Is your child filled with amazing energy? Are they banging on pot and pans with their toys or trying to make a beat with any chance they get? You need to try percussion lessons! At Omaha School of Music and Dance, we offer drum lessons to get your child into the funky groove of a percussionist! Drums and percussion are a great way to channel your child’s energy into a musical skill while making sure they are having a lot of fun and staying active! Drumming can also be a pretty awesome workout for your child! There are a few things you need to know when putting a child in drum lessons here at OSMD – like what they will be learning along the way! Today we are going to talk about some things to expect along the path of a child’s percussion lesson!
Beginners are Common
Lots of students come to OSMD with little to no background in percussion – and that is exactly what we are here for! Our teachers do an amazing job of working with your student one on one and learning the way they learn, while also taking their age and background into account. Don’t feel intimidated by the fact that you or your child are a beginner, as beginners are probably the most common type of percussionist. We will start you with the basics and work you up until you unleash your inner rockstar!
The Basics
With our percussion teachers, you’ll have the basics down in no time! You or your child will be learning a lot in the first few weeks of drum lessons. Whether you’ve never picked up sticks or sat at a drum set, we have the tools you need to become a successful percussionist. Our teachers will teach you how to properly grip your drum sticks, which is the best place to start. Working through a loose or a firm grip into a more natural and delicate grip will really skyrocket how you or your child plays the drums. Our teachers will also go over strokes, or how you use your drumsticks to make beats, and how a free stroke differs from a controlled stroke. Learning how to stroke will give your student the opportunity to learn how to drum open hand and crossed over, which are two more in depth techniques that will be taught by our wonderful teachers to help get you started as a drummer or percussionist. Most importantly, our teachers will go over how to read the musical notation of a drummer and the rhythms that are notated. This is the most crucial part of becoming a drummer, as it is the building blocks of professional percussion. There are many more methods to go over and learn in your first few weeks or months in private drum lessons here at OSMD but once you have them down, you’ll have a rockstar!
Maintenance
Once you or your child are well into their lessons, it’s important to maintain these skills that have been learned as well as keeping maintenance on your body. Drumming and percussion can take quite a muscular toll on a person, therefore it is important to keep yourself in shape and keep yourself relaxed for a drumming position, as it’s likely to get pretty intense in a drum lesson! It’s even more important to make sure you are wearing proper ear protection during lessons, which we will happily provide, as well as when you are practicing at home to maintain you or your students hearing with earplugs, earmuffs, or ear coverings. You must also make sure the drum set or percussion instrument is set up in an ergonomical way so you are sitting with good and healthy posture to play. This will prolong your drums life and your playing life!
Keeping maintenance on yourself and on your instrument is a responsible part of a musician and percussionists life.
Percussion and drum lessons are an awesome way to relieve you or your child of some of their pent up energy! We have private lessons for people of all ages and can start at any skill level! To become the best percussionist or drummer around, you have to start somewhere! Omaha School of Music and Dance is the best place for you to start – you can learn all about what we offer on our website! You can call us to set up your child for drum lessons any time at 402-515-9639! Or you can stop by for a tour and check out our awesome soundproof drum room! We are located right off of 144th and Dodge!
