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My name is Don Newby (or just "Newby" to many) and I am a professional drummer, percussionist, recording engineer and educator living in Lafayette, Colorado and I would like to offer my services as a drum and percussion instructor as well as a drumset and percussion performer

I began playing piano at age 5, drums at age 8 and have been performing professionally since I was 14. I also have over 50 years of teaching experience and have taught hundreds of drum and percussion students in the Boulder Valley. I believe I know what students need to be successful, not just in their school music program, but also in the world of professional music performance and business.

I studied Music Education and Percussion Performance at CU Boulder Music School, Drum Set Performance at Berklee School of Music and Electronic Music and Recording Engineering at CU Denver. I have done thousands of performances in the last 55 years ranging from orchestras, symphonic and marching bands, shows and musicals, big bands and jazz combos to virtually all forms of popular music, as well as hundreds of recording sessions.

I have performed with the jazz big band Pandaemonium, Tim Goodman, Gretchen Peters, Dan McCorrison, Junior Brown, Gidget Baird, Molly O'brien and the Blue Tips, Rumbleseat and many, many more. I played with Moment's Notice Entertainment for 30 years and currently play gigs with the Groove Nation Orchestra, Next of Kin, Ben There, Kid Charlemagne, Voodoo Syndicate, Rumbleseat. Silent Auction and the Ron Jolly Trio among others. I have also lately been recording with an online collaborative group called Wheatstone Bridge creating some songs/videos that are available on YouTube (see video links).

I've recently retired from Rocky Mountain Recorders in Denver where I worked for 27 years as an engineer. I specialized in production music and sound effects and managed the pre-production studio as well as overseeing our recording session back-up system.

I believe in an individualized teaching approach based on the need, desire and ability of the student and I use the method or combination of methods that seems to work best with each student. I teach rudimental snare drum, traditional orchestral percussion, mallets, hand percussion and all styles of drum set performance from big band and small group jazz to classic rock, punk, metal and progressive rock, pop, country and country rock, bluegrass, reggae, afro-cuban, r&b, hip-hop and breakbeat. I also teach music theory, ear training, reading and writing, acoustic theory, instrument set-up and maintenance as well as sound reinforcement and recording techniques.

I teach out of my home studio in Lafayette, Colorado and I offer half hour and hour lessons at reasonable rates. I believe I can really help you or your student drummer become more skilled and musical at all of their percussion endeavors.

Please email me at    newbville@comcast.net.   for more information.

Don Newby

Lafayette, CO 80026

Hours: By Arrangenet

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