What does a drum lesson cost?

Single 30-minute lessons start at $50. 60-minute packages run up to $180. Multi-lesson packages come with a discount. The first lesson is always free for new students, so trying it out costs nothing.

How long is a typical drum lesson?

Lessons run 30, 45, 60, 90, or 120 minutes. Most students settle into a 30 or 60 minute weekly schedule. The first lesson is 30 minutes and free.

How does scheduling and cancellation work?

Lessons can be weekly, biweekly, or as needed. Cancellations work best with 24 hours notice so the time slot can be filled. Emergency cancellations are handled case by case.

How do I book my first drum lesson?

Go to rudyfeinauer.com/book-online, pick a date and time, and I will confirm. The first lesson is free for new students, so there is no payment step. If you prefer, call 914-262-9406.

How young can a student start drum lessons?

Most students start between ages 7 and 10. I have also taught younger kids and adult beginners in their 60s and 70s. The right age depends on attention span and interest, not the birthday.

Do you teach adult beginners?

Yes. Adult beginners in their 60s and 70s have taken lessons with me and progressed faster than they expected. Adult learners bring focus and life experience that helps. The first lesson is free.

Where is Rudy Feinauer based?

My studio is in Ardsley, NY (Westchester County). In person lessons happen at the studio. Virtual lessons reach students across the United States and worldwide via Zoom or FaceTime.

What equipment do I need to start drum lessons?

For the very first lessons, a practice pad and a pair of sticks is enough. Many students start that way and add a full kit later. If you already have a kit, that is even better.

Are virtual drum lessons as effective as in person?

After five years and many students, the short answer is yes when the setup is right: a good camera angle, reliable internet, and a student who is ready to learn. Some students actually progress faster because they are on their own kit in their own room.

What software do I need for virtual drum lessons?

Zoom or FaceTime. Most people already have one or both. No special software, no separate purchases. A laptop, tablet, or phone is enough.

What are Rudy Feinauer's credentials?

I am a graduate of the New England Conservatory, Jazz Percussion, Class of 1990, on full scholarship. I have been teaching drums privately for over 35 years and was a NYSSMA adjudicator for several years.

What styles of drumming does Rudy teach?

Jazz, rock, Latin, and contemporary drumming. I draw from over 35 years performing and teaching across genres. Students who want to specialize in one style get more time on that style. Students who want variety get a broader curriculum.

What if drum lessons are not a fit?

The first lesson is free, so it costs nothing to find out. If after that first lesson you decide drumming is not for you, or that we are not the right teacher-student match, no hard feelings. You keep what you learned and you are not on the hook for anything.

Where in Westchester does Rudy teach in person?

The studio is in Ardsley, NY. Students travel in from Hastings-on-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, Yonkers, Bronxville, and other nearby Westchester towns. Virtual lessons are also available if traveling is not convenient.

How to Choose a Drum Teacher: 7 Questions Every Parent Should Ask

Rudy Feinauer
Jun 27
5 min read

Updated: 7 days ago

Picking a drum teacher feels like a gamble. Most parents end up choosing whoever shows up first in a Google search or whoever a friend mentioned at a soccer game. That works sometimes. Other times it ends with a $600 set of drums collecting dust in a basement after three months of lessons that never connected.

There are 7 questions that separate teachers who actually teach from teachers who just collect lesson fees. Ask all 7 before you book. Any teacher who can't answer them confidently is not the right teacher. After 35 years of teaching drums and watching parents make this decision well and badly, here's what to ask.

1. What's your training? Specifically, where did you study and with whom?

Why it matters: Self-taught drummers can be excellent players. Self-taught drummers are usually NOT excellent teachers. Teaching requires understanding pedagogy, reading musical notation, knowing how to break a complex pattern into a beginner-sized step, and being able to verbalize what the body is doing. That comes from formal training.

What a good answer sounds like: "I studied at the New England Conservatory, graduated 1990 in jazz percussion on full scholarship" or "I have a music education degree from X and studied with Y." Specific institutions, specific years, specific mentors. Vague is a red flag.

What a bad answer sounds like: "I've been playing for 20 years" without any mention of where they learned or who they learned from.

2. How long have you been teaching, and how many students have you taught?

Why it matters: Performing and teaching are different skills. A great drummer who teaches one lesson a week part-time is not the same as a teacher with thousands of lesson hours logged. Hours teaching is the relevant number, not hours performing.

What a good answer sounds like: A specific number of years and a rough number of students. "35 years, hundreds of students." Bonus if they can name where students went next, like "Students of mine have continued to programs at Berklee, the Manhattan School of Music, and the New England Conservatory." That's the outcome metric.

3. How do you handle a student who isn't progressing?

Why it matters: Every student plateaus. The question is what the teacher does about it. A bad teacher either ignores it (and the student loses interest), or assigns more of the same exercises (which doesn't work). A good teacher diagnoses where the block is and changes the approach.

What a good answer sounds like: Specific examples. "When a student stalls on reading, I switch to learning by ear for a few weeks to rebuild confidence, then bring reading back in smaller steps." Or "I look at whether they're practicing wrong, not just whether they're practicing." The teacher should sound like someone who has solved this problem before.

4. What's a typical lesson actually look like, minute by minute?

Why it matters: If they can't tell you the structure of a 30-minute lesson, they don't have one. Every good teacher has a repeatable lesson framework. Improvisation is fine as a flavor on top of a real structure. It's not fine as the entire approach.

What a good answer sounds like: "First 5 minutes warm-up rudiments, 10 minutes on the assigned piece from last week with corrections, 10 minutes on a new exercise or skill, 5 minutes playing along to music to consolidate." Specific time blocks, specific purposes. For more on what shorter or longer lessons look like, see the drum lesson FAQ.

5. Do you teach reading music, or just playing by ear?

Why it matters: This depends on your kid's goals, but most parents don't realize it should be asked. A teacher who only teaches by ear caps the student at a casual level. A teacher who teaches reading opens the door to school band, NYSSMA, jazz ensemble, and eventually conservatory paths.

What a good answer sounds like: Most students benefit from both. Reading first if they're aiming at school band or NYSSMA festivals. Ear training mixed in to keep the lesson musical and fun. A teacher who dismisses reading or only teaches reading without ear training is missing half the picture.

6. How do you adjust for younger kids, older kids, and adults?

Why it matters: A 7-year-old, a 14-year-old, and a 50-year-old learning their first instrument need three completely different lesson approaches. A teacher who runs the same lesson for all three is not differentiating, which means at least two of those three are getting a worse lesson than they could have.

What a good answer sounds like: "For younger kids I keep blocks shorter, use more games, less written notation. For teenagers I lean into the music they actually listen to. For adults I respect their experience and let them tell me what they want to focus on." Specific differentiation, not platitudes.

7. What does the first lesson cost, and what happens in it?

Why it matters: Many teachers charge full rate for the first lesson and use it as a sales pitch. The best teachers offer a free first lesson because they want both sides to know it's the right fit before committing money. The free first lesson is a low-friction way to find out.

What a good answer sounds like: "The first lesson is free. We meet on Zoom, FaceTime, or in person. I look at where your student is, what they want to work on, and what would actually help them. By the end you'll have a clear plan and you'll know if I'm the right teacher for them." No pressure, no upsell.

Bonus: 3 things parents DON'T ask but probably should

How do you handle a kid who has ADHD or another learning difference? Drumming is full-body, immediate-feedback, fast-paced. It can be a great match for neurodivergent kids when the teacher knows how to structure the lesson. See Drum Lessons for Kids with ADHD: What 35 Years Has Taught Me for what to look for.

Are you a former auditioner or adjudicator? Teachers who have sat on the scoring side of NYSSMA, school auditions, or All-State competitions know exactly what scorers look for. That perspective speeds up audition prep enormously. See Why Audition Prep Makes Every Drum Student Better.

Do you teach virtual lessons, and how do they actually work? After five years of teaching virtually with many students, the honest answer is yes, virtual works as well as in-person for most students, sometimes better. The trick is camera setup.

How to use these 7 questions

Print this list. Send it to 2 or 3 teachers. The right teacher will answer all 7 in writing or on a phone call without hesitation. The wrong teacher will hedge on most of them.

If the teacher gets defensive about being asked these questions, that itself is the answer. A teacher confident in their craft is happy to explain it.

Ready to See What a Good First Lesson Looks Like?

The first lesson is free. Zoom, FaceTime, or in person at the Ardsley, NY studio. By the end of 30 minutes you'll have my honest read on where your student is, what's worth working on, and whether I'm the right teacher. If I'm not, I'll tell you that.

Book your free first lesson at rudyfeinauer.com/book-online.

For the credentials and press coverage behind these answers, see Press and Recognition. For everything else, the Drum Lesson FAQ covers cost, equipment, scheduling, virtual setup, and how the first lesson runs.