About
Scott Rabino
Founder’s Notes
Hi, I'm Scott Rabino and have been playing the drums with various bands in numerous styles for nearly 30 years. I began teaching part time in 2001 and enjoy every minute. Several of my former students have received scholarships and others are actively performing up and down the East and West Coasts.
Teaching Philosophy
My immediate goal as a teacher is formulating an individualized, flexible curriculum for each student by taking into account the growth and development that takes place at each lesson. I feel that flexibility is one of the most obvious and overlooked elements of private instruction. Every one of my students is at a different stage of his or her musical career, and each has his own musical taste. One of the problems I encountered in my own first drum lessons was a rigidity that would not acknowledge or utilize any of my natural talents, but attempted to mold me into a particular type of learner. I quit taking lessons soon after and I taught myself instead. So, my teaching concept is to elevate my students' self esteem, excite their musical curiosity, and create a learning environment that is stimulating and rewarding.
Life of a Drummer
The first year or so in a drummer's musical life is the most important one. At this point, drummers can get very discouraged and disillusioned by the difficulty of the process. Learning drum fundamentals is a dislocated process that involves a practice pad and requires real determination. In order to motivate this kind of devotion (which may, out of context, seem merely repetitious and unmusical), I constantly demonstrate the direction that each exercise will take my student. We set goals that I know that he can achieve and contextualize the lesson in a song.
Field Trips
Field trips and outside playing opportunities are also utilized in my teaching strategy. Beginning students, with just a few lessons under their belt, often can play some simple beats well enough to accompany a blues combo in a casual jam setting. These experiences are often a dream come true to these beginning students, especially the more mature ones.
We’d love to hear from you!
10060 Apple Wood Court | Burke, VA | 22015
|scottrabino@gmail.com |Tel: 510-708-6383 |