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| Martin Fullard-Professional Drum Educator for over 25 years. Currently educating over 57 different drummers each week. ProMark Stick Education Endorser/Evans Drum Heads/HQ Endorser-Playing Only Paiste cymbals. Irvine, CA |
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| Robert Ferrell-Professional Drum Educator and clinician since 1992. Extensive teaching, touring and recording experience. Official Vic Firth and Remo Drum Head Educator. Mission Viejo, CA |
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| Larry Salzman- Professional drum set and World Percussion Educator Fullerton, CA |
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| As seen in the news at Modern Drummer.com |
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| Sean Cloud -Drummer for over 35 years. Professional Drum Educator. Member of Vic Firth Educational Team. Chattanooga, TN. |
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| Jim E.Anderson- Professional Drum Educator tours, T.V, Recording. Sonora, CA |
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| Matt Murphy-Over 20 years as a Drum Educator. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Www.myspace.com/drummermattmurphy. |
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| Joel Joseph -Professional Drum Educator/12 years experience. Marching band/Jazz/Fusion/Rock. Norwalk, CA |
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| Chris McCullough-Denham Springs, Louisiana. "Spreading my love of Drumming to aspiring drummers on the beginner to intermediate level." |
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| Lee Mangano-Drum School, East Coast. |
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| Eric Perry-Studied drums and drumming for over 20 years. House Drummer, Nashville House of Prayer, Nashville, Ten. |
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| Ryan Rose-Professional Educator-Las Vegas, Nevada. |
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| Norman Allred- Professional Drum Educator for 25 years. High Point, NC. |
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| Rob Richard-Professional Drum Educator, MA. |
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| Colin Kingsmore-Professional Drum Educator, Ontario, Canada. |
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| Steve Golden-Professional Drum Educator, Hawthorne, NJ. |
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| Sandy Gennaro-Professional Drum Educator-Played with everybody from Cyndi Lauper thru The Monkees- Staten Island, N.Y. |
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| Michael P. Barton- Professional Drum Educator. Enormous drumming knowledge and experience- Appleton, WI. |
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| Jake Burton-Professional Drum Educator. Winner of Guitar Center's Drum Off Final 2002- Nashville, TN. |
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| Bart Robley-Professional drum educator- Long history of studio work and drum education. Columns and articles for "Classic Drummer" Magazine. Fullerton, CA. |
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| Ryan J. Elwood- "A Funky Mix of Jazz and Blues". Professional Drum Educator since the age of 18. Denver, CO. |
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| Corey Townley-Professional Drum Educator for over 7 years. Member of Vic Firth Educational Team. San Clemente, CA. |
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| Paul Goldberg-Professional Drum Educator/ Drummer. Vast T.V, Film, Recording and live credits. Los Angeles, CA. |
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| Robin Bailey-Profesional Drum Educator, Redondo Beach, CA. Taught over 700 drummers since 1993. |
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| Bob Masucci-Professional Drum Educator 13 years, over 35 students each week-Roselle Park, New Jersey. |
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| Jim Ferris-Professional Drum Educator since 1989. Exmouth/Exeter ENGLAND. |
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| Mike Coers-WGI World Champion Instrutor. 20 years Professional Drum Educator. Chicago Heights, Il. |
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"What Martin's doing with the Guild is long overdue and Evans/HQ fully supports the development of good education."
- Steve Lobmeier, Artist Relations, D'Addario.
“Pro-Mark recognizes the importance of the Drum Guild and the valuable educational opportunities it is bringing to its students. Pro-Mark is proud to support Martin Fullard and all of the educators involved in the Drum Guild.”
- Staci Stokes, Director of Education, ProMark Corp.
"The key to the progression of our art form has always been good education and that takes the most informed and competent teachers. Sabian congratulates the members of this guild and thank them for taking a genuine interest in better drumming through better teachers".
-Chris Stankee, Sabian Artist Relations Manager.
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| Alex Alexander-Various Artists, NYC: Alex says of PDTG. "Martin, I checked out PDTG's site, Loved it! I applaud your endeavor and mission accomplishment." Alex continues. " I found it to be excellent, informative and especially liked the "rules" for being a good teacher." |
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| On behalf of Professional Drum Teachers Guild, welcome. It is a Guild designed to promote positive community between drum educators. It is also the place to choose a custom drum teacher for your individual requirements-Martin Fullard. |
A warm thank you to all good drum educators, and a very special thank you to our great students and their families. As drum educators we would be lost without the help and support of them all. We also appreciate the music stores who refer us and take care of our students. We also acknowledge all our sponsors within the music industry. Below are some of the companies we gladly and lovingly endorse and support.
What is the Guild?
So you're probably asking; "What's the deal with this"? PDTG is here to provide all drum teachers with a safe place. Yes! it's a community that exists to publicly proclaim good drum teachers. That is, drum and percussion educators who earn their living through teaching drums. These educators have years and years of experience, credentials and and genuine detailed references.
You see, most good educators realize that "the consumer" places a certain amount of faith in them. The consumer trusts the educator. Thus, the educator's ethics and business conduct have to be professional at all times. More often than not, the consumer has placed his/her own family member in the hands of the drum educator. The Guild recognizes this and feels that it is a very honorable position to be trusted with "loved ones".
To this end, the Guild feels that the overall standard of drum teaching in Orange County has to be improved. Ethics and professionalism have to be addressed. The Guild members can only be responsible for themselves. As such, there is a genuine effort to set a higher standard of professionalism. The Guild wants to work with all drum teachers to see the bar raised. All it asks is for the cooperation from all drum teachers.
The Purpose
The Guild provides a place where difficult questions can be addressed. For example, you might currently be a drum teacher who is desperately seeking advice on certain teaching methods. You may be seeking advice on pricing ranges. You might be asking; "What is fair for the consumer to pay?" Rather than using your students as crash test dummies, the Guild provides a place where you can freely ask questions. You can ask seasoned and professional drum teachers without the feeling of being inferior. There is trust. It is also a place of safety where as drum teachers, we can vent and share frustrations and problems. Perhaps more importantly, it is a place where drum teachers can feel a since of community without the long lonely road that often goes with the music industry.
The Guild provides an excellent showcase to consumers. It says to consumers that these educators are willing to be accountable for their teaching methods and styles. It says to the consumer that these educators are patient, responsible and love to work with all peoples, especially children. Bottom line: we have ethics.
Let's say that you are currently an educator, maybe you are thinking about joining the Guild. You might not have years of drumming education, but you DO want to be the best educator that you can. Perfect. The important thing is the willingness to change and see the bar and standard raised. That is one thing the Guild requires, that you are willing to listen, learn and raise your individual game. The Guild also provides fresh ideas and a basis for mentoring.
No Hidden Agendas
The Guild is a place where you can step up to the plate, work in a team, and be a part of something that is looking to change drum education. It needn't be this dog eat dog lonely existence. The Guild doesn't mean losing your independence as a drum educator nor losing money. It does mean desiring to see drumming standards raised right across the board. Through the Guild and professionalism, you may actually see an increase in your drumming roster and income from it.
The Fee?
Guild members decided not to charge a fee in order to help support newer drum educators. The Guild felt that some drum teachers might be "put off" by registration. However, the Guild does ask that it's members be part of Percussive Arts Society. The Guild recognizes the phenomenal work of PAS and it believes that this grass roots' organization benefits the bigger vision of PAS.
The Guild Is Not:
1). A place where other drum teachers can come, get info and run.
2). A self righteous club for holier than thou drum teachers.
3). A club designed to put all other drum teachers out of a job.
4). A club for the select few.
PDTG IS OPEN TO ALL DRUM EDUCATORS PERIOD.
(c)&(p)2008 Professional Drum Teachers Guild. |
| Professional Drum Teachers Guild. Educators who are experienced, dedicated, committed and genuine. Educators who are truly professional and passionate about the art of drums and percussion. Educators who do have the best interest for you at heart. Educators who are reliable and patient. |
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| Robert Ferrell-Mission Viejo, CA. Email Rob for more information on his philosophy and teaching methods. |
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PROFESSIONAL DRUM TEACHERS GUILD
OPEN LETTER TO PARENTS AND EDUCATORS FROM MARTIN FULLARD ON BEHALF OF PDTG.
The phrase "cowboy" isn't nice, but what else can you call a so called drum teacher who does damage to your precious family member?
There is certainly a huge demand for a Professional Drum Teachers Guild. How often do we hear of damage done to students by "cowboy" drum teachers? The definition of a "cowboy" is very complex. Perhaps I should use the term "amateur" and not cowboy to describe a bad drum teacher. Typical amateur drum teachers will arrive on the scene name dropping one or two bands that they've just been playing with (this is designed to capture the attention of the student) then poorly educate the "poor and unsuspecting student." This normally occurs for couple months before the student gets dropped for a better paying offer (like more tour dates/studio work/relocation).
There are good drum teachers who do tour with bands. Yes, this is true. These drum teachers have a special arrangement with their students.
Things can turn nasty for the student when the educator disappears with little, or no notice. This sadly leaves the student at a desperately bad place. The so-called drum teacher isn't normally too bothered because he/she has now found something that pays better. I should add at this point, not necessarily drumming related. The poor student, on the other hand is devastated. A cycle is now formed. Before too long, the so called drum teacher (who is really just a amateur) will advertise again for new students when his previous "better paying gig" ended. And so on. This type of "cowboy" amounts to a "user", and the students' (and their family) have been taken. The Guild wants to help educate CONSUMERS and warn them of these fly-by-nites. It would be good if we could break the cycle.
Other amateurs include drummers (who are often pretty good), but have no understanding or clue of how to educate children or adults. They use session times as a way to "show off". A good drum educator will not show off, but will seek to put the needs of the student first. Some drummers are very good, but are bad educators. Just because somebody can play drums, does it make them a drum educator? If you work at McDonald's, does it make you a burger? of course not. The bottom line is, there are great drummers out there who have no clue on how to teach (and sadly do more damage than they do good). Generally, they're motivated by the need for a quick $. The need for a quick buck is a very sad but true characteristic behind a lot of amateur drum teachers.
It is possible to be a bad drummer and an even worse educator.
These are the amateur drum teachers who have no credentials, no references, no experience, and no ethics.
Signs of these include:
1): Bad over all drumming technique. For example, poor stick technique.
2): None,or very little rudimentary understanding.
3): Little or no music skills.
4): Only emphasis on one music style with no obvious respect for other genres like jazz, funk, reggae, odd time (unusual time signatures), Latin, fusion, marching etc.
5): Bad educators usually have no understanding of time signatures and stay in the normal and comfortable 4/4 time. This way, they're is less work involved for the educator.
6): No understanding of coordination, poly-rhythms,ostinato,independence etc.
7): No understanding of correct wrist movement, thumb, finger grips, calf, heel and foot pedal work.
8): No understanding of drum set tuning. No understanding of lugs, tension rods, vented drum heads, drum head collars. No understanding of stamina and drum set up to reduce stamina problems and stick dropping.
9): No understanding of 'finding the 1' (that is, going into and coming out of transitions smoothly). No understanding of the 'pocket' or 'grooves'.
10): No understanding of all kinds of drumming questions like: "What drumset is right for my 12 year old daughter?" or, "I'm done with the stock cymbals that came with my sons' first set, what should we buy him now?" or "What drum heads would you recommend for an entry level set as the shells are so thin?"
A GOOD DRUM EDUCATOR SHOULD BE ABLE TO RELATE TO PEOPLES FROM EVERY DRUM STYLE, EDUCATIONAL BACK GROUND AND CULTURE.
A lot of cowboys will talk to you about 'famous bands' and their famous drummer's but have no real clue of overall music history: Worse still, I have heard of drum teaching being under the influence of alcohol while teaching. I'm sorry, but getting buzzed and illegal drugs are not acceptable under any circumstances. This is just totally unprofessional.
WELCOME THE GUILD
As previously mentioned,the Guild is not "a holier than thou" group which sits in judgment of other drummers or drum teachers. The Guild is happy to work with all professional educators who really do have a professional work ethic, but are striving to improve. The Guild understands that drummers are a great, but unique people who sometimes have to operate out of very unique circumstance. The Guild is dedicated to the art of professionally educating ALL students in the correct way of drumming. At the same time, both the teacher and educator maintain their individuality. Please note, Creativity, energy and passion remain on the front burner. The Guild does understand that the bar has to be raised and standards increased. The Guild is determined to do that. We need your help.
The Guild, while still in its very early stages is raising the bar for all drum educators and is asking all who class themselves as a "drum teacher" to examine him/herself and their professionalism. Conduct and teaching methods have to be addressed. The growth and individual progress of the student is of paramount importance. It is also important that the student enjoys and falls in love with drums and the art of drumming for a life time.
The Guild is about the student and the consumer. The drum educator must have a good and professional relationship with the student and his/her family. That relationship must always be worked on and mentored. The Guild is seeking to establish an umbrella that will cover drum educators andhelp to establish less experienced drum teachers. There is accountability, encouragement and support within the Guild.
The Guild wants the consumer to get a fair and accurate account of good drum educators in Orange County, nationally and even internationally. The Guild is not a business, in other words, the drum teacher's haven't formed a Company or Corporation. There is no merger. There is a code and a practice of higher standards and quality that the Guild members feel is important. The Guild members, while separate entities in their own right, advertise as drum teachers but conform to the bar and it's standards.
The Guild desires to work along side all true drum educators. We wish to applaud good, inspired and correct coaching. The Guild also wants to extend the hand of friendship and encouragement to all drum teachers who are pursuing excellence.
Out there, many drummers do teach and inspire. The Guild wants to encourage the real and genuine ones who do an excellent job, but at the same time protect the consumer from amateurs. The "cowboys" are in this for the short term vs good drum teachers who are in this for the long haul.
Let's do all that we can to be part of a better and brighter future for drummers and drumming in Orange County and beyond.
The drum teachers who belong to PDTG bring to the drum set years and years of experience along with technique, personality and individuality. Each drum educator is dedicated to professionalism, integrity and honesty.
-Martin Fullard, 2008.
If you are currently working as a drum educator (or long to be a drum educator), and you feel that your vision fits along with PDTG please email: You may also email if you are a consumer with individual questions. martinfullard@aol.com Mission Statement.
PDTG Seeks to positively pursue excellence in their Educational endeavors.
The members of the Guild bring to the table some 100 years in drumming experience desire to drum educate to a higher level and standard of principles. While not trying to eliminate other drum teachers, the Guild actively seeks to improve the standard of drum teachers in Orange County, CA and across our wonderful country and beyond. The Guild looks to seek the general welfare of the consumer who put their trust in an Educator.
The Guild welcomes the developmental aspect of drumming and its rudimentary principals and standards as well as each educator bringing to the table their own experience, knowledge and unique teaching technique. The Guild is united in its desire for the "Student" to learn and be as encouragingly challenged and stimulated as best as humanly possible. In doing so, the Guild works to bring out the Students own unique and very special talents.
The Guild applauds patience, understanding, integrity and a code of fairness and good attitude. The Guild delights in all drummers from all backgrounds and all communities without prejudice.
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| Martin Fullard (Mobile teacher) Irvine, CA. Email Marty for info about the Guild. |
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