DRUMMER CAFE

Hopefully some members with knowledge of the DC area will chime in about specific instructors. But, if not, a good place to start is a local high-end drum shop; I.e. the kind of place where you're likely to find local pros working and shopping. Usually there is - at the very least - a bulletin board for notices of local teachers, bands looking for players, etc. I recommend you ask the guys at the shop - they can usually recommend and/or put you in touch with the best local teachers. An added bonus is that you start a relationship with the guys at the drum shop - which is never a bad thing, in my experience.

Alternatively, if DC has local arts-focussed newspapers (e.g. Toronto has NOW magazine, NY has the Village Voice, etc.) there may be want-ads for music lessons in the classifieds section. The only downside is that you don't get any kind of a recommendation, so you're going in blind.

And lastly, if you're out somewhere and see a drummer who you think is pretty darned good, talk to them after their show. Ask them who they studied with, or if they can recommend someone. They may teach themselves, or they can probably name off a couple of guys that got them into shape.

It really depends on what you want to accomplish. If you think you're serious, you're going to want a serious instructor. Joe McCarthy is in your area ...

http://www.joemcdrum.com

You know, sometimes that takes more than one good teacher. You have to find someone passionate about teaching before making a long-term committment. I've had some who were good at what they did, they just didn't move fast enough for me. We'd work through X book, and as I'd work up each page, some of them would get this glazed over look in their eye because they would realize they would have to work hard to challenge me. The average teacher usually lasted 3 mos. with me because I really tested their passion to educate me.

I've two-timed (and even three-timed) instructors before, usually setting each one up on a monthly lesson basis. You get a lot of conflicting advice, and after four or five months you have to weed out the teacher or teachers who you think aren't providing you with enough attention. They didn't know they were really being auditioned. Teachers can't stand students who show up unprepared, and yet I would show up for some lessons where a teacher couldn't remember what we had last worked on, and expected me to provide them direction with each lesson. Didn't mean they weren't good teachers, but I didn't wait around for teachers who weren't as passionate as about teaching as I was about learning.

Just an FYI on my own personal experience.

Thanks everyone, these are all very good recommendations. I really need to find someone who will listen to my goals, assess my skills and propose a lesson plan. Thanks again.