I have been playing drums for over 15 years. I have played countless shows in a multitude of countries, worked in many bands and in many different professional settings. I have written/composed, recorded, and released a lot of original music, including a solo album where I played all instruments and performed the vocals.

I was and will always be a student of drums, but when I took lessons in my early stages, I never made progress and I couldn’t understand why. Throughout my growth as a musician however, one thing stood out as a possible explanation.

When I speak to people who struggle with their progress, 9 times out of 10 it speaks to the same root issue. They are learning music the wrong way round. Too many people I encounter think “get good first, have fun later” when in actual fact, the answer is the COMPLETE opposite of this.

Most people I teach have enough ‘homework’ in their lives. They don’t need another weekly task to keep up with which ends up becoming another source of stress. They need a release from that stress.

My specialty area in teaching is to create a relationship with music and the instrument that is healthy. One that doesn’t add extra pressure to your life but rather relieves it. Music’s most valuable purpose in my life has not been any one concert or skill I learned, it has been the indescribable joy, relief, and personal growth it has brought into my life.

This is what I share with my students. Not rudiments. Not a daily practice routine. But REAL growth on their instrument.

Stop practicing, start playing.

-Marcus