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You Can Now Schedule Directly Through the Website

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The website has some terrific new functionality - current students can now schedule their makeup lessons directly through the website! No more texting and emailing back and forth.

All you have to do:

  1. CLICK HERE to go to https://www.grooveksq.com/scheduling;

  2. Select Makeup Lesson (Current Students Only);

  3. Choose an available time. That’s it! It’s super easy.

Once you select your time slot, we will both get email notifications.

Looking for an Affordable Drum Set? Read This…

Over the last few months I have been asked by parents for advice on purchasing an entry level drum set. This is a quick primer on several high quality options that will work for your students (or yourself if you are interested!).

My criteria for this list is the following:

  1. The gear has to be really portable;

  2. The build and sound quality should be high; and

  3. The gear should be something that I would use on a professional gig.

Here are three contenders for your consideration in no particular order:

Ludwig Breakbeats by Questlove (approx. $599.00)

Gretsch Catalina Maple (approx. $899 +)

Sonor AQX Jungle Series ($479 +)

I hope this post was helpful! These are not the only three options, and many manufacturers make decent quality gear at this price point now. If you have any questions, email or call me and I can help steer you in the right direction.

The grooveKSQ July Practice Challenge

The grooveKSQ July Practice Challenge is a series of daily livestreams to Youtube that bring short sessions to your computer tablet or smartphone. These workouts are designed for intermediate students to build a regular, purposeful and effective practice routine that they can carry forward.

Every. Day. In. July.

So, subscribe to the YouTube channel, and all you will need are your sticks and a practice pad. Let’s go!!!

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Announcing the grooveKSQ 3 Day Practice Challenge!

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Announcing the groove 3 Day Practice Challenge! This is a livestream series on the studio’s YouTube channel that will broadcast Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (June 28, 29 & 30) at 2:00pm eastern. These videos are going to be short (less than 15 minutes), designed for intermediate students to help reinforce the idea of daily and intentional practice. You can join live or you can watch them after the livestream.

I strongly encourage you all to go to the YouTube channel and subscribe, as we are going to use that heavily over the summer.

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RIP Alan White (1949-2022)

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This past week, one of the giants of rock drumming, Alan White, passed away. He was one of my favorites, and had an extraordinary career. We talked about his work in this month’s Virtual Drum Hang.

While his story has been capably told elsewhere, a few highlights should be noted. Mr. White was one of the few musicians (possibly the only drummer) to have recorded with two Beatles in their solo careers, having appeared on John Lennon’s Imagine and George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass.

At age 20, Mr. White was famously recruited over the phone by John Lennon to play in a concert in Toronto with the Plastic Ono Band. They rehearsed on the plane from London to Toronto for the gig. The guitar player in that band? Some guy named Eric Clapton. The result was an album entitled Live Peace in Toronto 1969. You can read more here. You can hear Mr. White’s trademark huge flams on the live version of Give Peace a Chance from that recording.

However, what Mr. White was famous for was his 50 years of dynamic, powerful and imaginative playing behind the drumset with English progressive rock giants Yes. Below is a playlist of what I consider to be his top 5 recorded studio performances.