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A Powerful Approach to Teaching: Real-Time Practice with Your Students

As drumset teachers, we all want our students to succeed—not just in mastering an exercise but in understanding the true art of practice. Too often, lessons follow this cycle:

1. Assign exercises.

2. Send the student home to practice.

3. Check their progress next week.

While this approach has its merits, what if we took it a step further? What if, instead of simply assigning practice, we actually demonstrated what it should feel like in real time? Imagine giving your students the full experience of what’s required each day while they’re practicing on their own.

Teaching in Real Time: The Philosophy

Practicing effectively isn’t just about hitting notes or checking boxes. It’s about building focus, developing consistency, and internalizing the how and why of each exercise. As teachers, we have the opportunity to set the tone for this during lessons by practicing alongside our students in real time.

This...