8 First Avenue West Moonah, Tasmania, Australia
The Studio
The studio is equipped with three drum kits with the facility to add more customised set-ups for advanced students.
The main teaching kit is a Tama Superstar with Zildjian cymbals. There is a Roland electronic kit for students to use if the need arises, and a Pearl Reference kit set up for recording. This also has Zildjian cymbals on.
The teaching kit is set up so that it can easily be reversed for left-handed students.
There is a full headphone bay with individual controls for playing along to music too, along with professional headphones.
Our Lessons
The overall aim of the lessons is to give the students the ability and confidence to play the drums in an ensemble, by themselves with music, but most of all to enjoy the experience of music making.
- BASICS. Learner drummers are always grounded in the fundamentals of how to play. Grip, striking, posture, and basic rudiments are established first. Usually by the second lesson the student is started on the Straight 8 Beat and its variants. Drum fills come next and from there the lessons are tailored to suit the individual needs and wishes of the student.
- READING. I place a high importance on the ability to read music. Not only does this allow easy communication with of musicians but opens up a whole range of opportunities for the student in home practice and future playing possibilities.
- PLAYING WITH MUSIC. Once the student has the ability to play a simple beat I introduce them to playing along to songs. At this stage there is no pressure to replicate the exact beat but merely to play in time using a beat they are comfortable with. Later charted music is added when reading and playing skills have developed sufficiently.
- UNDERSTANDING. Throughout the whole teaching process I incorporate an understanding of the music the students like to listen to. This is done on a very casual basis around conversations with the student about the music they like to listen to. We then break the song down to its core parts and talk about what role the drums have in all of these. I try to get the students to listen to a very broad range of music so they have an understanding of different genres and the drum beats that accompany these styles.
- PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH. This often changes from student to student. I am very much in favour of scaffolding ideas with questions so the student arrives at the answer for themselves rather than just telling them the information. Musical concepts are often conveyed through analogies that resonate with the student. My general approach in a lesson is to give the student maximum time on the drum kit and to only instruct from the kit when absolutely necessary.
- A typical lesson would start with a brief revision of what was covered in the previous lesson and a discussion of any problems the student had. New material would then be introduced and played through. At some point there is usually a discussion of what music the student has been listening to and/or playing to.
Jeremy Sibson
Tutor in Drum Kit and Percussion.
Jeremy Sibson started his professional music career at the age of 12 playing percussion for “Pirates of Penzance” and has since gone on to play many shows as pit drummer in the Tasmanian music theatre scene. He has been Musical Director on many shows including Rent (2005), High School Musical (2009), All Shook Up (2010), and 13: The Musical (2010/11). In 2009 he was chosen to play in the Australian Tour of Broadway to Australia .
Between 1984 and 1992 Jeremy Sibson was a Musician in the Australian Army Band Corps. He gained enormous experience here as well as playing alongside Australian big band legend Ed Wilson.
Jeremy has studied widely including drum kit lessons with Daniel Glass, David Jones, Virgil Donati, and Darryn Farugia,
Jeremy Sibson is a well-respected performer and educator on both the Drum Kit and Bodhrán. He completed his Bachelor of Music & Bachelor of Teaching at the University of Tasmania in 2013 and is a fully registered teacher with the TRB as well as having a hectic private teaching schedule.
Current band projects include the corporate/function group Manhattan with Greg Souter, The Blues Brothers Revival show band, and acoustic trio Mikaela & Friends.
Students' Shout Out
"Friday afternoons at 6pm til 6.30pm was the time of the week I looked forward to most as a teenager because it meant one thing; my weekly drum lesson. Jeremy was my teacher for several years, and kept me excited and motivated to practice, learn and develop my skills as a drummer. Great drummer, great teacher, great friend."
