Thursday, November 4, 2010 at 11:51AM NOW TEACHING PRIVATE LESSONS IN LEWISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA!!
Contact Galen today for more information on booking your first lesson…
As a teacher, Galen is patient, knowledgeable and encouraging. His approach to teaching drums emphasizes fun, engaging, and individually tailored lessons that combine foundational skills with the creative rewards of improvisation. His students enjoy one-on-one instruction with unique access to some of the best modern educational drum tools. Using a refreshing mix of song transcriptions, method books, and audio/video recordings, Galen is able to provide his drum students with challenging practice materials to work with throughout the week. He began teaching privately in 2007, and as a measure of the success of his approach to teaching drums, Galen has seen his students receive summer camp scholarships, attend collegiate music programs, play on recordings, and tour internationally.
“The exciting part about drum teaching is passing on the inspiration that music offers us in our daily lives. From understanding our physicality and creative expression to attaining a deeper appreciation of cultures around the world and building meaningful friendships, drumming can open our lives to uniquely rich and diverse experiences!”
Galen has taught both privately and in the Piedmont, California School District where he worked as a percussion clinician and director of the Jazz Lab Band. He is also co-founder of the GrooveLab after-school enrichment program, and has travelled to student music competitions in New Orleans, Manhattan, Vancouver, and Hawaii. Galen has stayed active in the music education community by attending California Music Educator Association (CMEA) conferences in northern California. Currently Galen is teaching remotely worldwide on online music education platforms, and offering in-person private lessons in his home town, Lewisburg Pennsylvania!
After being deeply inspired by Carlos Santana’s percussionists and a thrilling performance by the zydeco great Queen Ida, Galen was captivated by the drums and began playing early on at age 10. Exploring music through drumming became a constant pursuit, a calling. During college, Galen studied sound design at Bucknell University and jazz history at the Santa Rosa Junior College before receiving his B.A. in Art and Social Change from the New College of San Fransisco with an emphasis in improvisational music from Berkeley’s Jazzschool and the Ali Akbar College of Music. Galen has taken private lessons with Jack Lawton of Lawton’s Ludwig Drum Co., Mike Clark, and Scott Amendola. He has attended master classes by drumming greats Billy Cobham, Brian Blade, Alex Acuna, and Dafnis Prieto, to name a few, and small group classes with Peter Magadini (author of “Polyrhythms- The Musicians Guide”), Colin Bailey (author of “Bass Drum Control”) and tabla maestro Swapan Chaudhuri. Professionally, Galen has performed with a variety of Bay Area musicians opening for artists such as Les Claypool, Donald Harrison, Wil Blades and reggae singer Eek-a-Mouse. Aside from performing in Bay Area clubs, Galen has played in Europe and at venues such as The Palace of Fine Arts, Yoshi’s jazz club, and has accompanied a student ensemble at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Galen's recent projects include the San Francisco Bay Area modern jazz quartet, Dust Motif, who released their debut album, “RootBall” in 2018.
Find out what Galen's students are saying in these testimonials!
"My junior year Mr. Grant helped me and three other students start a quartet. With that quartet we have played shows all over including the well known Yoshi's. My senior year I started taking private lessons with Mr. Grant. It has been the most incredible and enlightening experience of my music career so far. I have had plenty of teachers in my life time but Mr. Grant has made me the drummer I am today. He has helped me with my auditions for college, my rock band Emily's Army and my quartet, D.D.G. Mr. Grant has made a lot of things possible for me and has opened new doors. I highly suggest taking lessons from him, you won't regret it."
-Joey Armstrong (SWMRS)
"Since I was a little girl, I always wanted to play drums. By the time I became middle-aged - I didn't think it was still possible. I started taking lessons with Galen in 2019. His patience, enthusiasm, and creativity with his lesson plan transformed me into a drummer actually playing with a trio. Whether it's in person or online, Galen is an excellent teacher. He turned my dream into a reality."
9/4/2023 Eli O.
“Galen is an excellent drum instructor! He has a knack for teaching. Galen ensures you work on exercises necessary to improve your technique while also allowing you to be creative and find your own style. He is the best drum instructor I've had!”
2/1/2020 Katelyn H.
“I’m 21 and have been playing percussion for 16 years now. Out of all the private instructors I've studied under, Galen is hands down my favorite. His sheer love and understanding of music is simply unparalleled. His incredible patience and determination to help you work through any beat, groove or fill is what makes studying under him such a pleasure. All in all he's a great instructor who I'd recommend to anyone, whether you've just started or have 15 years of playing under your belt. Go check him out, you won't regret it!”
1/28/2020 Christian M.
“Galen is the best. I wasn't convinced when my son asked me if he could take drum lessons. However, now 4 years later I am very proud of him and enjoy his drumming. Galen is invested in his students. He is a very strong and good teacher who inspires his students to be better and have a deeper understanding of music. My son is also in his jazz lab band at school. Every year they get better and better and it is clear how much Galen cares about his calling. On top of all this, Galen is a kind and fun personality and I only wish he played the violin so he could also teach my daughter.”
1/28/2020 Larua L.
“Galen is a gem. I could not have imagined a better experience for my son. He has a great manner that makes the lessons the perfect mix of fun and serious. We took lessons with Galen for over 3 years and only stopped because we moved out of the area. He brings so much passion for music i think it's really infectious for the kids. I highly recommend Galen!”
2/22/2020 Melissa D.
For more reviews, please follow the link to Galen's Thumbtack profile!
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Enjoy these videos showcasing some of the talented young drummers that Galen has had the privledge to teach over the years...
ABOVE: Drummer Joey Armsrong and SWMRS rocking there official video shoot for the song "Palm Trees".
ABOVE: Drummer Christian Malaspina at the helm with his project Mt. Eddy.
ABOVE: GrooveLab after-school enrichment instructors Galen Grant (drums) and Micheal Wynar (guitar) invite two former GrooveLab students to jam with Galen's Project West Quartet!
ABOVE: These short clips of Mr.G holdin' it down on the garbage can, and student vocalist Dylan Miller are from the APOLLO THEATRE in Harlem, N.Y.C. during a Piedmont High School A-cappella trip.