Jon Dittert Drums

May 2011 Update

May 032011

May is here, which means most of my students are finishing up their spring semesters. Remember that summer is just around the bend, and now is a great time to sign up for drum lessons (since you’ll have all that free time over the summer)!

I’ll be very busy this month performing in a variety of environments:

Friday, May 6
Crossroads Bar and Grill on Southland Drive
Playing drums for DJ Rice
8:00-12:00

Saturday, May 7
Patchen Pub w/ Business Time
10:00-2:00, 21+, no cover

The rest of the month will be devoted to playing in the pit for 1776 at the Woodford Theater. Dates, tickets, and other info available at the Woodford Theater website.

Hope to see you there!

April 2011 Update

Updates No Responses »

Apr 052011

Realizing that a year-old website is probably worse than no website at all, I have decided to post monthly updates just to let everyone know I am still alive an active.

Students – Remember there are no lessons April 6, 8, or 9 due to Fayette County Spring Break. Lessons will resume normally on Wednesday, April 13.

Unfortunately, you can not see me play drums this month, as my only two gigs this month include one on guitar and a private party.

Friday, April 15
Squires Tavern w/ Barracuda Time (guitar)
9:00-1:00, 21+, $5 cover

Saturday, April 16
Private Event at Tates Creek Country Club

In May, I’ll be performing at the Woodford Theater in the pit of 1776. Look for more details about that coming next month!

Things I Learned From Stanton Moore

All Students, Education, Influences No Responses »

Apr 202010

Me With Stanton Moore

On Tuesday, April 13, The Drum Center of Lexington hosted yet another clinic, this time with Galactic drummer Stanton Moore. Unlike the last few clinics we put on, I had a vested interest in this one. Stanton is one of my favorite drummers, and it was my idea to invite him for a clinic. As such, I had the privilege of driving him around for the evening (Galactic was in town playing at Buster’s, and he needed transportation to and from the venue) and being his assistant at the store. Watching him up close and personal gave me a new set of insights into what it takes to be a successful drummer. Continue reading »

Ways to Increase Your Practice Time

All Students, Practicing No Responses »

Apr 062010

On Wednesday, March 31, The Drum Center of Lexington hosted another in-store clinic. Our guest this time was New York based drummer, Pat Petrillo. Pat’s artist credits include Gloria Gaynor and Patti LaBelle, as well as the Broadway productions “A Chorus Line,” “Grease,” “Footloose,” and “Dreamgirls.”

Pat’s clinic showed me yet again that success comes mostly (and possibly only) through hard work. In that spirit, here are some ways to increase your practice time.

Spring Break 2010 – Plus Top 5 Records

All Students, Influences, Listening No Responses »

Mar 292010

Just a reminder to all of my students that this week is Fayette County Spring Break, so there will be no regular lessons on Wednesday 3/31, Friday 4/2, or Saturday 4/3. Make up lessons from the last quarter will take place on Saturday 4/3.

Since we’ve been talking about listening to music, I thought this week I’d share my top 5 favorite records. If you’re stuck in a listening rut or don’t know where to begin, consider these CD’s: Continue reading »

Tips for Listening to Music

All Students, Listening No Responses »

Mar 232010

In the last post, we talked about the importance of listening to music. Though I don’t think there are any “bad” ways of listening to music, I do believe some forms of listening to music are more effective for retaining the music you hear. Here are some tips to help you make the most out of your listening time. Continue reading »

The Importance of Listening to Music

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Mar 082010

As a drum student (or really as a music student of any instrument), the single most important thing you can do is listen to music. Yes, listening to music is more important than practicing and is probably more important than even coming to your lessons! Nothing will improve the quality of your playing and the quality of your lessons quite like listening to music. Here’s why: Continue reading »

Is My Child Too Young for Drum Lessons?

Lesson Philosophy 3 Responses »

Feb 062010

Congratulations! Your child has expressed an interest in playing the drums. Maybe you can’t keep your child from banging on everything in the house. Maybe your child loves to sit on the drummer’s lap at church and “play along.” Maybe your child pointed at Alex Van Halen on the television and said, “I want to do that.” Either way, you now find yourself asking “Is my child too young for drum lessons?”

The quick answer: it depends.

Maturity is More Important Than Age

First of all, “is my child old enough” is fundamentally the wrong question. “Is my child mature enough and interested enough” are far better questions. I’ve had some 4 year olds who were pleasures to teach, and I’ve had some 45 year olds who didn’t seem to be “old enough” for lessons yet.

When considering lessons for your child, ask yourself the following questions: Continue reading »

Rich Redmond Clinic

Education No Responses »

Dec 022009

On Tuesday, November 24, the Drum Center of Lexington hosted a clinic by Rich Redmond, drummer for country star Jason Aldean. Rich drove up from Nashville for the Sonor-sponsored event.

Overall, the clinic was a huge success. 42 packed into the Drum Center, a place that can normally hold about 7 people comfortably. Rich himself was an incredibly gracious and approachable guest. He took time to meet and shake hands with everyone in attendance. He answered as many questions as he could and stayed late after the clinic to sign autographs and take pictures. I’m also pretty sure every drummer in the room took something valuable away from his 90 minute presentation.

As a Drum Center employee, my attendance at the event was more or less mandatory. Still, I was very curious to hear what Rich had to say, mostly because his gig seemed so attainable for a drummer in my position. I have no idea how a person becomes a super drummer, ala Steve Smith, Steve Gadd, or Dennis Chambers. Likewise, I have no idea how you land a gig with a country mega-star like Garth Brooks or Reba. Those things do not necessarily seem within my reach right now. Drumming for an up-and-coming star like Jason Aldean, however, seems possible.

Going into the gig, I was convinced that Rich and I were not very different from one another, and that he simply knew something I didn’t. If I could just talk to him for 5 minutes, he would show me the secret handshake and I’d be in. Continue reading »

100 Hours of Drummimg

Practicing 1 Response »

Nov 022009

In conjunction with launching my new website, I am undertaking an ambitious practicing goal for November 2009. This month, I will log 100 hours behind the drum kit/practice pad. For accounting purposes, I am counting individual practice time, band rehearsals, and gigs. With a bass player getting married this weekend and few gigs lined up this month, it looks like most of that time will be spent on individual practicing.

Inspiration

The inspiration for this undertaking came from two unlikely sources: novels and wine. Originally, I had planned on doing NaNoWriMo in November, but it didn’t take me too long to decide that I didn’t actually care about writing a novel. Still, the idea of working incredibly hard on a concrete goal this month seemed intriguing. Continue reading »

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