How we learn ...

LEARN  BY DOING !

For drum kit it means that we will both play on a drum-kit each - side by side, linked by microphone and headphones.  You will be able to see and hear what I'm doing while we discuss it.  You join in when you want to have a go. You spend most of the lesson PLAYING.  You can bring a CD of your favourite music to help you learn !

We all learn a lot faster by joining in (rather than being put on the spot).  It means that you don't have to be nervous - just join in the music right from the very first notes !

When you're ready to go it alone - you will !  It's all student centred - it's all about you.  Most students will be able to play a basic beat by the end of the first assessment session and I'll join in on bass guitar or keyboard to show you how the music flows.

You're going to enjoy being a musician.  You're going to love being a drummer.

DO I HAVE TO READ MUSIC ?

No - but you'll want to.  Like most learning, reading is a way to speed it up !  You learn to play, THEN you learn to read what you've played - the natural way.

PRACTISE ?

It's up to you - the more you practise the better you'll get and I know that everyone's different.  Do what you can and enjoy your playing.

WILL I DO GRADES ?

If you want to you can prepare for and take grade examinations.  We  can prepare  for the TRINITY  grades 1 - 6 (and grade 7 & 8 in some instances).  Grades are a good way to measure progress but they are not the only way.  Let's do what's best for you rather than putting you straight on a programme.  That said, the new Trinity exams are great fun and full of great ideas on how to build your musicianship.

CAN I LEARN TO PLAY DRUMS ?

Yes you can.  Only time will tell how far you decide to progress and it's always fun to drum.  You may find that you want to specialize in other areas of percussion - great ! I teach them all !

What does RESEARCH LED LEARNING mean ?

NEWS !     Mark Harris has accepted the post as drumcabin.com's first FELLOW.  This means that he will be closely involved in the development of learning techninques and research.

Traditional teaching methods tend to be based on TELLING rather than DISCOVERY. My researches into LEARNING METHODS are based on the field researches of Aniruddh D Patel on Inate Musicality, Elizabeth Tolbert on Evolution and Music, Sam Thompson, and Aaron Williamson on Musical Performance Assessment, David Milner and Melvyn Goodale on the Neurology on the Visual Brain in action, Oliver Sachs on the Neurology of Music and the valuable work on NLP-based learning strategies of Mark Harris .

My current reading list is mainly in the area of Critical Learning, The Democratised Classroom and Students as Researchers.