I think you will find Ohio State an exciting university with activities and music in abundance. The university offers an outstanding music department with a faculty that shares your passion for music and is excited to help you reach your goals in music. The jazz department faculty are all outstanding working musicians and can share real-world working knowledge of both playing music and success in music business. The jazz ensembles at Ohio State have an award winning tradition and are highly regarded nationally. In addition to the big bands, the jazz studies department has eight small combos whose style and focus vary, so that your stylistic experiences will vary. I really believe that the quality, depth, and breath of all the musical ensembles is a real strength of the School of Music here at OSU, and I encourage all my students to take advantage of it. The concert percussion department, with Susan Powell and Joe Krygier, is outstanding, and we work together to assure a broad experience in concert percussion, as well as drum set playing.
Another advantage of Ohio State is its sheer size! Anything you could want you can find, and this allows a student to explore options of both academic and casual interest. By the same token, the School of Music is a tight-knit community and the jazz drumming studio consists of 7-10 players, so here you are in a setting that offers the advantages of a much smaller studio.
Along with the advantages of the university itself, there is the metropolitan atmosphere of Columbus where the jazz community is strong and active. National artists work and perform here often. As a jazz major, the exposure to the scene in Columbus is a real plus. You will also find, in my teaching studio, that local players and alumni who have successful careers are often invited into the studio to give lessons, master classes, and workshops. That exposure to many different players, influences, and styles, strengthens your playing. Over the last several years we have had Jeff Hamilton and his trio, Carl Allen, Stanton Moore from Galactic, Pete Retzlaff from the Drummers Collective in NYC, and Reggie Jackson (Diane Schuur) in to do master classes or lessons.
My personal philosophy for lessons is to give you the skills to succeed in whatever direction your career takes you. An emphasis is placed on the hand development techniques of Joe Morello, reading, and developing the ability to play comfortably in a variety of styles. Modern drum set playing evolved from jazz styles, and we will cover that as well as its branching into Latin and funk drumming. My goal is to give you the tools, both musical and business wise, to succeed in a very competitive industry, no matter where the future of music or your interests take you.
Another advantage of Ohio State is its sheer size! Anything you could want you can find, and this allows a student to explore options of both academic and casual interest. By the same token, the School of Music is a tight-knit community and the jazz drumming studio consists of 7-10 players, so here you are in a setting that offers the advantages of a much smaller studio.
Along with the advantages of the university itself, there is the metropolitan atmosphere of Columbus where the jazz community is strong and active. National artists work and perform here often. As a jazz major, the exposure to the scene in Columbus is a real plus. You will also find, in my teaching studio, that local players and alumni who have successful careers are often invited into the studio to give lessons, master classes, and workshops. That exposure to many different players, influences, and styles, strengthens your playing. Over the last several years we have had Jeff Hamilton and his trio, Carl Allen, Stanton Moore from Galactic, Pete Retzlaff from the Drummers Collective in NYC, and Reggie Jackson (Diane Schuur) in to do master classes or lessons.
My personal philosophy for lessons is to give you the skills to succeed in whatever direction your career takes you. An emphasis is placed on the hand development techniques of Joe Morello, reading, and developing the ability to play comfortably in a variety of styles. Modern drum set playing evolved from jazz styles, and we will cover that as well as its branching into Latin and funk drumming. My goal is to give you the tools, both musical and business wise, to succeed in a very competitive industry, no matter where the future of music or your interests take you.
