Frankie P.

Chicago Drum School Chicago, IL. The Bobby Christian School of Music and Percussion Chicago, IL.

In 1973 I decided to tryout to become a member of The Chicago Federation of Musicians Union and passed the test and was accepted at age 15. I then began to work as a professional musician performing locally in all types of musical situations. I continued performing Drumset both locally and on the road. Some of the venues included The Newport in Miami Beach, The Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, The Bop-Shop in Chicago, Joe’s Be-Bop Cafe on Navy Pier in Chicago, Frankie’s Blue Room in Naperville, Fitzgerald’s in Berwyn, and numerous Festivals and Concerts in the Chicagoland area and the surrounding Midwest. After 50 years of performing I am happy to say that I am still at it!!

My first teaching job was in 1977 at Glendale Music Center in Glendale Heights, IL. I taught there for a year and when my performance schedule became too busy I decided to leave and started to teach privately so I would have a more flexible teaching schedule. I have continued to teach privately for 45 years and I am proud to say that with all my experience as a performer and instructor I can teach all ages, all levels and all styles. I also contributed to the educational world of drumming with articles published in the Jazz Drummer Workshop section of Modern Drummer Magazine on the Stick-Shot technique and on the style and analysis of the famous jazz drummer Shelly Manne. I believe in teaching solid fundamentals, proper technique and good music sight reading skills. Some of the method books I use are as follows: Alfred’s Snare Drum Method Book 1, Alfred’s Beginners Drumset Method, Stick Control, Accents and Rebounds, Master Studies, Charley Wilcoxon Rudimental Solos, Syncopation, Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer, Rudimental Jazz, The Art of Bop Drumming, Bop and Beyond, The New Breed, Realistic Rock, Mini-Monster Book of Rock Drumming, Joe Franco’s Double Bass Drumming, Mike Clark’s Funk Drumming and Latin Rhythms for the Drumset. In addition I like to teach my own exercise and technique ideas that I have developed from my studies and 50 years of performing. I like to teach in a relaxed and fun style. I believe if a student enjoys the lessons then the hard work that it takes to learn music won’t seem like such a chore. At the beginning I access the student and discuss with them and or the parents which direction they want to go with the lessons. One direction is a generalized lesson plan learning all styles of drumming and music. Another direction may be a more focused lesson plan learning a certain style or certain technique. In any event I like to accommodate the student but also give them the opportunity to be exposed to other directions they can go if they desire.