DRUMS, PERCUSSION LESSONS

Kristina teaches drums, percussion.
She lives in Burbank, CA, 91505 and will drive 15 miles.

Teaching venues : in your home, in her studio, in school, Community facilities.
Teaching schedule : Sun aft, Sun eve, Mon morn, Tue morn, Tue aft, Tue eve, Wed morn, Wed aft, Wed eve, Thu morn, Thu aft, Fri morn, Sat morn, Sat aft.

Minimum age that Kristina will teach is 5, maximum - adult.

Kristina's teaching philosophy:
"... I believe it is my job as a music teacher to be conscious of the individual student,
and their journey to finding self-expression. Just as each student begins with different
skills, each studentsʼ goals are different as well. I think itʼs important as a fine arts
teacher to not superimpose my own goals for students onto them. My job as a music
educator is to guide my students towards their goals, and offer them the tools that they
need to achieve those goals.

I attended a few seminars for my teaching position with the Community Arts
Partnership, and was introduced to the LAUSD Visual and Performing Arts Standards.
I found many of the concepts in the Standards to be useful. These are a few concepts I
keep in mind when lesson planning.
Artistic Perception - The opinions of students matter. Giving students an opportunity to
share how they feel about what theyʼre listening to makes them think critically about
music in a more in depth way. Declaring you donʼt like something is not sufficient any
more - what is it about the music that you donʼt like? Questions I offer to students
include What does the music youʼre listening to sound like? What memories or feelings
does it invoke? Why does it sound the way it does, and why does it make you feel the
way you do about it?
Creative Expression - A studentsʼ individual artistic voice is valued. Finding music that
students can identify with, and using it as a creative launching pad is extremely
important. Learning fundamental musical elements like theory and history are crucial,
but it is important to remember that as with any art form - the rules are not set in stone.
Questions for students include What is YOUR music? Why are music traditions what
they are, and do you have to follow the rules?
Historical and Cultural Context - Understanding why music is/was the way it is/was
helps students to appreciate all kinds of music. This also applies to many music theory
practices that can often seem irrelevant to students. I believe that if students understand
the history and cultural background behind why and how those theories evolved, they
will appreciate them. An important question for students is What was the roll of this
music when it was written?
Connection, Relationships, Applications - I am aware that not all students who study
music do so to become professional musicians. I think for many students, the processes
they learn while studying music help them in other aspects of their lives. Learning what
it means to work in a group when trying to play a piece with other people may help them
in other group activities. Observing attention to detail when studying a score may help
them understand how to focus on small pieces of information. I want students to leave
my class asking themselves How does what I think and feel about music apply to other
areas of my life? How does what I experience artistically apply to other aspects of my
life?

Learning about and how to play music should be fun. Students should feel safe
to try new ideas and make mistakes in my classroom. It is my responsibility to create an
environment where students donʼt feel judged artistically by myself or their peers. I know
Iʼm doing something right when students arenʼt afraid to ask questions. ..."

California Institute of the Arts 2008-2010
University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music 2004-2008

all styles - rock, pop, funk, jazz, classical, world, hand drumming, etc