Frequently Asked Questions
Everything You Need to Know
Do I need a drum kit to start lessons?
What do I type of instrument do I play on in the lessons?
Do you have specific teaching qualifications?
No, you don't. 80% of the learning is cognitive understanding and pattern recognition. This can be done anywhere! At some point you will want to hire or purchase a drum kit as it can be a lot more fun and will inspire you to do more practice. A drum kit at home will be needed for advanced students so they can refine what is taught in lessons.
Drum kit lessons are taught on a PDP Concept Maple walnut finish 6-piece drum kit and a selection of some of the finest cymbals available. We also have a high-end Yamaha DTX electronic drum kit that utilises sampled technology for cutting edge sounds. Both drum kits are easily recorded, which enables us to analyse your performance in greater detail.
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Lessons on latin percussion and hand percussion are on high-end Meinl acoustic instruments.
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Can I request a song to be transcribed?
Yes, James Lewis Fox has a Post Graduate Diploma of Education from University of Melbourne in addition to his four years of formal tertiary study at the Victorian College of the Arts, specialising in Percussion, plus more than 20 years of teaching experience at the most elite independent schools in Victoria, such as Haileybury, Trinity Grammar, Xavier College and St Catherine's School in Toorak.
How much do you charge for your teaching services?
James Lewis Fox charges $120.00 per hour for most of his teaching services. This is a competitive rate based on the excellence of the teaching and with the many resources available to each student.. Payment is due at the commencement of each lesson. See Fees for more details
Can I learn online?
Where do you hold your lessons?
Yes, definitely. We usually use Zoom for online lessons, but can use other platforms as well. Lessons can start from $60.00 for 30mins and increase from there.
Melbourne Drumming lessons are held in a home studio in Surrey Hills. See home page for map location. James uses this studio for recording and tracking drums and percussion for many clients. James also regularly records students in their lessons, as a really effective tool to help you learn.
Do you teach keyboard or mallet percussion?
Yes absolutely! We do this all the time. Ideally we like to teach you how to do it yourself, as you will learn the song faster that way, but we frequently take requests. It usually only takes a few hours to complete, but we want it to be note perfect for you, so it is best to allow a few days for completion.
How much practice is required?
In short - the more the better, however it depends on your goal and the type of practice you are doing. Regular consistent practice with a clear goal in mind, is far more productive than only practising occasionally or randomly.. Weekly lessons is important to help keep focus and avoid any bad habits forming.
Do you run Rock School or Trinity exams?
Melbourne Drumming can superbly prepare you for your external exams such as Rock School, Trinity College and ANZCA. We prepare students all the time, with great success. Most students receive an average of 95% and develop a thorough understanding of the syllabus, appropriate techniques and exam requirements. We prefer to internally assess you however, as we believe our exams are of much higher quality and provide a more educationally informative and detailed approach, providing each student with a professional level recording, report and certificate. Melbourne Drumming exam grades are equivalent to Rock School and Trinity College London.
Yes, James Lewis Fox has a small vibraphone at home so he can teach 2 and 4 mallet percussion. He also has access to keyboards, midi controllers and xylophones if needed as well.
When are the lessons and how often?
James Lewis Fox is extremely in demand, so he typically only teaches on Saturdays during the school term. He has more flexibility during the school holidays, but often has a waiting list of students wanting to book in.. Lessons should be weekly if possible. Continuity is very important and will help keep focus and avoid bad habits from forming.