Teachers and Students at George's Drum Shop
Only the top pros in the area teach at George's Drum Shop. Lessons are 30 minutes long, $20 each and taught in the store. Instruments are provided during the lesson.

Donnie Patterson; Donnie accepts beginners, pros, children, teenagers, adults. Students learn rudiments, reading and drumset technique. Here is Donnie's resume, discography and website; http://donniepatterson.net/index.html .
To schedule lessons with Donnie please call him at 440 465 4583

Donnie studied with Ron Tutt, long time drummer for Elvis Presley, and later with renowned jazz drummer, performer, and educator Ed Soph. Donnie went on to earn an undergraduate degree in Commercial Music and a master's in Jazz Performance and Teaching. He toured with Charlie Rich from 1974-1981, taught at the Memphis Drum Shop, and was an adjunct faculty member for the Department of Jazz Studies in the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at The University of Memphis until 2004. Donnie has played with such music legends as Dizzy Gillespie, Clarke Terry, Bill Watrous, Marian McPartland, Gene Rush, Marvin Stamm, James Williams, Dave Liebman, Arturo Sandoval, James Moody, and Charlie Rich "The Silver Fox.

George Lawrence: George Lawrence limits his teaching practice to career oriented students; advanced high school and college players, professionals and other teachers;

"My teaching is about going to the 'next level' and deals mostly with funk, fusion, be bop, latin, samba and swing and the ability to incorporate all these styles congruently as a professional free lance drummer.  I incorporate some books like "the art of bop drumming", Dave Garibaldi's books, Ted Reed's Syncopation, etc. but mostly I use my handouts that I've written over the past few years and exercises and phrases that I write out on the spot. I try to take where you are in your drumming and build from there; find holes in your sticking, phrasing, and concepts that I can fill. I do a lot with the many drum set stickings that the traditional rudiment system does not address. I also try to strengthen any physical four way four way coordination weaknesses that  you may have. I work a lot with developing tone and dynamics. I work a lot on the styles of Steve Gadd, Jeff Porcaro, Dave Weckl, Keith Carlock ( one of my students btw), David Garibaldi, Harvey Mason, the James Brown drummers, and Tony Williams."
Contact George by phone to schedule a lesson (330) 338-6035

Mark Gonder: Mark is an Adjunct Professor with the Jazz Studies Program at the University of Akron where he received his degree and drummer with the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra. After studying at U. of A., Mark began touring with the Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey Orchestras. After spending time in New York City, he returned to Akron and joined the CJO in 1990. Mark has also performed with the Akron Symphony, the Jazz Unit and the Beaver Valley Philharmonic. His recording credits include “Traditions” with the CJO, “Pacific” with Pat Pace, “I Love To Tell The Story” with the Jack Schantz Quartet to name a few. Mark maintains a busy private teaching schedule and has been an adjudicator-clinician throughout NE Ohio.
Contact Mark to schedule lessons (330) 753-4926

Mell Csicsila: Mell is the principal percussionist of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra and a first call percussionist at Cleveland's Playhouse Square Theatre Foundation. A sampling of some of the artists he has performed with include: Aretha Franklin, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, the Moody Blues, Clay Aiken and the national Broadway tours of "Wicked," "Mary Poppins" and "The Producers." Mell's teaching areas include reading skills, snare drum, mallets, orchestral percussion, and beginning to intermediate drumset.

He holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music from Cleveland State University and pursued additional graduate study at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He is on faculty at Cuyahoga Community College and is a teaching artist for the Cleveland Orchestra's Educational Activities Office.

You can find out more about Mell and his lessons at his site www.strikingthings.com or contact him by phone to schedule lessons at (216) 225-2429.

Patrick Wagner: Pat has a Master's degree from Youngstown University in percussion performance, is a former U.S. Marine, and was a teacher at our shop's Cuyahoga Falls location from 2004 to 2006.
You can find out more about Patrick and his lessons at his MySpace page www.myspace.com/pdrum