Seeking Advice on Jazz Drumming Lessons for 13 yr old in NoVa

April 1, 2013 10:53 AM

My 13 year old son has expressed an interest in learning to play jazz drums. While I'm thrilled that he's showing an interest in such an accomplished and challenging field, I have no idea how to proceed. Should he take lessons or just pick up some stix and put on some Gene Krupa? If lessons are the way to start, how do I find someone who can give him what he's going to need? The teachers in my area all seem to be self-taught rockers, making it difficult to know if they're worth the commitment. Is there a way to identify a good drum teacher? All advice is appreciated.
posted by Jamesonian to Media & Arts (8 answers total)

Call a local music store or a local college to find a beginning teacher. There are several things to learn and become good at before you get to the Jazz part..... Definitely encourage him and help him do this.....music lessons are amazing for a child.... A local college music Dept or music store should lead you in the right direction..... Even contacting his school music teacher will help you decide where to turn...
posted by pearlybob at 11:00 AM on April 1, 2013

My daughters take drum lessons through a local music store that has classrooms available for instructors to work from. Their instructor is a rock drummer by trade but has a wide skillset, and one of my girls actually has a natural talent for jazz drumming, which he nurtures for her while also giving her a well-rounded drum education.

I would ask at your local music shops--the people who work there are usually musicians themselves with a huge network, and you should be able to find someone who suits you.
posted by padraigin at 11:01 AM on April 1, 2013

The best rock drummers started with jazz drumming, and the foundations are going to be the same. It takes a long, long time to develop just limb independence and other basic skills, so don't get all caught up with finding the perfect jazz drum teacher. Just start the lessons as soon as possible.
posted by empath at 11:25 AM on April 1, 2013

Best answer: To get to jazz drumming, you definitely need a good teacher. As pearlybob mentioned, you need to learn some basic things about drumming before you learn to play jazz well. What I would do is call the local high schools in the area and ask to talk to their band directors, especially if the school has a jazz ensemble. The directors see the kids who play well and likely know who they're taking lessons from. You don't have to limit yourself to the school your son attends or will attend--I'm sure most band directors would be happy to help, and they probably have personal relationships with the teachers and would like to refer some business to them.

Another option is to call local colleges and community colleges, again especially those with jazz programs. Their drum profs likely also teach privately (but are probably more expensive than the average high-school level teacher).

Music stores might be fine, too, but I'd probably try options 1 and 2, above, first.

I'd avoid the self-taught rockers. These guys might be fine drummers and decent teachers, but they're on a different path than your son wants to be on.

Finally, no matter what you do lesson-wise, make sure your son listens to a lot of jazz. Listening is the best way to learn how to play drums. You need lessons too, but lessons without listening won't do you any good. Miles Davis's Kind of Blue is a good start.
posted by crLLC at 11:40 AM on April 1, 2013 [3 favorites]

I have kids who play both the drums and jazz. Try asking your schools music teacher who they'd recommend.
posted by lasamana at 11:46 AM on April 1, 2013 [1 favorite]

I think talking to local band directors is a good idea. Maybe you can identify good ones by seeing who gets bands or students into the Jazz All-State competition, if they still do those.

I think lessons are really important for drums. There are fundamentals about the stick grip and things like that seem pretty difficult to just pick up on your own.
posted by thelonius at 12:00 PM on April 1, 2013

If you son really wants to learn *jazz*, in that he's really serious about that particular genre, then he would be best getting a jazz drum teacher. Suggestions on finding a band teacher are good. Stay away from self taught rock drummers or even most self taught drummers. If your son just wanted to learn how to bash on rock/punk/metal/etc it would be a different story, but for legit jazz playing it really needs to be taught well from the beginning. Coordination and skillsets are really different.

I had a drum teacher that made me learn stick control (not touching the drum kit) for the first 3 months on a snare practice pad, to finally going on jazz and funk books. Knowing how to grip the sticks and the correct bounce is fundamentally important. I went through the funk book pretty quickly and for the first year I was still in like first 5~6 pages of the jazz book. Granted focused kids may pick it up quicker, but jazz takes years to be even mildy competent in it but is extremely rewarding. Starting with jazz makes you a much more functional drummer and easier to pick up other styles.
posted by xtine at 5:56 PM on April 1, 2013

Agreeing with everyone that he needs a teacher who knows something about jazz.

Also, he needs this album.
posted by saul wright at 7:45 PM on April 1, 2013