DRUMS AND STEEL DRUM: weekly lessons are offered for 30 minutes for beginners, 45 minutes for intermediates (when the student begins to learn simple music literature), and 60 minutes for advanced students (who are playing more difficult literature). However, high achieving beginners or slower learners may wish to apply for more time than allotted here. In other words, you choose the length of time of your lesson. Tuition is paid by the time, not the level.

Drum classes (55 minutes with 5 or more students) or private lessons (30, or 45, or 60-minute lessons) are offered for Drum Set, Hand Drums of various countries, as well as bells (glocks) for the learning of reading notes.  Students are expected to own their drums for daily practice (or schedule practice at OMS till their drums arrive), but they do not have to bring the drum set or congas to lessons as those are already there.

Steel Drum 55-minute classes for 5 or more students once per week and private lessons (30, 45, or 60-minute lessons) are offered weekly.  It is mandatory that students practice daily between lessons and classes.  So students can purchase their drums and pans.  Also, students may schedule private practice at the Ottley Music School until their own personal drums arrive.  The pans can be purchased from Trinidad through the OMS for about 30% discount from the USA prices.  They come with a stand, mallets, and a carrying case complete with a fortification for travel.

Teachers write the assignment for each week in the student’s Assignment Notebook, and students are expected to write in the time they spend practicing on the Practice Record page for each week, children 12 and under have the practice record signed off by a parent.

Drum students of all ages are taught the drum rudiments first, using drum sticks and a snare drum or drum pads or actual steel drums for practice. For snare drums, students can purchase a drum pad. The books used in the Ottley Music School are:

• Modern School for Snare Drum With a Guide Book for the Artist Percussionist by Morris Goldenberg

• Rubank Elementary Method–Drums by Paul Yoder

• Rock Drums for Beginners–An Easy Beginning Method by Pete Sweeney

• Hand Drums for Beginners–An Easy Beginning Method by John Marshall

• Beginning Steel Drum–a concise method for learning to play lead or tenor pans, by Othello Molineaux or by Liam Teague.