david alderdice has an ongoing relationship sharing and teaching music and rhythm theory through private lessons and with the montessori school in hotchkiss, the colorado west school of performing arts, crawford middle school, the lamborn school, and the north fork vision program. he has coached the drumline and percussion ensemble at paonia high school, hotchkiss high school, and quince orchard high school. he also teaches weekly embodying rhythm classes and embodying rhythm workshops combining the frame drumming and solkattu traditions.
teaching philosophy and intention
to share the universal concepts and creative aspects of artistic learning by pointing at natural movement through unlearning tension by providing a supportive environment which promotes awareness and growth through delving deeper into our relationship with music and thus creating the capacity to be able to embrace and allow the embodiment of these universal concepts to transform into direct experience through rhythm and music.
david offers private lessons out of his teaching studio in paonia, colorado
drum set lessons focus on:
- breathing and natural body movement
- communicating through the instrument - improvisation and notation
- rudimental studies for the hands and feet
- modern and traditional techniques for stick control
- grooveability through internalizing concepts of pulse, subdividitions, syncopation, touch, clave, and feel
- interdependence and four limb coordination
- ethnic styles and sensibilities from around the world
frame drums include:
- the north african/persian tar
- the moroccan bendir
- the egyptian/lebanese riqq
- south indian kanjira
- irish bodhran
- european tambourine
rhythm theory:
- history of drums and percussion
- different types of percussion instruments
- different styles and playing techniques
- rhythmic concepts such as: syncopation, pulse, subdivision, tension and release, clave, polyrhythms, groove, time-feels, "odd times", crossrhythms, and more
- solkattu; south indian time keeping patterns and vocalizations with hand movements
- improvisation; tapping into the universal rhythm
- ethnomusicology and and world sensibilities