T E A C H I N G
Background
Michael has taught private lessons in drum set and percussion since 2016. He teaches primarily in person, but also teaches online lessons. On drum set, he has taught students rock, metal, funk, jazz, country, and Christian contemporary music. He teaches both classical and marching percussion styles on snare, mallets, and timpani.
Michael has taught marching percussion sections since 2014. He regularly teaches both drumlines and front ensembles, though he is most at home teaching front ensembles. He has been a full season instructor for 7 schools in North Carolina and Virginia including Appalachian State University, and has taught band camps for 3 other schools, for a total of over 20 band camps.
Michael currently teaches in the Northern Virginia/DC Metro area. He typically teaches on campus at George Mason University.
Philosophy
In his own words:
I have boiled my teaching philosophy down to a 4-word version, that anybody in an ensemble I've taught could recite: "Get better, have fun." Some learners (and some teachers) tend to focus on only one aspect to the detriment of the other, but bot hare equally integral to a meaningful experience in learning music. It's a terrible loss when a student is being driven so hard that their practicing has become a chore they no longer enjoy.
I also often say that I never want to be any student's best teacher. I only want to be my OWN best teacher, and I want every student to be THEIR own best teacher. Every student must take ownership of their learning. In my own experience, the lessons that have been the most impactful are the ones that I have taught myself, built on the baseline knowledge my teachers provided me. If I can provide the tools for a student to begin their own pursuits beyond what I could tell them, I am happy.