Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Students are EXCITED with their drum lessons.

This past Friday's and Saturday's drum students had their lessons on the new Simmons SD5K Drum Kit for the first time. You should have seen the their reactions!!!

None of them wanted to leave!!! Even the two 6 yr. olds wanted to stay and practice more. Every student got lost in time because they were having so much fun learning. Each one thanked me for bringing in a drum set that is so much fun to play on.

We, as teachers, need to look at what keeps a student interested in learning. If you don't keep it exciting they leave quickly. I say to each teacher out there to evaluate what and how you teach. I say this as help to you if you are losing students or not getting more students. I have parents that drive 40 miles one way just to bring their child to lessons. WHY? Because that child begs to be at lessons.

I here some say that they won't start a student any younger than 9 or 10 years old. Why? Teaching styles may be a little different to each age group but I see better progress while they are younger. I don't worry about them learning to read yet at 6, 7 or 8. I can put that in once they start understanding spoken language and can spell decently.

If you want help to teaching younger students contact me and I'll be glad to help you with methods that work.

Kenneth "Ray" Sword Jr

Monday, January 5, 2009

Drum Lesson Studio coming to Frederick, MD

High Tech Drum Lesson Studio coming to Frederick, MD

Just imagine ... you show up for your drum lesson, enter the practice room and sit down to an electronic kit that can be tailored to the sounds needed for the lesson. From 80's pop sounding toms to a coctail jazz kit to a kit tuned for the Dave Matthews Band style songs or for Contemporary Christian Rock. Whatever sound you need we most likely have it.

Need to practice a tympani part for your school program? Got it covered here. Plus, with the Aux. Input for mp3's and other tunes playback devices AND the built in songs bank, you have many songs and styles ready to practice to.
Just pop it in hit play and you play along with it. If you are using the song bank that is included with this kit you can silence the drumtrack and you play along and hear yourself with the band.

Once we have this track thing established your next step will be to be recorded. I will be growing your chances of fast advancement with all the high tech tools available. In the coming months audio and video recordings of the students lessons will be incorporated into the lesson plan. This gives the student the opportunity to have on record what the lesson plan was, what things we worked on to fix technique and so on. They will be able to see, without a doubt, what was covered in the lesson and what is expected to be ready for the next lesson.

Come and check it out. I'm located at Music & Arts Center on W. Patrick St right across McDonald's and Giant Eagle on Rt. 40 in Frederick, MD. I have available time slots for students on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the moment. Contact the store for specific times available @ 301.694.0007. Lessons are contracted on a monthly basis.

Ray Sword

Friday, January 2, 2009

Badassdrumming site is up on the new server

Hello all,

We are in the process of getting the site up on the new server and hope to have register and login functions working within the next 48 to 72 hours. There are drummer profiles that are accessible right now and a few other pages.

If you find something not working feel free to report it so we can get right on it.

Hoping that 2009 will be your best year yet.

Kenneth Ray Sword Jr
www.badassdrumming.com