KEVIN KATICH LESSONS
Welcome to my website! To contact me regarding lessons, recording sessions, shows, etc., please use the contact form directly below. To find out about lessons and read testimonials, keep scrolling down this page. To read my bio and listen to/view some of my work, please click MUSIC.
Contact
Instruction
Welcome to my lessons website! I am offering in-person instruction to students ages 7 and older at my studio in West Los Angeles (located at 2036 Cotner Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90025), and online instruction to English-speaking students ages 12 and older all over the world.
I assume you have come to this site because you either want to start your drumming journey or improve your overall playing, develop stronger mastery and control over your technique or expand your musical and/or stylistic vocabulary. You've come to the right place! I have been teaching freelance consistently since 2008 and have also been teaching at School of Rock West LA part time since 2013. I have taught students of all levels, total beginners to fellow working drummers, ages ranging from six to seventy. As a drum teacher, I teach Moeller technique and French technique for the hands as well as heel up, slide and heel-toe techniques for the feet. I go in depth with proper body mechanics, ergonomics, breath regulation and muscle memory development. I specialize in rock, metal and reggae drumming in particular, but I come from a jazz background and have years of experience teaching jazz, funk, rnb/soul/neosoul and various world genres as well. I cover groove/pocket, various approaches to beat placement to develop the right pocket for the right style, rudiments, hybrid rudiments, linear and non-linear phrasing, odd meters, polyrhythms and multi-stroke bass drum technique.
Once I get a sense of the student's level, I customize my instruction to their needs and wants. More often than not, the issues standing in their way have to do with technique, breath, ergonomics, proper body mechanics and proper rebounds. No matter the genres of music, I find myself teaching many of these same concepts universally. Technique aside, I cater my musical instruction to the student's desires and will introduce them to related genres/subgenres of music.
To recap, I am offering in-person instruction to drummers ages 7 and older in West LA and online instruction to drummers ages 12 and older. Please fill out the above contact form (with LESSONS in the subject line) and please specify if you are inquiring about IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION or ONLINE INSTRUCTION in your message. I will get back to you ASAP with rates and available times on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays for your first lesson.
Please scroll down to see some testimonials from former and current students!
Testimonials
“To be with such an approachable, fun-loving, yet remarkably talented musician 1-on-1 is a rare experience. With Kevin as my drum teacher for a solid 6 years, I am lucky enough to say I had this experience, learning an incredible amount and gaining a good friend along the way. Kevin taught me to play a vast array of musical styles. We’d work on a rock song one week, a funk song the next, and a reggae song the next. His diverse approach to learning and appreciating music helped expand my musical horizon. Kevin teaches a lot of high-level technique which can be applied to all types of drumming. With Kevin as my teacher, I was able to rapidly increase my skill level, going from knowing almost nothing to going on several tours with my band around the country. I’m extremely lucky to have had the privilege of learning from Kevin.” -Joey K.
“My name is Patrick Chavez, and before I started taking drum lessons with Kevin I did not have much of a direction to go in musically. Once Kevin became my instructor, my level of playing made massive jumps and I experienced rapid improvement each week. I’ve been Kevin’s student for a few years now, and under his guidance I have become a far better drummer and musician than I ever could’ve ever hoped to be. His teaching is second to none and his positive energy will always inspire you to get better. If you’re looking for a teacher to help you become the best drummer you can possibly be, look no further than Kevin Katich.” -Patrick C.
“I just wanted to take a moment to express my sincere appreciation for the amazing drum instruction Kevin has been providing to my daughter. It's incredible to see how much progress she's made since she first started taking lessons with him. Kevin’s teaching style is engaging and effective, and he has an amazing ability to break down complex concepts into easy-to-understand lessons. I've been consistently impressed by Kevin’s patience and enthusiasm, and it's clear that he truly cares about helping his students succeed. We're so grateful for the positive influence Kevin has had on our daughter's drumming skills, and for the way he has helped her develop a better understanding of music. Kevin is a gifted teacher and mentor, and we're fortunate to have found him.”-Julia C.
“I was a student of Kevin's for about five years. During that time, I don't think a single lesson went by without me learning something mind-blowing and simultaneously having loads of fun. Kevin is a teacher who will make you rethink the very concepts of drumming and question everything you've ever learned; his teaching will break down your technique and rebuild it from the ground up, bit by bit, until you become proficient without even noticing.”-Hannah N.
“My 14 year old son attends School of Rock Oceanside and loves every minute of it but he felt that he needed some extra technique lessons. I looked on Thumbtack and after reading all the positive reviews about Kevin we decided to try a session with him. From that very first hour we noticed a huge improvement in how tight his playing was sounding and he has gone from strength to strength every week. He really looks forward to his weekly session and is pumped how much more proficient his playing and technique is becoming. If you want to be the best then you need a great coach and we couldn’t be happier with Kevin.” -Jon W.
“We really can’t thank Kevin enough. There has been a huge improvement in our son's playing and love for music since starting lessons with Kevin. His knowledge of all sorts of styles and techniques is huge and how he is able to pass that on is very impressive. We have seen a huge jump in our son's playing, attitude and confidence. Thank you Kevin.” -Alison B.
“Kevin is an incredibly talented and experienced drummer and percussionist. He can teach a prolific range of styles and genres and he is great with kids of many different ages. We feel very lucky to have him.” -Shira M.
“Kevin is an amazing drums and percussion instructor. He is excellent with people of all ages (from kids to adults) and of all abilities. He is also one of the most reliable and personable people I know. Highly recommended.” -Deborah S.
“My son loved Kevin as a drum instructor. Kevin always made him feel comfortable and fostered his love of drumming. My son had grown so much as a drummer and we have Kevin to thank. Check him out, you won’t be sorry.” -Jennifer B.
“I've never had a more upbeat, fun and knowledgeable drum teacher. I could see my skill level drastically improve while taking lessons from Kevin. I like that he picks up on his student's skill level and works around it. If he knows the student is capable of something, he will jump through any hoop to make sure the student fully understands the concepts they are being taught, to the point where they can play the material fluently.” -Cole L.
"Kevin is a master musician and an awesome instructor. He has an easy-going, friendly, encouraging presence, while also being rigorous in making sure his students learn both skills and artistry. He's focused on the joy of making music and the importance of practice and muscle memory. Because he also works as an audio engineer, he can help drummers understand how their playing will fit into a band or an ensemble. He encourages his students to explore improvisation and other forms of percussion. Best of all, he's hilarious, and there's not much my 13-year-old son enjoys more than his drum lessons with Kevin. We couldn't recommend him more highly.”-Susan T.
“Kevin is always smiling and happy to see us. My son has been taking drum lessons from Kevin for about a year and he has learned so much in a short period of time. He’s become a better drummer and is very confident now. We’ve also worked with Kevin in the past on a performance show and he is a pleasure to work with. You’ll always get constructive and informative feedback with a positive message. He is a highly advanced professional drummer and a great person. Kevin has our highest recommendation. Thank you!” -Tara R.
“After just one month of studying with Kevin, my speed and comfortability around the kit has increased tremendously! The way that he’s able to make playing so much easier on your muscles and body has made it so that I am able to move super freely around the kit with ease. Studying with Kevin has been a great experience!” -Ryan C.
FREE PDF
Do you ever experience muscular pain or discomfort during or after practice/performance? Do you find that you contort your body into uncomfortable positions while playing intense and busy musical passages? Do you sometimes feel that your body is an adversary while playing? Do you find that you work way harder than you should? Are you self-aware that your posture and body mechanics are out of whack, but you aren’t exactly sure how to go about correcting them? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, please allow me to give you some pointers that I’ve learned from years of playing and teaching that are so simple yet easy to forget, but always make a world of difference in movement, precision, attack, tone and speed around the drum kit. Fill out the CONTACT FORM above with the phrase FREE PDF in the subject line and you will receive this PDF, 4 Essential Keys to Drumming with Ease in your inbox shortly. Yes, you read that correctly, I am giving this PDF away for FREE!
