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.

NYSSMA Drum Prep: A Former Adjudicator's Parent Guide

Rudy Feinauer
Jun 27
6 min read

Updated: Jul 8

If you're a parent in Westchester, Rockland, or anywhere in New York State, and your child plays drums in their school band, NYSSMA is on the calendar. The festival happens every spring. The scoring is on paper, but the stakes feel personal. A high score opens doors to NYSSMA All-State, and even a solid passing score builds the kind of confidence that follows a student into auditions later.

I sat on the scoring side of NYSSMA for several years as an adjudicator. I'm also a New England Conservatory graduate (Class of 1990, jazz percussion, full scholarship) and I've been teaching drums for over 35 years. What follows is the guide I wish every parent could read before the festival. It's not theory. It's what actually moves the score.

What NYSSMA Is, Briefly

NYSSMA stands for the New York State School Music Association. Their festivals run from level 1 (easiest, typically elementary) up through level 6 (hardest, audition-grade material). Your student's school music director assigns the level based on their current playing. The student prepares a required solo from the NYSSMA manual, plus sight-reading and scales depending on the level.

The scoring sheet has categories like tone, technique, rhythm, dynamics, interpretation, and presentation. Each category is weighted. Adjudicators write specific comments in each box. The student walks out with a numerical score and the written sheet.

What Adjudicators Actually Look For

This is where most parents get it wrong. The score is not about getting the notes right. Getting the notes right is the floor, not the ceiling.

Here's what moves the score up from a passing grade into the high range:

Steady tempo. A metronome-tight pulse is the single biggest tell of a prepared student. Adjudicators can hear within four bars whether the student practiced with a metronome or just played along to memory. If you do nothing else, get your child practicing with a metronome from day one of NYSSMA prep.

Dynamic contrast. The piece will mark dynamics: piano (soft), forte (loud), crescendo (getting louder). Students who actually play the dynamics, not just the notes, separate themselves. A loud piano section sounds amateur. A soft forte sounds timid.

Tone. On a snare drum or kit, this means clean stick height, no buzz strokes when they should be open, and a consistent sound across the surface of the drum. On mallets, it's about hitting the bar in the right place with the right mallet for the dynamic.

Reading accuracy on sight-reading. Starting at level 3, students read a short unfamiliar piece on the spot. This is where prepared students gain the most. Sight-reading is a learnable skill. Most school band programs do not teach it explicitly. A teacher who works on sight-reading every week will move a student up a full level on score.

Presentation. Walking in calmly, setting up without fumbling, bowing or nodding to the adjudicator, taking a beat before starting. These small things signal a serious student. Adjudicators notice.

The Six-Week Prep Plan That Actually Works

This is the cadence I use with my own NYSSMA students, virtual or in-person.

Weeks 6 and 5 (six and five weeks before the festival): Slow practice with the metronome at 60-70 percent of the marked tempo. The goal is zero mistakes, not full speed. Most students try to play the piece at full speed too early and bake in errors that take months to undo.

Week 4: Bump the metronome to 80-90 percent of marked tempo. Start adding dynamics. Practice the hardest two measures separately, ten times each, before running the full piece. The two-measure repeat is the single most underused practice technique. Try it.

Week 3: Full tempo. Add sight-reading practice three times a week using level-appropriate material from the NYSSMA manual or any percussion method book. The student plays an unfamiliar four-bar excerpt cold each time.

Week 2: Mock adjudication. The student plays the full piece for someone other than their teacher, ideally another adult. The teacher writes a fake score sheet. This rehearses the nerves and the room. Adjust based on what you see.

Week 1: Light practice only. Polish, don't push. The student should leave practice each day feeling confident, not exhausted. The two days before the festival should be very light, mostly mental rehearsal and sleep.

The day of: Eat a real meal. Get to the festival site 45 minutes early. Warm up with rudiments, not the piece. Walk in calmly, take a breath, play it like you've played it a hundred times. Because you have.

What Equipment You Actually Need

For NYSSMA prep specifically:

A practice pad. The cheap rubber Vic Firth pads work fine. Save the studio pad for later. A pair of sticks, size 5A or 5B for most students. A metronome. A free phone app works. A standalone metronome with a click-style sound (not a beep) is better for the ear. A copy of the NYSSMA manual for the student's level. Buy it once, use it through the season. For levels 3 and up, access to a full kit or at least a snare with a stand. Practice pad alone is not enough for higher levels.

You do not need a $2,000 drum set for NYSSMA prep. You do need consistent access to whatever you're playing and a quiet enough space to practice without rushing through it.

The Common Mistakes I See Every Year

Cramming. Three weeks of intense practice followed by a panic week never beats a steady six-week ramp. The brain consolidates motor skills overnight. Daily 20-minute practice beats weekend two-hour sessions.

No metronome. I cannot say this enough. Without a metronome, students don't realize they're speeding up in the loud sections and dragging in the quiet ones. Adjudicators hear it instantly.

Ignoring sight-reading. Students who only practice the assigned solo and skip sight-reading lose 5-10 points on that section. Sight-reading practice is fast: four bars, three times a week, total time 5 minutes. The return on that time is enormous.

Practicing the piece front to back, every time. The opening gets polished, the middle gets okay, the ending falls apart. Practice the ending first some days. Practice the middle in isolation. Practice the hardest four bars twenty times.

Skipping warm-up on festival day. Cold hands play tense. Five minutes of rudiments, slowly, before walking in makes the first bar of the solo sound like the tenth.

Virtual NYSSMA Prep Works

I teach NYSSMA prep both in person at my studio in Ardsley, NY, and virtually over Zoom or FaceTime to students across Westchester County and beyond. After five years of teaching virtually with many students, I can tell you the virtual NYSSMA student often performs as well as the in-person student on the technical categories. Here's why: they're practicing on their own kit, in their own space, with their own setup. The lesson is exactly what they'll experience on festival day, minus the adjudicator.

The one place virtual lessons need extra setup is camera angle. The teacher needs to see the student's hands, sticks, and the drum surface clearly. A phone propped at a 45-degree angle behind the student works. A second device showing the student's face is even better, but not required.

What Happens If the Score Isn't Great

Sometimes the score comes back lower than expected. The student is upset, the parent is upset, and the school director might be apologetic. Here's what I tell every parent.

A NYSSMA score is one snapshot on one day in front of one adjudicator. It is not a measure of musical ability. It is a snapshot of how prepared the student was on that specific morning. The next year's score is what matters. Use the comment sheet, work on what the adjudicator noted, and come back the following spring with a clear plan.

The students who treat one weak score as the end of the road are the ones who quit. The students who treat it as data are the ones who walk into All-State auditions a few years later.

Want to Talk Through Your Student's NYSSMA Prep?

The first lesson is free. We meet on Zoom, FaceTime, or in person at the Ardsley studio. We look at your student's assigned level, the piece they need to prepare, and where they are right now. By the end of the first lesson you'll have a clear week-by-week plan.

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

For more on how I teach auditions and prep work, read Why Audition Prep Makes Every Drum Student Better. For the full FAQ on cost, equipment, and how lessons work, see the Drum Lesson FAQ. To learn more about the credentials and experience behind the teaching, see Press and Recognition.