I believe that music should always be fun and so should learning music. My lessons are all about the essentials of the instrument and being a musician.  The approach is how to enjoy practicing as well as performing, and I make sure that kids have a good time at my lessons.

I work well with kids because in many ways, I am still a kid. I come from a large family and have been around children my entire life. I am very patient, and very encouraging.

My lessons are a process of getting to know oneself better through their instrument and own playing, and honing this skill in order to make a student realize the importance of his/her own musical expression. I take this aspect of growth very seriously, however I am laid back when it comes to a students rate of learning. As long as you are learning something new and having fun, I have accomplished my goal. For guitar and bass I combine my own methods of teaching in tandem with books from Hal Leonard. For beginner piano I teach out of the Teaching Little Fingers to Play series. I teach everything from reading music and lead sheets to improvising and grooving over different styles (blues, jazz, rock) and am happy to help a student learn any specific type of style/song they wish to cover. If you are a total beginner, I have plenty of experience. After a couple months (depending on age) you can expect to know how to be much more technically apt at your instrument, read music at an intermediate level, play some of your favorite songs/styles, and improvise if one wishes to do so. Overall I cover many different important aspects of music with my students, all depending on their skill level, age, and interests. However, making music fun is truly my main goal.

I have been teaching lessons for over 10 years now and I think my success as a teacher comes from not only teaching students how to play the drums, but more importantly, how to enjoy music and have fun playing drums. As I grew up I played drums 4-6 hours a day and it wasn’t because anyone was forced me to play, it was because it was something I truly enjoyed. While teaching I keep my childhood experience in mind and always make it my first job to teach students how to enjoy playing.

Rick is a music teacher and gigging musician living in Washington DC. Originally from Philadelphia, he moved to the District in the fall of ’05. When not giving lessons with B&B Music Lessons, Rick can be seen drumming with Taking Saturn, an original rock band, and The Atomic Swing Club, a rockabilly/jazz outfit. He also helps run “We Jam”, an after-school program affiliated with The Washington Jazz Arts Institute. Rick teaches drums, percussion, piano and guitar.