Thanks for your interest! You've taken your first step by realizing that you have to LEARN to play music. The most important thing is to take LESSONS! A good teacher can give you YEARS of information, and open your mind to lots of styles.

A good teacher will give you:

1) TECHNIQUE - How to hold sticks and move your arms, wrists, and fingers.

2) READING - How to read rhythm, and possibly melody/harmony (chords), if you're going to start mallet percussion instruments (vibes, marimba, bells, xylophone)

3) COORDINATION - Learning how to play more than one thing at a time-important especially for drumset students.

4) STYLE - from around the world, like JAZZ, ROCK, CARIBBEAN, SALSA, REGGAE, BLUES, AFRICAN, ASIAN, MIDDLE-EASTERN, ETC....

You can start looking for a teacher this way:

1) Contact any schools (band directors can help) Especially Junior High and High School

2) Contact any community colleges or Universities. Try to find the Percussion Instructor.

3) Contact any local music stores-especially ones with drums!

4) Pick up "Modern Drummer", "Drum" or any music magazines. We sell them at THE DRUM EXCHANGE, or check a local bookstore. Some teachers list in the classified ads in the back. Occassionally, your local NEWSPAPER or COMMUNITY PAPER will list musicians in their classifieds.

5) Become a member of Percussive Arts Society (P.A.S.). Check out: pas.org on the web for more info. This is a great organization of percussionists from AROUND THE WORLD!!!

IMPORTANT: I recommend having an meeting with a prospective teacher first. I always meet my students for a free "info session" that goes over the program. Students don't start lessons with me until they know what they're getting into. It also gives me a chance to check out a student, and make sure I'm the right (or wrong) teacher. It really is a interview. 90% of my students stay with me for years, and I have a very small dropout rate.

If you need help finding a teacher in your area, get back to me, and I'll see what I come up with! Let me know if you find someone, too, and I'll add them to my list of contacts-especially if they're a good teacher!

Good luck,