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I've been helping students prepare for auditions for 30 years. NYSSMA evaluations, college auditions, youth orchestra auditions, county and state jazz band tryouts, school band auditions. I've coached drummers through all of them. And after three decades of doing this, I've come to believe that the preparation is more valuable than whatever audition the student is preparing for. Here's what I mean. What is NYSSMA, anyway? For parents and students who haven't run into it yet:

When parents and adult students ask me if virtual drum lessons are as good as in person lessons, I tell them the truth. It depends on the student. But after teaching virtually for five years and working with students from London to Los Angeles, I've changed my mind about what's possible over Zoom or FaceTime. It works. Really well, actually. Here's what I've learned. Virtual lessons aren't perfect, let's be honest Teaching virtually does have real challenges. Not being in the

Teaching drums for more than 35 years has shown me that great drum lessons depend on understanding how each student learns. By combining visual, auditory, and tactile methods, I help students build technique with purpose, not just complete assignments. Whether in Westchester or learning online, every lesson is designed to strengthen skills, improve control, and support real musical growth.