Jonathan Wollenberger
Lesson Feesfrom $20.00 / 30 Minutes
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About
I have been fortunate to study with some of the best drummers around, including Jeff Ballard, Kendrick Scott, Dave Dicenso, John Ramsay, John Yarling, and more.
I have also performed in several countries with my band and other projects. Countries include the US, Switzerland, England, France, Italy, India, and also Puerto Rico (part of the US, but still). My biggest performance to date was at the 2018 London Jazz Festival with the amazing band Seven Eyes. I have also performed with the band Indialucia, and am also developing my own project, having recently recorded my soon-to-be released debut album of all original material.
I am originally from the US but currently residing in the European area.
As a teacher, I have 10 years of teaching experience working with all ages and skill levels.
As a student, I studied at FAU in Florida, at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and most recently at JazzCampus in Basel, Switzerland (where I'm currently finishing up Masters degree).
I like to keep a balance between technique and music. A lot of my teaching lately has leaned towards learning how to play a song as the central part of a lesson, and as we learn the song, the student then develops the technical skills required of specific sections in a song.
I feel this keeps the technical stuff from seeming like abstraction.
I also encourage the student decide which songs we focus on in lessons.
As the student develops, the level of scrutiny given to each component intensifies as their skills increase.
I like to teach the student to use their ears as much as possible and learn to count out loud while playing as well. So we will use certain songs as reference points for a lot of what we do, depending on the style being studied. The students own song choices are used as well.
All that's not to say the student doesn't learn to read. I have my own materials that I use as an introduction to reading, as well as basic grooves and coordination.
From there, if the student feels ready, parts of David Garibaldi's "Future Sounds", and "Complete Funk Drumming Book" by Jim Payne are used. If the student is then advanced enough to delve further into technique, we will pull some exercises from Gary Chaffee's "Technique Patterns" and also work with "Stick Control".
From there, depending on the style a student wants to dig into, there other books, such as John Riley's "The Art of Bop Drumming" that we may work with in lessons as well.