Chris Makes Music

08/26/2023

https://calendly.com/topherjames/free-lesson-day

If you want to skip the free lesson and go right into paid - I am happy to help you - just click the lesson time on the home page of calendly link here https://calendly.com/topherjames

08/25/2023

Leo is such a joy to have. A high school student, he plays in marching and concert band. We work a lot on drum kit mainly because I know he has instruction on other percussion in band classes. We started virtually in early 2021 and have continued to work in that format which actually works pretty well even on drum kit thanks to decent mics on these iPhones as well as the audio interface I run thru on my end. We worked thru “How To Play Rock Drums” by David Lewitt which lays out almost every kind of rock beat possible in a nice linear way. Leo can echo back about anything I play and so after the rock beat book we moved on to strengthening his time feel. Playing the notes is one thing, and as any drummer will tell you, playing time is a whole other beast. We have started working thru “Groove Essentials The Play Along 1.0 with Tommy Igoe”. This book is taking his knowledge of different beats, adding to it, and then putting those beats into practice playing an entire song. Each song has three grooves provided, Leo will play thru and I follow along on the chart in the book and give him pointers. It's been a huge joy seeing him grow as a drummer!

08/24/2023

Amy is fun, she loves to rawk! Shes taught me about Dokken and other 80's bands I have never heard of (I was a child of the 90's). She is kind, dedicated, and diligent. She found me in June 2021 having played drums in the past but never had formal instruction. We worked at her pace and it took a while to fall into a groove (no pun intended). She came to the realization that if she wanted to truly improve that she needed to surrender to the process and allow herself to re-learn drums entirely and not rely on old habits. Her supportive (musician) boyfriend has helped a lot offering suggestions and helping her at home (which can be seen from the notes scrawled in her books). Sticking with it one hour a week, she now can read just about any rock groove I put in front of her on the kit and she keeps a very solid beat. I chose to go with note reading for her because of the way I saw her respond to it and per her wishes. I feel it has matched with her personality to conquer this goal and shes really gotten good at it. She already could “play” drums before but now she understands notes and her drum vocabulary has expanded ten fold because now she has the written language down. It's been a really fun journey I’m so glad she stuck with me (she even left for a bit to explore other options of teaching but ultimately came back). I am proud of what she’s been able to accomplish in a relatively short time and I really enjoy having her as a student!

08/23/2023

A little background, sign up for a FREE lesson Sept 28th https://calendly.com/topherjames/free-lesson-day

08/22/2023

Free Lesson Day Sept 28th - Make an appointment https://calendly.com/topherjames/free-lesson-day?month=2023-09

08/22/2023

September 28th, take a lesson with me NO CHARGE

08/21/2023

https://calendly.com/topherjames/free-lesson-day

08/20/2023

https://calendly.com/topherjames/free-lesson-day

08/19/2023

https://calendly.com/topherjames/free-lesson-day

08/18/2023

Interested in drums? I teach as young as 7-8 and as old as ? Try it for free - - https://calendly.com/topherjames/free-lesson-day

08/17/2023

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08/16/2023

https://calendly.com/topherjames/free-lesson-day

08/16/2023

Violin Lessons - https://calendly.com/topherjames/free-lesson-day

08/15/2023

Songwriting Lessons - September 28th 2023 https://calendly.com/topherjames/free-lesson-day

08/15/2023

https://calendly.com/topherjames/free-lesson-day

08/13/2023

Announcing the first ever FREE LESSON DAY! Sepember 28th. Sign up today - link in comments.

01/06/2023

If someone is looking to up their skills or learn a new one! Violin, guitar, drums! My current openings, first lesson is free no obligation to sign up!

Tuesdays: 3:55p-4:25p (weekly), 5:30p-6:30p (bi-weekly)

Wednesdays: 2:55p-3:25p and 4:50p-6:50p

09/21/2022

Currently signing up new students. Tuesday 4p-7p block (half hour at $35 or hour at $50) are open. I am offering TWO free lessons if you sign up for a month of lessons so that' a 50% discount on your first month. This offer lasts until the last day of September. Drums, violin, or guitar. (thanks to Mitchell Multimedia for the photo)

Classically trained since 10 years old, violin is like another limb to me. Fiddle, classical, young or old I think of every student as a blank slate carefully learning they're style and catering my teaching toward the individual. Every student is different but we’ll typically do a combination of b...

07/14/2022

Just a little tidbit from a lesson with one of my high school students.Been teaching out of a book which goes through about every combo of rock beats you can do on the kit (I can’t remember the title but I will post it here eventually) he loves Zeppelin so we have been working through some sheet music that has a ton of tunes in it, he is loving that! The other day we switched gears entirely and looked at one little drum riff. It was a 16th note pattern-Bass drum, snare, high tom, low tom, and back to bass drum. Pretty simple linear drum fill thing. I had him play it and then write it down and then put it in different contexts playing it at the end of a measure on beat one, on beat two, three, etc. I love taking a magnifying glass to something like this and making an entire lesson out of it - he enjoyed it and I really think it took his playing to a different place.

04/11/2022

I've got a 5p-7p block free on Tuesdays. Would love to fill them with a few lessons, half hour ($35) or hour ($50. Drums, violin, guitar, writing songs? Let's do some songwriting lessons. Also, here's a picture of a puppy.

02/23/2022

I recently posted this on my Topher James artist page per a request after I covered this great song by H.E.R. - a small sample of my teaching. Keep it simple and play some tunes that you love. Enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEa3lxtx5ZU

This is a request in response to the Can't Help Me (by H.E.R.) cover I did a while back. I play it on my Cordoba mini so remember when I reference for exampl...

12/10/2021

One of the things I feel is very important is to listen. Listening is patience, it's not thinking you have all the answers but understanding that the answer is within the student. Sometimes that can be hard for them to find but if you empower them they can find it with a little bit of leading. Young kids can shut down quickly if you don't listen to them. I take it very seriously to learn the style of the student and then go from there. It may take a little more time to get started but if you start a garden with good soil, you grow a lot of great flowers. Too many metaphors maybe but hey, that's me.

05/19/2021

I see each student as a blank slate learning their personality, and guide them to where they want to go. Hobbyist, professional, or in-between! Sign up today, first lesson is FREE when you mention this post.

05/17/2021

Sign up today pm me here or at ChrisMakesMusic.com

03/23/2021

Signing up Songwriting students now! Easiest way to schedule your first FREE lesson is here https://calendly.com/topherjames

Welcome to my scheduling page. Please follow the instructions to add an event to my calendar.

12/18/2020

06/23/2020

A casual fun way to learn guitar with friends new or old! Online only for now. Sign up at https://calendly.com/topherjames/acoustic-guitar-club?back=1&month=2020-07

05/21/2020

Casual, fun, social - the guitar club is designed for the beginner and the hobbyist. Guitar lessons should be fun and we do it in a group setting (online right now via whatever app makes the most sense for everyone). It's all about learning new tunes and new chords. So far we've learned Stand By Me, Hey Ya, Brown Eyed Girl, Three Little Birds, House of the Rising Sun, and many more in a matter of months. Sign up with a friend or be paired with another beginner. 2 people is probably the best but we can go 3 max. Only one month comittment required at $35 per lesson. Sign up today https://calendly.com/topherjames/acoustic-guitar-club?month=2020-06

04/18/2020

Got an old guitar collecting dust? Need a new hobbby while in quarantine? A casual group lesson now online via Zoom - May Guitar Club Wednesdays at 6:30pm - sign up here https://calendly.com/topherjames/acoustic-guitar-club?back=1&month=2020-05

04/18/2020

CMM is not just a lesson studio, we help with artist development as well. We have been working with Matthew Morgan with his next ep. A seasoned performer, Matthew weaves unique synth sounds with acoustic guitar creating a genre all his own. We look forward to sharing the record with you soon. In the meantime check out https://matthewmorganmusic.com/

Home page of Matthew Morgan, an americana, folk, indie, pop, rock, songwriter artist from Chicago, IL. Matthew Morgan is an urban folk singer/songwriter who has built a loyal following in Chicago's independent music scene. With an appreciation for m