So, I've become a drum teacher for 2 students...

I get so-called hyperfocus when I practice something I'm really interested in. Some times it was just me and pad, sitting infront of the tv. Other times I would go through it without much thinking at all, which made it a bit easier. The ADD also doesn't affect me as much as it did at that age, even if it comes back now and then.

I get hyperfocus at times too - awesome, isn't it? :) But not with a pad, which was probably my downfall. I did it a bit, along with some simple rudiments, but I just played along with records and learnt new songs. Very amateur approach.

I don't think you can rely on hyperfocus with the student because you may have a naturally deeper love of playing than him.

So that brings you back to the theory in Arne's, Jeff's and Duncan's posts. I think using different sound sources and maybe even bringing in a pair of coloured sticks at some stage would have kept me more interested when I was young. Anything to keep things fresh. As Mary Poppins said, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down ...
 
Good point, I usually mix them up, but french grip/finger-control is what I use most on the kit. Do you know why german grip is used so extensively in marching bands?

German grip is more secure. Most marching band requires oversized sticks and Kevlar heads. French grip would be a bit difficult for young students to control in that situation.

Did you play in marching band in school? If not, you may want to look over some basic info. Here is a link.

http://www.vicfirth.com/education/percussion101-marching.php

Jeff
 
German grip is more secure. Most marching band requires oversized sticks and Kevlar heads. French grip would be a bit difficult for young students to control in that situation.

Did you play in marching band in school? If not, you may want to look over some basic info. Here is a link.

http://www.vicfirth.com/education/percussion101-marching.php

Jeff

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.

Also Polly, I actually have some glittery colored sticks that my dad bought me when he was abroad. Ugly as sin, but maybe they will do the trick.
 
I missed the first part of the post. I guess what were talking about here is a typical Norwegian school band. Brass, woodwinds, sometimes lots of drummers and occasionally even keyboard, bass, guitar and vocals for special projects. They play marches and all the traditional stuff, but also a lot of popular music.

This is a part of what I do. I`m even a conductor for a grown up version. The bands themselves don`t do any teaching, which is just as well when it comes to the quality of the instruction, but there`s not an obvious connection to recruitment to the school bands.

The obvious snare and reading books are the Virvel 1 and 2 books, by Lage Thune Myhrberget which really have little competition IMO. Kids love the CDs.

What you need is a plan on how to incorporate basic technique over time. I really like to keep things varied and the more I do it the more I`m able to get solid information in while still keeping it fun and on the right level for each student. This is where the drumkit comes in too. It helps keep things varied and I can show how different strokes relate to the whole kit, so they see it's not just for the snare drum. I often even sit at the full kit even if we just use the snare(I might keep time on the hi.-hat or something), which is risky with lacking dicipline, but the students I have now seem to have learned to contain themselves.

On case number 2(sounds like the X-files lol) it really depends on the individual. If the standard way of reading and learning doesn't work, you'll have to do something else. Some sort of improvised Suzuki maybe?
 
I'm not being mean but if you have to ask even these basic questions about teaching then you're simply not ready.
 
I'm not being mean but if you have to ask even these basic questions about teaching then you're simply not ready.

Haha! It's my first time(teaching drums), so I want to be 100% ready in case anything unexpected happens. It's not like every instrument teacher out there has all the knowledge their first time. Are you a teacher perhaps? Maybe you can shed some light with this awesome teaching knowledge of yours?

Oh and fiy, I actually have teaching experience. I worked as a teacher/sub for a year at the local media school, teaching 16-17 year olds how to Photoshop, edit movies in After Effects/Premier and edit audio.
 
Again I'm not being mean. I've read your posts and I just don't think from what I've seen you're ready for this job. As for myself, I am a teacher with 19 years full time experience. I teach young kids to read. I also have a degree to teach music. Dealing with ADHD is how I make my living.
 
Again I'm not being mean. I've read your posts and I just don't think from what I've seen you're ready for this job. As for myself, I am a teacher with 19 years full time experience. I teach young kids to read. I also have a degree to teach music. Dealing with ADHD is how I make my living.
Oh really, so instead of giving me tips on how I can tackle these problems, you tell me to quit and not take the job that they(the leaders of the marching-band), have asked me if I could do? Don't really see the reason and seems a bit un-teacher'ish.
I'm still going to take this job, since I like teaching and I'm hoping to make a difference and make drumming fun to them. If I was a bad uncaring pseudo-teacher, I wouldn't have made this thread at all and just taken the money..
 
Again I'm not being mean. I've read your posts and I just don't think from what I've seen you're ready for this job. As for myself, I am a teacher with 19 years full time experience. I teach young kids to read. I also have a degree to teach music. Dealing with ADHD is how I make my living.

It's not like he's advertising as a drum teacher, he's just giving some instruction to a few kids; because someone asked him to. I don't see the harm in at least getting them started. After that, he can suggest that they go see someone more experienced with teaching.
 
It's not like he's advertising as a drum teacher, he's just giving some instruction to a few kids; because someone asked him to. I don't see the harm in at least getting them started. After that, he can suggest that they go see someone more experienced with teaching.
Exactly, thank you! I'm not presenting myself as the next Jim Chapin, but I'm trying to make them want to play drums and give them help to get better(and play the sheets they get handed). Since I'm going to take a higher education next year, it wont be longer than a year anyway.
The last ting I want to do is ruin their drumming. If it's impossible to get them to learn anything, sure, then I'll quit. Until then, I'll try to improve their playing and give them at least a good foundation to develop their skills further.
 
I think one reason why there may be so many varying responses is that we forum members don't know about your background. So everyone is just assuming that you have (or don't have) a background in music. So, maybe it might be a bit easier if I just ask:

1. Have you played in school band yourself?

2. Have you played in marching band before?

3. Have you studied outside of school in college or privately?

Maybe that will help us to know where you are coming from.

Jeff
 
I think one reason why there may be so many varying responses is that we forum members don't know about your background. So everyone is just assuming that you have (or don't have) a background in music. So, maybe it might be a bit easier if I just ask:

1. Have you played in school band yourself?

2. Have you played in marching band before?

3. Have you studied outside of school in college or privately?

Maybe that will help us to know where you are coming from.

Jeff
I see..

1. I played in a school-band/rock band(not sure if we are talking about the same thing?) at a boarding school for one year. We travelled around to different schools and played concerts that were historically based. We had music ranging from 50's to the 90's along with some kind of overhead/powerpoint display with facts about each song. Everyone got basic teachings in our instruments and music theory. I was a fast learner, so I had a lot of time for self-study, which I have done for the last years or so(with the help of DVD's of course).


2. I can't say I have played in a marching band before. The thing is that my main goal(as the leader said) was to make them play the sheet-music they were given and help them learn it + technique and some more stuff to help them get better. For student 2, this means building a solid foundation. If you read Odd Arnes post further down, it isn't your typical "american" marching band with 100 snare drummers with stick tricks. It's kids marching on special occasions, playing different instruments.


3. I don't have a musical education if that's what you mean(if you exclude the boarding school thing). I'll be starting that next year. Until then I have the things my first drum-teacher taught me + all of my experience being a mostly self-taught drummer.
Other than that, I have a bachelor in media, but decided it was not my kind of thing(a bit too late of course). It helped when I was a teacher/sub at the media school, but not much else.
 
First of all good luck, I myself would be a poor teacher, I lack the paitence for it. Having take quite a few lessons myself, one thing I noticed from my instructors was the structure of each lesson. Always beginning with rudiments for a warm up, and on to the the weekly lesson on snare from there and then on the the kit. You will make a good teacher for sure, just try not to talk about the King the entire time...
 
First of all good luck, I myself would be a poor teacher, I lack the paitence for it. Having take quite a few lessons myself, one thing I noticed from my instructors was the structure of each lesson. Always beginning with rudiments for a warm up, and on to the the weekly lesson on snare from there and then on the the kit. You will make a good teacher for sure, just try not to talk about the King the entire time...
Haha, by "The king" you're talking about Vinnie Colaiuta? ;)
 
Just an update:

I've started with individual lessons for the students(2 times so far), and they seem to have started practicing and enjoying playing drums.

Student 1: We've gone through the pieces he will play with the marching band(1 kit and 1 snare), and he could play them straight off the bat, even if it was a bit rough around the edges. We practiced the pieces to a metronome a few times, and he played them more or less perfect.
I've taught him how to play beats, practice fills and to get them in time, how to practice technique(with singles, doubles, paradiddles). Teaching him finger control, the three different grips, free strokes, moeller method and such, and lent him my Jojo Mayer DVD. We will start practicing more intermediate beats and fills later on.

Student 2: This has been a real pleasant surprise for me! Not only has he learnt how to play basic rock-beats after 2 lessons(he started without having touched a drum before), but he's also a really fast learner. He's ambidextrous, so I had to rearrange his kit to open-handed, which he seems to like more than your standard set-up(right handed or left handed). He's a bit tired during the lessons, because of his medication and school, but he's a bright young lad. He's also really good at maths!
We take what we call a "Minecraft break" for 10 minutes, so that he doesn't get bored.
We play some Minecraft on my laptop and talk about stuff. It also seems to boost his morale, wanting him to practice and play more.

The biggest problem though, is to get him to learn theory, which he has trouble with. He seems to acknowledge what I'm saying, but then completely forgets it and just wants to do something else.
I'll have to borrow some children's note-books, and maybe I can get him to understand how everything works, and get him to practice at home. I've advised him to get an electrical kit, since his parents don't want an acoustic in the house.
That's about it for now!
 
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