Jack Nicholson Drum Tuition

Welcome to Jack Nicholson Drum Tuition!

My name’s Jack and I’m a friendly drum tutor based in Halifax, West Yorkshire offering personalised one-to-one tuition. My students come from all around the region including Halifax, Brighouse, Huddersfield, Bradford and Leeds.

My philosophy is based on teaching what you want to learn… I’ll also throw in what you need to know along the way!

I tutor students of all ages – from seven to seventy (!) – and with the rise in popularity of drumming amongst the adult population there hasn’t been a better time for anyone to start. My students’ aims range widely – from working through an academic grade syllabus, to live/session work, or simply playing for fun!

Sessions take place in my dedicated drum studio in Halifax, equipped with a monitoring system (both headphones and speakers), mirror coverage, wireless internet, a piano/keyboard for explaining advanced concepts, a top range drum kit, a library of books/DVDs, and tea/coffee for patient parents or friends!

For more information check out the rest of the site – if you want to speak further about booking a session just get in touch with me through the contact page. I look forward to seeing you soon, thanks for visiting the site!

Student featured in ‘Candidate Stories’

One of my most promising young students has been featured in the ‘Candidate Stories’ section of the Rockschool website.

Rockschool is my preferred syllabus and they are the leading rock music exam board in Europe. Find out more about Dillon Harrison (who was only eight when taking his grade 4 exam) at their website:

http://www.rockschool.co.uk/news/newsarticles/newsarticle.aspx?NA=127

Stunning exam results

2012 is off to a flying start! Firstly, a big congratulations for Morgan who received a merit for his grade 6 exam, he has worked extremely hard to get this result.

Congratulations are also in order to both Dillon and Alex who scored 91% and 89% respectively on their grade 4 and grade 1 exams – both extremely high distinctions! Dillon’s grade 4 mark is made even more remarkable because at the time of the exam he was only eight with just one year of tuition. This matches the highest mark one of my students has ever attained… we’re going for 92% next time! Well done to everyone, these were an exceptional set of results.

BBC – Drumming is “good for you”!

BBC Radio 4’s Today programme covered some research conduced by Clem Burke (Blondie) about the physical effects of drumming – a session turns out to be comparable with calories burnt in a gym! Check out the interview below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9552000/9552032.stm

There’s also a video here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14356322

Exceptional Summer results

Well done to students taking their exams this summer. All students passed comfortably, including a 91% distinction at grade 3 for Charlie, a score so high it’s practically unheard of. Well done Charlie for an exceptional result!

Congratulations to both Liam and Callum for passing their grade 4 and grade 2 exams. It was Callum’s first and he came away with a merit – a fantastic result.

Of course, exams are only half the story; no student is pressured to take exams and many can progress more positively without. Lots of students without exams this summer have had the time to form bands and are now gigging around the region – so keep a keen eye out for them. Well done everyone!

Spring results

Well done to Nikku and Luke for passing their grade exams this term – both got a merit for their grade 4 and grade 1 exams! Well done guys.

Nikku in particular has made a remarkable achievement – he’s only had 1 year of tuition but aimed high and came out with a very comfortable merit at grade 4.

Solos for inspiration!

Every now and again it’s great to humble yourself with some of the drumming greats and get that inspired feeling which drove you to pick up the sticks in the first place! Check out this fantastic link to 20 of the best drum solos of all time:

http://www.musicradar.com/news/drums/20-monster-drum-solos-by-20-monster-drummers-388972

Not only should you feel slightly humbled at the vast array of sheer skill and technique on display but I defy you to not want to skip right towards your kit in excitement after watching some of the videos! Which are your favourites?!

Exam success!

Congratulations to Charlie for passing his grade 2 exam with distinction. Charlie only started learning back in March and has soared through his Rockschool exam with a huge 88%. Well done!

Distinctive results, distinctive achivement!

Well done to both Josh and Morgan for their brilliant marks for this summers Rockschool examinations.

Morgan, who is only just starting high school, received a distinction for his grade 5 result. Josh (right) also received a distinction but this was for grade 8 – the highest graded mark attainable, an astounding mark which a testament to the work put in over the past few months. Both marks are made even more impressive as they both passed their previous grades only a few months ago!

Josh is now a student at Royal Northern College of Music studying a foundation degree in popular music practice with drums as his chosen instrument.

Recording advice

Recently, I authored an online article to help recording musicians get the most out of their vocal sessions.

The tutorial – “10 Steps to Get the Most Out of a Vocal Session” – is housed over at Audiotuts+ (www.audiotuts.com). I’ll be completing more online articles, including some with a drumming slant. Keep checking back for more updates.