Lessons with Dom Famularo

　
If you live in or are visiting the New York area, private instruction is available. There are also programs for drummers worldwide who wish to travel to New York for intensive study. Students have traveled from over 20 countries and twenty five states to study with Dom.

Instruction rates with Dom are $90 per hour.

Please contact our office for further information.

Dom is building a new larger state-of-the-art drum studio. Seeing below is the layout. Into each lesson is fused the passion of 30 years of private lessons, master classes, and clinics. Dom maintains the highest commitment to private teaching even with my schedule of global travels!

THE WIZDOM DRUMSHED LONG ISLAND

Dom's State-of-the-Art Teaching Facility

The new teaching studio is a free-standing shed type structure. For a glimpse of the studio visit the Vic Firth site and take a free cyberlesson. The studio has been such a success that we will soon be posting pictures and construction details of the "drum shed" both for those who are interested in coming to Long Island to study and for those who would like to build their own ultimate practice environment! Click on the small image above to see a full sized map of the drum shed. Included in this facility:

-Two complete drumsets outfitted by Mapex, Sabian, and Vic Firth.

-A professional concert snare drum for classical work.

-A high-tension marching snare for contemporary corps practice.

-Two pads with mirrors and metronome for technique analysis.

-A complete sound system for listening and play-along.

-The capability to video tape lessons.

-Internet hook up for future masterclasses and lessons online!

-A library of the best percussion education books.

-All in a comfortable heated, air-condidtioned space.

-The studio is nearly 100% soundproof.

The Wizdom Drumshed in Canada

with Stephane Chamberland

e-mail: Global2steph@aol.com

If you live in or are visiting the Quebec City area, private instruction is available. There are also programs for drummers worldwide who wish to travel to Quebec City for intensive study. Students have traveled from all around the country to study with Stephane.

Instruction rates are 50$/hour.

Steph built a new state-of-the-art drum studio. Into each lesson is fused the passion of 7 years of private lessons, playing with bands, master classes, and clinics. The teaching studio is a free-standing shed type structure.

Clic here to see pictures of the studio.

Included in this facility:

Two complete Mapex drum sets outfitted by Sabian cymbals

A professional concert snare drum for classical work

A high-tension marching snare for contemporary corps practice

A DVD recorder and a Digital Camera to record lessons

Two pads with mirrors and metronome for technique analysis

A complete sound system for listening and play-along

Internet hook up for web reference during lessons

A library of the best percussion educational books.
(500 books and 150 DVDs)

All in a comfortable heated, air-conditioned space

The studio is soundproof

A word from steph about the studio:

« I teach in my state of the art studio in Quebec City. The room contains two full Mapex drumkits and Sabian cymbals. There is also a complete A-V system with TV and high end speakers for reference listening. Playalong is facilitated by Vic Firth's monitoring phones. The practice pads are set up separate from the kits, with mirrors nearby for the student's own reference.

The studio is also outfitted with a full range of media for reference, including a complete set of all drum books and DVDs. I modeled this room after Dom Famularo's Wizdom Drumshed, using the same material. The result is a studio-quality sound in a teaching facility equipped with not only great sounding gear and A-V teaching aids, but a full library of reference material. »

Stephane Chamberland

Stephane Chamberland started out studying with several top teachers in New York, New Jersey and Toronto, including Dom Famularo, Jim Chapin, John Riley, Bobby Sanabria, Rick Gratton, Robby Ameen, Jeff Salem, Paul DeLong, Joe Bergamini, John Favicchia, Aldo Mazza and Frank Bellucie. He also studied at the Conservatory of Music in Quebec City and with several teachers in the area. This eventually led him to performing and recording with well known bands around his town playing Jazz, Afro Cuban, African, Brazilian, Pop, Rock, Alternative, Classical, Funk and Fusion music. Steph is known to be a versatile drummer, performing, reading and writing all styles of music. He has also freelanced with many other artists for conventions and festivals.

Steph has performed hundreds of drum clinics in schools, retail stores and conventions over the past five years sponsored by Vic Firth Sticks, Mapex Drums and Sabian Cymbals. He also maintains a large roster of students for private instruction. He presently teaches more than 120 students and owns a Wizdom DrumShed studio in collaboration with the Global Ambassador Dom Famularo since 2002. The Wizdom DrumShed is a state-of-the-art teaching facility where drummers from all around the world come to study.

Stephane is a freelance writer for many magazines. He also appeared in Modern Drummer, Gigging Musician, Drum Etc, International Musician, Classic Drummer and Percussive Notes. He is also a recipient of the Larrie Londin Memorial Scholarship of the Percussive Art Society in 2003 and The Council of the Art of Quebec in 2002.

Steph is endorsed by Sabian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks, Evans Drumheads and Mapex Drums. He has also worked on various educational projects for the Mapex Drums Company.

The Wizdom Drumshed in France

with Rob Hirons

Email : robhirons@free.fr

The Wizdom Drumshed is a state-of-the-art teaching facility created by Rob in collaboration with Global Drum Ambassador Dom Famularo to provide the highest quality learning environment.

If you live near to, or are visiting Marseille, regular private study is available for students of all levels. There are also programs of intensive study for those who wish to travel from further a field to develop their art form.

Instruction rates for individually booked lessons are 25 € / hour.

For students wishing to take lessons on a regular weekly basis, a preferential rate is available of €85 / calendar month.

There is a yearly inscription fee of €30 (pro rata) for regular students.

For more information, or to visit the studio and take a trial lesson, please contact us by email or by telephone.

A few words on the design of the studio...

The 18 meter square studio is designed with four main teaching stations, based on the same teaching concepts and material as used in Dom Famularo’s Wizdom Drumshed in New York.

The practise pad station includes two Vic Firth practise pads, a metronome, and strategically placed mirrors in front and at the side of the student. Here, the student studies hand techniques using the mirrors to be able to see and correct their movement, and to survey their own development.

The next teaching station is the snare drum study section. Here, the student can apply techniques learned on the pad directly to the snare drum and subsequently progress to advanced reading and rudimental work, perfecting their hand techniques.

The drum set teaching station includes two full drum sets, one for the student and one for the teacher. In this section, the student develops their voice on the drum set and can be guided by the teacher on the second drum set when needed. Both drum sets are fully miked up with quality microphones from Prodipe, linked to a 16 channel mixing desk and a Dvd recorder with HD recording facility to be able to record the drums and listen back for evaluation purposes. There are Vic Firth professional headphones at each drum set to enable play along sessions to music, for example the student’s own mp3 player, and then to record and listen back to the performance so as to analyse how the student sounds with the music.

There is a digital camera in place in the studio to be able to film any one of the teaching stations during study sessions, showing the student at work in real time on strategically placed video screens, and also allowing the creation of a Dvd featuring parts of the lessons that the student can take home for later study.

The studio is completed by the fourth teaching station, an extensive media section including a library of study books, Dvds, CDs and drum magazines. There is also a large selection of drum study books and Dvds available to buy in the studio for enhance studies at home. Direct access to the internet is available in the studio so that the student and teacher can consult the World Wide Web, accessing the entire world of available drumming information. Using the web cam, the student will also eventually be able to participate in future on-line lessons and masterclasses by guest teachers via the internet.

Rob Hirons

　

Rob Hirons is an independent drumset performer and educator based in Marseille in the south of France.

Rob began learning drum set in the UK with respected drum teacher Ray Payne at the age of 13 and later gained an honours degree in Jazz Studies at Leeds College of Music where he studied with a number of renowned teachers including Ronnie Bottomley, Dave Hassell and Tony Faulkner. He was subsequently employed by the college to teach other students and at the same time, developed an extensive private teaching roster as well as remaining firmly active on the live music scene as an independent drummer, touring in Europe and the USA.

Since then, Rob has been working in France with many musicians including eclectic Marseille based group Watcha Clan, blues group Hofmann Family Blues Experience, hard rock group Les Squaws, blues soul group Muddy’s Street, electro - tzigane singer actor Rona Hartner, producer Mike Aubé, rock group Isis Child and jungle / drum ‘n’ bass project What Else.

Rob’s ever expanding teaching career has developed over the last 20 years and he currently maintains an extensive teaching schedule, educating drummers both in the region and from further afield with his abilities to motivate and facilitate the development of aspiring students.

Recently, to be able to offer the best teaching situation possible to his students, Rob has built his own state-of-the-art private teaching studio ‘The Wizdom Drumshed’ in Marseille, France in collaboration with Global Drum Ambassador Dom Famularo. Here at the Wizdom Drumshed, students come regularly to study with Rob and develop their art form to their highest level.

Rob also performs clinics, masterclasses and drum demonstrations and is endorsed by Gretsch Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Drumsticks and Prodipe Microphones.

The Drumshed Staff

Mike Catalano:

Mike started at age nine in the fourth grade...played throughout school years achieving NYSSMA grade 6 level (highest in New York State) both in individual snare drum and band ensemble.
Played in drum corps for four years winning every major event in our category (Nassau-Suffolk, Hudson Valley, New York State and Northeastern State Championships); also placed as individual snare, snare duet and ensemble.
Studied drumset with several teachers including Pete Heywood, Jim Chapin, Dom Famularo and Al Miller.
Technical editor of "IT'S YOUR MOVE."
Played in numerous local "bar bands", wedding bands and original concept bands
Limited studio recording work
Extensive private drum teaching experience.
Currently teaching with Dom using the "WizDom Learning Curve", which Mike helped develop along with Dom and Joe Bergamini (Joe is a professional drummer who co-authored It's Your Move).
Mike believes it is crucial for you to play in a band with other people to develop your overall artistry and expression. Practicing by yourself is one thing, but performing as a group and a team is something that must be experienced to perfect. Play with as many different musicians as you can. Live experience is the most invaluable experience!

Joe Bergamini:

Joe is the co-author of It's Your Move and a former student of Dom's. Please visit his website where you can learn much more about him, hear his playing, buy his CDs, and get constant updates on his activities. Joe visits the shed regularly while performing on Long Island and lessons can be arranged with him there. For more info about Joe: www.joebergamini.com.