Private Drum Lessons

The Three T's of Quality Drumming is the lens through which I watch my students grow.

• Time - A drummer sets the pace and gives it space.  Students are encouraged to count beats and rests out loud and will frequently use a metronome during practice.
• Taste involves knowing when not to play and how to best serve the song:
  learning to listen.
• Technique is what allows a drummer to translate his or her imagination into solid execution. Emphasis is placed on hand position, posture, limb independence, effective sticking and overall control.

My approach involves finding out what makes a student excited about the drums, then making the learning experience unique by encouraging creative approaches to the lesson plan. The daily warm-up routine consists of various rudiments distributed over the drum set. This serves to condition the muscles of the hand, wrist and forearm while developing a student's ability to improvise and explore different combinations in their own individual way. Over time students learn how to read drum music, recognize various time signatures and play with precision and authority in a variety of musical styles.  Eventually the student will develop an ability to evaluate his or her own strengths as a drummer and learn to focus their practice time on areas where growth is needed.

A three-hour-per-week practice schedule must be maintained: if you don't use it, you lose it.

Housecalls

After purchasing a new drum set, the task of setting it up and tuning it properly can be daunting.  Some entry-level drum sets come with instructional DVDs so be sure to inquire with your salesperson before you buy.  It is extremely important that each drum and cymbal be ergonomically placed from the get-go.  A difficult to reach cymbal or drum makes the task of developing rhythmic facility unnecessarily more difficult and frustrating.  Plus, playing on a well-tuned drum set makes the whole experience of practice more musical and pleasant, both for the student and the listener!

Private house calls can be arranged for Saturday morning or afternoon to address these and other set-up issues. They typically take 90 minutes to complete and the cost is $75 (additional charges for travel outside of the Gig Harbor/Tacoma/Federal Way area). During the visit, I will explain in detail what I'm doing so that the student and parent can perform these tasks in the future.  House calls can also be arranged for students who are not currently on the roster.
To book your private visit call John at (253) 273-3716.

Biography

John Hargis is a graduate of Sonoma State University and holds a Certificate in Electronic Music Production from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He is a member of the Vic Firth Private Drum Teachers Program and has taught privately for over ten years. His experience includes full-time instruction at the ArtQuest Academy in the Bay Area where he provided hands-on instruction in video and multimedia for high school students at Santa Rosa High School.  John teaches at McLain Music in Gig Harbor and the Federal Way School of Music in Federal Way, Washington.