Bringing Rhythm into the Classroom

One of the reasons most people get into teaching is to share what they know. While having a lot of knowledge or passion for something does not automatically equate to teaching it well, it certainly helps. Teaching drumming is not for everyone, but people who gravitate toward it genuinely love drums. The trick may be in transferring that love onto the student, because people take up instruments for a variety of reasons. An important drumming tip for teachers is to keep it fun, because drumming is enjoyable and people tend to keep at activities that still intrigue and interest them.

No matter the age of the student, it may feel intimidating to go from simply banging on a drum to learning rhythms. The ability to keep lessons both fun and informative is a skill that will keep people coming back for more. While there are many drumming basics to learn, there are ways to approach the drum so that neither hands nor patience wear down during the lesson. Probably the most common drumming tip for teachers is to use a form of "call and response" drumming while teaching. It is vital that students learn the proper sounds and how to produce them by watching and listening to a more experienced drummer play.

Another tip is to show up well-prepared. Just as with any teaching job, it is important to have all the necessary supplies with you during the lesson. The younger your students are, the more helpful you may find it is to even have backup instruments. Or if you teach entire classes of students at one time, it is helpful to bring instruments you know are tuned well and in good condition. Students should learn to play on high quality drums, so that their ears are accustomed to hearing the beats as they should sound. This is an important drumming tip for teachers: don’t sacrifice quality just because students are beginners.

If your students supply their own instruments, tell them to get the best they can afford. If students come to their lessons with poor quality instruments, have a high quality version they can use. Let them hear the difference in sound and learn about the benefits of the drum’s materials and construction. The lessons imparted during a drum class will hopefully follow your students throughout a lifetime of drum love; let what you share be information that gets better with time and appreciation. After all, you never know where the love of drumming will take a person.