One half-hour lesson, three pupils, one drum-kit – so that's 10 minutes each, right? Well, no. Like all teachers, I must strive to make sure I am keeping all the pupils fully engaged throughout the whole lesson. Of course, there will need to be some kind of rotation to ensure all the pupils have a fair share of the time available on the drum-kit. Here, I hope to show how this can be achieved by employing teaching techniques drawn from experience.
Benefits of group tuition
I believe there are some significant benefits to learning in a small group rather than one-to-one. Students in a small-group environment can interact with each other in the lesson, positively encouraging each other and feeding off their respective achievements. Pupils can learn by watching how others learn and by observing how they play. Pupils who can explain what they are playing to another student also reinforce their own learning. A pupil that is willing and able to help fellow students is often seen as having an ability to identify talent, if looking further ahead.
The drum-kit is an accompanying instrument. Its main purpose is to play with other instruments in groups and ensembles, so it makes sense that it is taught in a group. Far too many young musicians grow up learning drum-kit without ever playing with other musicians. A group drum-kit lesson can resolve this, with the lesson becoming a social activity in which music is shared by pupils playing alongside each other and in front of an audience of fellow students. This helps build their confidence and makes them feel sure of their abilities. The group lesson is an ideal place to begin to learn ensemble skills, which can be as simple as playing drum rudiments together as a warm-up or lesson starter-activity, or ‘breaking’ the drum-kit up to play percussion ensemble pieces or sambas, as I explain a little later.
This can relate to practice as well. We play together, so why do we (more often than not) practise in isolation, privately on our own? I like to encourage pupils who learn together to form ‘communities of practice’, where they can continue to share the experiences and encouragement they learnt in lessons.
How the group is formed
Quite often the drum teacher is not in charge of who is assigned to each class or group, and as a result each group is made up of students of mixed abilities. Groups may also have age differences, students with additional educational needs, and students preparing for graded examinations or GCSE performances. Obviously, it is better if you can organise each group by age, ability and interest, but you must have strategies for running the class smoothly when this isn't an option.
For diverse groups, a key technique is to have pieces ready that have parts differentiated as easy, intermediate or advanced. For instance, a piece could have an easy beat that everyone in the group can play, with extensions that will challenge the intermediate player and then more intricate fills for the advanced player. You can, of course, have higher expectations of the more experienced players, particularly with regards observing dynamic markings and musical phrasing. Often a left-handed pupil is in a group with right-handed players, in which case teachers should consider having the pupil play on a right-handed kit set-up but with ‘open hands’, meaning the left hand plays the hihat and the right hand plays the snare.
Techniques to help the group lesson
Start the lesson with everyone playing together, either with a drum each or on practice pads (or even on the back of chairs). Basic drumming rudiments are great as a warm-up or starter activity. Early learners can begin with single strokes, while more advanced pupils play paradiddles. When moving onto playing pieces, try rotating the pupil who starts the piece first, so that everyone gets to premiere their playing. Ask the other pupils in the group to comment (positively) on how the leader fared, with questions such as ‘what did they do well?’, ‘what was your favourite part of that performance?’, or ‘what can they do to make it even better next time?’
I find it useful to have worksheets ready for pupils to work through when not on the kit. These can contain explanations for drum-kit notation and some simple tasks and quizzes to keep them engaged. These help with their notation reading when it's their turn to play.
Try to ensure your repertoire is varied; not everyone has the same musical tastes, so try to include pieces from across the decades and of many differing genres. Drummers need to be versatile, so ask each pupil in the group to select a song or musical style that they would like to play. Ask them to comment on why it's their choice, what they like about it, or how the music makes them feel.
If possible, get the drummers to play along with live music. Recordings are fine up to a point, but a musician needs to feel the music, so if you can learn a few simple songs on guitar or keyboard and play alongside your pupils, this will help you find out how they are engaging with the music. You will be able to move in time with your drummers; and if they hesitate or miss a beat, you can then address this with them – demonstrating, playing and offering ways to help resolve errors.
Make sure your pupils don't play the music without any reference to its historical, social or cultural context. Teach them who the song-writers and drummers were, and how they came to play in a band. Did you know, for instance, that Stevie Wonder played the drums on his own recordings, or that Buddy Rich was a child prodigy who performed in his parents' vaudeville act from the age of four? Such details bring an extra dimension.
End with a bang
I think it is always a good idea to try to end a lesson with some kind of performance. This can take the form of each member of the group performing, in front of the class, the piece that they have been working on. Try to encourage positive feedback from their peers, again by asking questions of the group such as ‘Can you tell me what he/she did well?’, ‘Where was the most noticeable dynamic contrast?’, or ‘How can they improve on this performance next time?’
Another favourite lesson-ending of mine is to divide the drum-kit into several parts. I turn the top and middle toms around to face outwards, towards the front of the bass drum. I have one player standing by the floor tom, another on the middle and another of the top rack toms, with the teacher seated at the kit, playing snare, bass and hi-hat. We then play a number of different sambas, congas and other Latin- and African-derived rhythms of interwoven but simple polyphonic parts.
We then end the lesson on an encouraging note with helpful comments about what to work on for next time, leaving the pupils ready to contribute again.
