Drum school · Carnegie, Pennsylvania
Private and shared lessons on kit, pad and hand percussion, with three teachers and three practice kits, for ages six and up.
The path
Every student starts at the pad and moves up when the playing is ready, not on a clock.
Hold the sticks and sit at the pad
Play single strokes, double strokes and a paradiddle slowly and evenly
Count aloud while you play
Read a short line of drum notation
Your teacher moves you on when the strokes sound even. Every student moves at their own pace.
Play the hi-hat, snare and bass drum together
Keep time with a metronome
Learn beats from rock, blues, pop and shuffle styles
Start and stop on a count of four
Your teacher moves you on when a beat stays steady through a whole song. Every student moves at their own pace.
Move around the toms in time
Move into a new part of a song with a fill
End a fill on the beat
Choose where a fill belongs
Your teacher moves you on when your fills land where they should. Every student moves at their own pace.
Follow a bass player and a guitarist
Play quietly under a singer
Start after a count-in and finish together
Play a short set at a showcase
There is no step after this one. Students keep playing in ensemble hours for as long as they like.
Sample levels.
Levels describe what you are working on. They are not grades.
Before you buy a kit
A drum kit is loud, and the people next door count. Start with a practice pad and sticks, which are quiet enough for a bedroom after school, and ask your teacher before you buy or rent anything bigger.
Our first kit page says what each choice sounds like through a wall.
Summer
Pick a week, bring a pair of sticks if you have them, and play with other drummers every day.
Showing 6 of 6
Pads, grip and a steady count for beginners.
Five mornings on the practice pad and the school's kits. Students learn to hold the sticks, play single and double strokes and count aloud, and end the week with a short play-through for families on Friday.
A beat you can keep, from a slow rock groove to a shuffle.
Students build three or four grooves on the kit, play along with a metronome and take turns counting the band in. Friday ends with a play-through for families.
Drummers play with a bass and a guitar for the first time.
Teens who already play a groove learn to listen to other players, start together and finish together. The week ends with a short set for families on Friday.
For adults who always wanted a kit.
Four evenings on the pad and the kit, starting from the very beginning. Nobody needs to have touched a stick before, and Thursday ends with a play-through for friends.
Hand drums, shakers and mallets, together.
Students play hand drums, shakers and mallet instruments in a circle, learn to pass a rhythm around the group and end the week with a circle for families on Friday.
Fills, endings and a longer set.
Returning students learn to move around the kit in time, move into a new section with a fill and play a longer set with other players on Friday.
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Sample sessions.
Weeks and hours can change. Call the school for the latest.
Schedule by teacher
Lessons run 30, 45 or 60 minutes, and the classes run an hour. Each slot names its teacher and its room. Pick a style or an age to narrow the week.
Showing 20 of 20
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Judson Bray · Kit room 1
5:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
Judson Bray · Kit room 1
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Judson Bray · Kit room 1
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Group class · Reiko Sano · Pad studio
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Judson Bray · Kit room 1
5:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
Judson Bray · Kit room 1
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Lesson · Anitra Bracey · Percussion room
6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Lesson · Anitra Bracey · Percussion room
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Reiko Sano · Kit room 2
5:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
Reiko Sano · Kit room 2
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Group class · Anitra Bracey · Pad studio
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Group class · Anitra Bracey · Percussion room
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Judson Bray · Kit room 1
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Judson Bray · Kit room 1
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Lesson · Anitra Bracey · Percussion room
5:15 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Group class · Reiko Sano · Pad studio
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Judson Bray · Kit room 1
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Reiko Sano · Kit room 2
12:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Reiko Sano · Kit room 2
12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Group class · Anitra Bracey · Percussion room
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Sample classes.
Times change by session. Try a class to see where a teacher's week has room.
Teachers
Every student has one teacher for the term. The days each teaches are on the schedule.
Director, drum kit and rudiments
Judson opened the school and teaches kit to every age. He starts each new student on the pad and the count, and teaches on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Hand percussion and mallets
Anitra teaches hand drums, shakers and mallet instruments, and leads the ensemble hours where students play together. She teaches on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Drum kit and the rudiments pad class
Reiko teaches kit and runs the rudiments pad classes. She has taught drums to children and adults for a long time, and teaches on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Lessons start at six, when a student can reach a pad and follow a count. Teens and adults are welcome at every level, in their own lessons and classes.
No. A practice pad and a pair of sticks are enough to begin, and the school's kits are for lessons and classes. Ask your teacher before you buy or rent anything bigger.
A pad and sticks sound like soft tapping. A kit is another matter, and our first kit page says what each choice sounds like through a wall and how to plan for it.
A teacher listens to you play or tap for a few minutes, shows you the pad and the count, and places you in a lesson or a class. Nobody is graded, and a parent can sit in.
By what you are working on: rudiments, grooves, fills or playing with others. Your teacher moves you up when the playing is ready, and every student moves at their own pace.
Yes. Parents can sit in on a first class and wait in the lobby, and the lesson room doors have windows or stay open. Families are welcome at the end-of-week play-throughs in summer.
Try a class, bring a pair of sticks if you have them, and a teacher will take it from there.