Bio

A Juilliard graduate, Stewart Hoffman’s broad musical experience ranges from performances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Canadian Opera Company to gigs playing drums and jazz vibraphone. A dedicated educator, Stewart has over 30 years of experience teaching orchestral percussion, jazz vibraphone, jazz, rock and pop drum lessons in Toronto, Canada.

Stewart was a member of the private teaching staff at Crescent School for 17 years. He currently teaches private drum lessons, percussion and vibraphone lessons from his Toronto studio and online, and presents percussion clinics on both sides of the border for both teachers and students.

Stewart’s book, The Band Teacher’s Percussion Guide: Insights into Playing and Teaching Percussion is published by Oxford University Press.

Teaching Info

Take Private Drum Lessons in Toronto

Stewart’s drum lessons are first and foremost musical experiences, with power, speed, flexibility and independence skills all studied in order to meet musical ends.

While each student’s goals and interests play a large part in the planning and direction of his or her drum lessons, Stewart places a strong emphasis on the development of a secure and relaxed technique on both snare drum and drum set.

Students of all ages and experience are welcome.

Drum lessons may include the study of:

• rock and funk grooves
• jazz independence
• drum breaks, fills and the development of solos
• snare drum rudiments
• advanced reading and drum charts

Band and Orchestral Percussion Lessons

Students studying band and orchestral snare drum and mallet instruments will learn techniques based on those developed by the legendary Elden C. “Buster” Bailey, snare drummer of the New York Philharmonic for 42 years, and Stewart’s percussion teacher at Juilliard. Stewart’s goal is to provide student’s with a technique that is quick, controlled and – most importantly – relaxed. Developing reading skills and studying solo works for all instruments (which may include important orchestral excerpts and works for multiple percussion) are important components of the program.

Students of mallet percussion (xylophone, vibraphone, marimba) may chose to study 4-mallet techniques, music theory and vibraphone dampening and pedaling techniques.

With undergraduate and graduate degrees in music from the Juilliard School in New York City, Stewart is highly qualified to prepare students for arts-based high schools, university or college entrance auditions.

Jazz Vibraphone and Improvisation

Fundamental to jazz vibraphone performance, along with reading skills and 2- and/or 4-mallet techniques, is the study of improvisation. Students begin improvising with the blues, and continue with popular song and the classics of the Great American Songbook.

Listening skills are developed through ear training, studying jazz theory, chord-scale relationships and chord voicings. And all musical skills will be enhanced through careful listening to the music of great artists of the past: from Lionel Hampton to Milt Jackson and Gary Burton; from Charlie Parker to Stan Getz and Bill Evans . . . or any great artists that may serve as an inspiration.