Kerry Kennard

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Bongo, Conga, Djembe, Drums, Piano

Lesson Fees
from $35.00 / 30 Minutes

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About

As a person of many talents, I create a well-rounded curriculum for my percussion students. My experience includes over five years teaching private lessons in studios, homes, and online. As a musician, performer, and composer, I also teach my students how to create heartfelt performances through their playing.

My lessons are student centered, focusing on what they want to learn, while still infusing the basics of drum rudiments and music education methods, including musical phrasing, dynamics, managing difficult meters, and learning to effectively play different musical genres and styles.

My teaching style is based on helping my students achieve their drumming goals. I have experience teaching beginners and more advanced students from children to adults.

 Together, we work to create performance goals and develop techniques and skills necessary to succeed.  I observe students’ patterns and create a detail-oriented approach helping them learn drum foundations in a way that makes sense to them, while having fun in the process.  Skills I teach include how to hold sticks with traditional or matched grip, going over song structure, playing different styles and grooves, and reading drum notation.

EDUCATION
M. M. (Master of Jazz Program) – University of Arkansas at Monticello
Applied Jazz Drum set, Jazz Theory/Arranging, Improvisation, Jazz History, and Jazz Pedagogy classes
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M. M. (Master’s of Music) - Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY
Music Theory, and Pedagogy
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University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio
Music technology, Teaching World Music, and Graduate percussion studies with Jim Leslie
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Eastman School of Music - Graduate Summer session music Classes: Gamelan/Bali, African drum studies, and Creative Music Making with William Cahn
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B.M. (Bachelor’s of Music), Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee
Commercial Music performance / Majored in percussion performance

PERFORMANCES

One achievement was playing on cruise ships. I played percussion with Holland America Line with eight piece band. The band performed with headline acts like Suzi Woods, Elvy Rose, Clem Curtis, and other headliner acts. Dance sets and other music events were other performance activities aboard the ship(s).
A few nights I had the opportunity to play drums with the Jazz Trio.

I graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a Master’s degree in 2008. Program included Music Education and I completed a Film reel for musical project.

I performed in Musicals “Guys & Dolls” at Dare2Defy productions, “Tarzan” in Columbus, OH, other musicals at Sinclair Community College, jazz bands, Church music (contemporary and Traditional), and playing in jazz/Pop-Rock, group artists from Cincinnati (Samantha Carlson) and Columbus.

I teach private Drum Lessons, in person and Online to students all over the United States. Open to other countries as well

I have been performing since 1981 for theatre shows, Circus act (Great Wallendas), bands for rock, Jazz, R&B, swing bands, and one year on-the-road with American Entertainment Productions show band (JH, HS, and conventions).

My lessons are highly individualized and customized towards your goals. Beginners start with learning concepts like basic drum set technique, rudiments, rhythms, music notation reading and writing, beats, grooves, fills and songs.

Intermediate and advanced drummers might be interested in expanding their vocabulary, applying rudiments to the drum set, increasing their creativity, strengthening their weak hand, or optimizing practice for most effective results.

Below are a few books I have used or suggested for drum students – beginner to advanced.

 

(Drum set books)

Tommy Igo’s Groove Essentials 1.0 Drum Book

ge-1-book

http://www.hudsonmusic.com/product/groove-essentials-1-0-book/

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DrumSet Method 1, Hal Leonard, by Kennan Wylie with Gregg Bissonette

https://www.halleonard.com/product/209864/hal-leonard-drumset-method-book-1

Alfred's Kid's Drumset Course, (The Easiest Drumset Method Ever!), by Steve Houghton & Dave Black
https://www.amazon.com/Alfreds-Kids-Drumset-Course-Black/dp/0739038257/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&hvadid=78271611332865&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&keywords=alfred%27s+kid%27s+drumset+course&qid=1602986203&sr=8-1&tag=mh0b-20

 

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(Snare drum books)

Buddy Rich's Modern interpretation of Snare Drum / Rudiments

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Vic Firth Drum Posters (Tommy Igo's Groove essential grooves and Rudiment posters)

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Haskell Harr Drum Method (Book one (1)  w/CD)

https://www.amazon.com/Haskell-Harr-Drum-Method-Orchestra/dp/1423420268

 

Haskell Harr Drum Method (Book two (2)  w/CD)
https://www.amazon.com/HASKELL-HARR-DRUM-METHOD-ORCHESTRA/dp/1423420276/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1467654499&sr=1-1keywords=Drum+Method%3A+For+Band+and+Orchestra%2C+Book+Two+w+CD

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