Music Production Private Lessons: These lessons are intended for anyone who wants to learn or improve upon their ability to produce, record, and mix music. The lessons are taught in a comprehensive format and include both a theoretical and practical hands-on approach.

The music production lessons offered here qualify as an on par alternative to the much more costly tuition-based formal audio production schools. That said, the program offered here can also act as a jumpstart prior to attending a tuition-based formal audio production program.

As an additional option, the lessons can be tailored as a hybrid approach (lessons & recording sessions) for those working towards the goal of releasing a collection of their own music. This tends to be a good fit for singer/songwriters or solo musicians and multi-instrumentalists who want to work on their own music, while simultaneously learning the principles of recording and mixing music.

Some of the topics within the music production curriculum include: signal flow, gain staging, phase coherence, acoustic treatment, guerilla-home-recording-techniques, session workflow, microphone types & applications, Pro Tools, mixing, dynamics processing, digital audio editing, pitch correction, drum sequencing, and MIDI programming.

Private Lessons for Drums: These lessons are intended for anyone who wants to learn or improve upon their drumming.  We can start from scratch, or if you already play we can pick up where you’re currently at.  We’ll build a structured learning & practice regiment that moves you in the direction of the drummer you wish to become. All you need to get started is an empty notebook and a pair of drumsticks.

Some of the topics that the drumming curriculum focuses on are proper technique, grip, posture, warm-ups, stretching, rudiments, drum-tuning, drum notation, meter, time, feel, and tone.

Combined Curriculum: As an additional option, some prefer to alternate the two curriculums spending time learning both drumming and music production. As music technology continues to shift into the home-studio environment, drummers are increasingly expected to be able to proficiently record themselves. Likewise, Music Producers who spend time learning to play an instrument become more versatile and will possess a greater understanding of the overall music production process.

Location & Amenities:  The studio is tucked away in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood with plenty of non-metered street parking.  We have a comfortable lounge that is perfect for waiting parents & siblings.

A little bit about me: I found a pair of my dad’s old drum sticks when I was 12, and not long after Santa rolled through with an actual drum kit I had somehow just seen in the 1987 Sears winter catalog.  A few years later, I accepted a Jazz / Drum-set performance scholarship to the University of South Florida, and eventually moved on to Florida State University where I earned a degree in Anthropology with a focus on Ethno-musicology.  The day after I graduated, I loaded up my car with a bag of clothes and my drum kit, headed west for Seattle. Although drumming was still my primary interest at the time, I had begun to grow enamored with music production as a whole, a seemingly more infinite field of study. I bought a 4-track cassette recorder and put a million hours on it, stacking synths, layering guitars, flipping and reversing.  I went on to graduate from the Art Institute of Seattle (2006 Summa cum laude), and accepted a job as the house engineer at Seattle’s famed London Bridge Studio.  While there, I had the opportunity to work with and learn from many talented & accomplished record producers, musicians, and engineers. I was able to play a small role on some expensive records, and since moving on, able to play a much larger role on many more local releases. These days, I spend my time helping bands make records, making music of my own, and teaching private music production and drum lessons.

Additional hobbies & interests: Dad of a rambunctious 6 year old, records, coffee, local restaurants, music documentaries, home chef-ing, YouTube wormholes, and airplane rides to far away cities, beaches, & swimming pools.

Policies Below: Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. Thank you!

Payment / Scheduling:

Drum lessons and Music Production lessons are based on a month-to-month commitment. Payment for the full month of lessons is due on the first day of the month. The number of lessons billed is based on the number of lessons for your given day in the next month (if your lesson day is Tuesday and there are four Tuesdays in a month, you will be billed for four lessons; if there are five Tuesdays in the month, you will be billed for five). If a student begins lessons in the middle of the month, the remaining lessons in the current month are prorated. Payments exclude holiday closings, meaning you will not be billed for holidays on which the studio is closed. Please see below for our specific observed holidays.

All registered students are required to enroll in our secure auto-bill system. This is a safe, secure, and convenient way to pay for your ongoing lessons. The studio accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AMEX, and Check Cards. We will automatically bill your card on the first day of every month.

Rescheduling / Makeup Lessons Policy:

If a lesson is canceled by a student with less than 24 hours notice, no refunds or make-up credits will be offered.

Make-up lesson credits (not refunds) are offered to each student 3 times annually for lessons that were canceled with more than 24 hours notice. There is a 4 week limit on rescheduled lessons, and after the 4 week period the lesson is forfeited with no makeup due.

Instructor Absence:

Lessons canceled by the instructor will be rescheduled at a mutual agreeable time or a full credit of the canceled lesson will be issued towards your next month’s lesson charges.

Refund Policy:

Refunds are not offered for any lessons cancelled by a student.

Holidays/Closures

We are closed on Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving Day, as well as December 24th through January 1st. We also observe the Seattle Public Schools Mid-Winter Break (Feb 19-23rd,2024) & Spring Break (April 8-12th, 2024).

Summer Lessons:

We do continue weekly lessons throughout the summer.

If you are taking the summer off, we require a minimum of 2 weeks written notice to withdraw from lessons (see our withdrawal/termination policy below). We offer a “Summer Break” which guarantees your time slot will be held until you resume lessons for 50% of the regular cost. (Students can use this option for just one month of the summer break or up to all 3 months).

Discontinuing Lessons:

In order to discontinue lessons, we prefer a month’s notice but require 2 weeks written notice (by the 15th of the month in order to cancel autopay for the next month.) We do not offer refunds after autopay is run on the 1st of the month.

Please feel free to email us with any questions regarding the above policies. Thank you!