TEACHER BIO:
Name?
Jonathan Groethe
Where were you born?
Manchester, Connecticut, USA
How long have you been playing your instrument?
36 years
Who do you teach? (i.e age range, ability etc)
I teach from age 6 upward using varying methods that I have acquired from more than 30 years of classically based education and graduation from The Musicians Institute www.mi.edu in the USA. I teach all aspects of drumming from sight reading, kit tuning; click track work, equipment maintenance, gigging, sessions and everything else drum related. I also do a lot of improvisational work, playing to all manner of artists.
I have played in many musical set up’s from pit orchestra, classical, Jazz, Rock and Fusion mix. I also do studio session work. I’m pretty laid back but very professional in my teaching style and individual ‘tailored’ approach.
I mainly offer ‘private’ drum lessons, not drum classes, as everyone is an ‘individual’ in terms of learning new skills. I strongly believe that teaching ‘one on one’ produces ‘by far’ the best results that enable me to adapt and tailor my approach to match each student and their preferred way of learning and processing information.
Whether it’s drum lessons for adults or drum lessons for kids, as a beginner, I always manage to find a way forward that is both fun and rewarding and not too stressful for each student.
What is your favorite chord?
Unfortunately, there are no chords with drumming, so I don’t have a favorite chord. I do have favorite rudiment and time signature, which are a Paradiddle-Diddle and 7/4 time.
Who are your musical influences?
Dave Weckl, Benny Greb, Steward Copeland and of course, Buddy Rich.
Top tip for learning to play your instrument?
Get a good teacher and live, breathe, eat and sleep your instrument of choice. Take the four hours a day sitting watching TV or playing X-Box and channel the same passion into perfecting your craft. You’ll be surprised how quickly you improve. Finally, love what you do.
Why should you learn to play an instrument?
Learning an instrument requires and teaches discipline, focus and commitment, a thought process that can be applied to all walks of life. We live in a society that demands ‘instant gratification’ and fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, there is nothing ‘instant’ or ‘fast track’ about learning drums, or any other instrument for that matter. So, there is a real sense of gratification to be gained when learning to play an instrument scratch and producing ‘something’ i.e., playing a beat to a piece of music or putting a sequence of chords together…it makes you feel like a ‘real’ musician, which is a very satisfying feeling.
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