Drum Instructor
Whether you're an experienced drummer, or just picking up a pair of sticks for your first time, you probably know the importance of having a good teacher! Based in Los Angeles, CA, I am here to help you meet your goals on the drums and more!
My drum lessons are comprehensive and are tailored to all ages and levels of ability. Learn everything from
fundamental stick control, physical technique including Gladstone and Moeller approaches, sight reading, four-way independence, and linear technique, to
advanced genre studies such as jazz, hip-hop, rock, country, and many others! You will also learn music theory, sight reading, ear training, the history of the instrument, as well as receiving instruction in the nuts-and-bolts of drum maintenance and tuning. I will transform you from "just a drummer" into a
knowledgeable artist with a firm foundation in excellent musicianship!
A variety of techniques and approaches are available to help you become a
powerful player, and everything will be tailored to your personal goals -- we
can learn whatever you would like to learn. I also feature special, super-fun approaches
just for children under 10.
I serve the greater Los Angeles area and the West Side in particular. Lessons are held at my West L.A. studio near Olympic and Sepulveda
A little about me:
- A professional musician with 15+ years of teaching and
performing experience on the drums.
- Knowledgeable, having received my music degree from the California Institute of the Arts, and having studied with legends such as Joe LaBarbera, Tootie Heath, Sherman Ferguson, Rick Latham, and many others.
- A wealth of credits to my name, having taught at the renown Stanford Jazz Workshop and the Montana-based Red Lodge Music Festival, and performed and/or recorded with such names as Oranyan Coltrane (and other members of the Coltrane Family), folk-rockers The 1921A, hip-hop artist Optimus (the newest member of Onyx), country artist Stephanie Quayle, soul/funk singer Big Joe Hurt, and many, many more.
"Studying with Alex Platt helped me get my head and
chops together to record the next OK Go record.
-- Dan Konopka,
drummer for "OK Go"
"My son has taken drum lessons from Alex for several years. Alex was very methodical, started w/ basic exercises on a practice pad before easing my child onto a drum set. Our school's music teacher appreciated that my son had been trained this way and I appreciated that my son had time to really think about whether he wanted to stick with drums. Many kids want to play drums and want to pound away immediately but Alex makes sure they are serious and prepared first before you make the investment."
-- Doreen Gelfand,
mother of current student
"Alex is a very patient, experienced instructor, and takes the time to make sure you're doing it right!"
-- Larry Nichols,
former student
