[/QUOTE]

That's a great point as well. When I know they are not going to get it (and they are getting bored and/or frustrated), I let them off the hook sooner than later. If they can play a groove, rudiment or phrase cleanly 6 to 8 times, I usually say "good good" and move on. If not, I just tell them to keep at it and they will enjoy it even more when they do get it..

[slingerland755]

Even with my half hour students, I tend to fit everything in without overloading them. I just don't give them a ton of work in each topic. Maybe 2 pages of snare reading, a page or 2 of technique, and a page or concept to work on on drum set.

Lesson timing seems be be something that comes with experience. I remember constantly going over by a few minutes to cover the material. But now without even watching the time much, the lesson seems to come together like clockwork (no pun intended).

Jeff

Hey jeff,
Thanks for the comments. I certainly appreciate your comment on lesson timing. I am at that point of going over a few minutes (or more) every lesson. I don't really mind, but I have a feeling as I continue teaching my timing will have to become a little more efficient. Like you said, it will come with experience.

[ceckha]

i'm not a teacher, but i do have one. and he usually doesn't show up with a set lesson plan.

he usually shows up and just asks me "what do you want to get better at?" and i might say rudiments or something like that. and he'll show me all these exercises that will help.

it may sound pretty unprofessional to alot of you, but i like it.

my old teacher always had a set lesson plan for what he was going to teach me and after awhile i felt like i just wasn't learning anything and it wasn't fun anymore. i wasn't very motivated to go to lessons anymore. instead of anticipating what i was going to learn, i was just wanting to get it over with.

[wy yung]

I usually tailor lessons to each individual student. I would find it very difficult to do this: 1/4 Snare Drum Reading
1/4 Hand Technique
1/2 Drum Set - To include coordination, style knowledge, chart reading etc...
within the space of single lessons. I usually space this out over a series of lessons and have one lesson, say 1 in 5, as a review lesson.

I have students ranging from 5 years old to 50 and for each student things are different. 1 lesson may simply focus on grooves that relate to each other. Another may be hand technique, or applying rudiments to the kit etc etc. Another lesson may focus specifically upon what a students needs at the time. For example; 1 student plays gigs with his local church and often brings me discs of his shows and we review them. I offer advice and give him what he may need for his next show. I also devote many of his classes to more general ideas that will help him overall.

I am lucky in that I do not have to work to a curriculum. I am pretty free to use my near thirty years of drumming and gig experience as I see fit. For students such as the church gigger I focus on real world problems he has to face that apply directly to what he does. For others it may differ. One thing I make sure to do though in each situation is incorporate dexterity and hand and foot technique where and when I can.

I find teaching these days to be quite different from how it was when I was young. Back then we were given a pad and stick control and had to settle for that. But today many people have drumkits, ipods, drum DVDs and even games where they can play drums. Plus everybody seems to want everything NOW! "Gimme gimmee gimmee". This has altered how I teach to a great degree. I was quite shocked at first when I first got back into teaching.

If only I could begin everyone on stick control, then accents and rebounds followed by master studies and Chapin. It just doesn't seem to work like that anymore.