The Why [why drums?]
If you are tempted by the idea of playing drum kit, but need some encouragement, here are some of the many benefits of playing drums:
Have fun.
Drumming is the best fun! I love teaching and passing on my passion and want my students to enjoy the process of learning, so I like to keep a light and fun atmosphere.
Learn a new skill.
Playing drums is scientifically proven to improve and increase brain activity. An active and challenged mind is a health and youthful mind. It is so good for the brain that it can even help to prevent alzheinmers.
Improve timing.
We all have timing whether we realise it or not. We have all had a heartbeat since before we were born, beating all day, every day of our lives. We all have an inate sense of rhythm. The difficulty comes when we think about it! Then it becomes complicated! Learn to connect with your natural rhythms and control them in creative ways.
Drumming is even a highly effective way for existing musicians, such as guitarist, bass players or keyboard players, to improve their timing. I had a student who was a bass player and after taking lessons with me, one of the other members of his band said, "your timing really is devastating!"
Develop co-ordination.
We all have co-ordination and have had it since we were very young. We all walk down the road, swinging our arms with out legs, in time, without skipping or falling over. That is co-ordination.
Co-ordination is a natural part of our function, but like rhythm, it becomes more complicated when you think about it. I will help to guide you to learn to take cognitive control of the co-ordination of your limbs.
Excellent for musicians & dancers.
Drumming is the best way of improving your timekeeping skills, whether you are a musician or a dancer. I had a bass player learn drum kit and his band members couldn't believe how much it improved his bass playing skills.
Great exercise.
Drumming is very physical and excellent not only for cardiovascular fitness, but also for power training. You will be surprised at the amount of muscles you have that you don't use.
They say that a stadium touring rock drummer is as fit as an olympic athlete.
That is not to say that you have to fit to play drums. You do not. You will get fit by playing drums.
Good for concentration.
One of the main difficulties with playing a 3/4/5 minute song is maintaining your concentration. Concentration is the main cause of mistakes. You will learn to focus your mind on what you are doing and not to get distracted by mistakes, or any other distraction.
Enjoy playing your favourite tracks.
The Trinity College Rock Drums course is based around playing very popular songs. Most of the good stuff is in this course, but if you have any special requests, I can provide transcription services.
Any age.
I have taught students from the age 2 to the age of 72. Age is no boundary. Children of any age can learn rhythm through play. Also, people can learn to play drums at any age, with no previous experience. It is never too early or too late to start.
Absolute beginners to advanced.
I specialise in teaching absolute beginners, but have students of all levels. Everybody has rhythm and co-ordination. We have all had a heartbeat since before we were born, so we all have rhythm, and we can generally walk down the road without falling over, which means we have co-ordination. All we need to do is to learn to connect with it. As soon as we think about something that we do without thinking, it becomes complicated. I make that process easy.
No experience necessary.
You genuinely need never have played an instrument in your life, because you already have everything you need to learn. If you want to do it, you will do it! As I have just said, we all have rhythm and co-ordination built into us from a very young age, so all you have to do is tap into something you can already do. Just give it a shot, you will be surprised how easy it is to pick up.