ONLINE LESSONS

Online Lessons

If you have an internet connection, you can learn to play the drums remotely. Online lessons (sometimes called ‘remote’ lessons) are available for adults who can’t travel to Oadby in Leicester UK for in-person sessions. Regardless of where you live in the world, if you can speak English, have access to a drum kit, and a reliable broadband connection, I would be happy to teach you.

Live 1-2-1 Lessons

This option is the online equivalent of in-person lessons. Each one last 30-minutes and takes place at the same time each week, on FaceTime, WhatsApp, or whichever platform works best for you. Places are limited but I will make every effort to accommodate you.

In these online sessions, you can learn:

Trinity Rock & Pop syllabus (Grades 1-8)
Trinity Drum Kit syllabus (Initial to Grade 8)
Reading music
Music theory tailored for drumming
Optimized practice techniques

Try a taster lesson to see if online learning is the right fit for you! Please note, there are no refunds for missed lessons, and lessons cannot be rescheduled if you cancel or miss them.

Contact Richard to express your interest or ask any questions.

Equipment Requirements

Assuming you already have a drum kit, here are some of the additional items you may need to acquire for remote learning.

Tripod Stand with tablet and phone holder (around £20): https://amzn.to/3O901Ag
Music Stand (around £10): https://amzn.to/3O9iVak

Online Lesson Guide

This short guide offers advice on the best way to approach online lessons, including how to set up your camera to get a good view of the drum kit.

Leicester Drum School

5.0

Based on 29 reviews

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Lucia J

2 years ago

Richard is a superb drum teacher, teaching with extensive knowledge of not just music, but of how children learn. My 8 year old (neurodivergent) son has been having lesson with Richard for nearly a year and has just achieved an outstanding result in his grade 1 exam. I would highly recommend Richard as a drum teacher.

Geoff Finlayson

Richard has been my teacher for 6 years and in that time guided me from Grade 3 through each one, to a Distinction in Grade 7. A very knowledgeable, patient and experienced teacher that I rate highly!

Rowena Burton

After showing an early interest in drumming, my daughter had a few group lessons with a peripatetic teacher at primary school. She then went on to have further 1:1 lessons learning the basics. We were delighted to find Richard at Leicester Drum school shortly after we moved to Oadby 2 years ago. Richard’s patient approach to teaching has meant that she has gone from knowing the basics, to passing her Trinity Rock and Pop Grade 2 exam with a Merit and excellent comments about her technical command and degree of fluency. She is happily continuing to tackle Grade 3 with commitment and confidence as a result. Thank you Richard.

Sarah Palmer

100% recommend this short in-person course for anyone new to drumming and/or finding it hard to get started on their own. Richard is a very good, experienced teacher. He explains things clearly and the three lessons are well structured. You cover quite a lot in a short time - and it’s good fun. I really enjoyed my lessons 😊

Ashleigh Ahlquist

7 years ago

Richard's a great drum teacher! I would recommend him to both beginners and more advanced drummers. I had a gap from drumming for a good few years so I've had quite a few teachers in the past and Richard's approach was perfect, he's patient and motivating and I look forward to every lesson- thank you !

Joe royley

My 10 year old son expressed an interest in learning to play the drums and we were very lucky to find Richard. My son absolutely loves his lessons with him. He reports that he is patient, skilled, enthusiastic and an all-round great teacher. With his tuition my son recently achieved ‘distinction’ in his grade 1 drumming exam in less than a year!

Katrina Finney

Richard is an excellent teacher - my daughter has really enjoyed her lessons with him.

Emma Pearson

8 years ago

My husband bought me drum lessons with Richard for Christmas and I have carried on since. He is very patient, takes his time but explains very well. He pushes me rather than sticking just with a basic pattern, will add in flares to test me. I would happily recommend Richard for anyone of all ages.

Shona Green

Richard is a patient teacher who is able to make drum lessons fun. His approach is kind and my son (aged 8) enjoys going every week. I would highly recommend him

Paul Featherstone

I have been taking my son here for a few months now and he really enjoys it, Richard is a great teacher and I would highly recommend his services if your thinking of taking up the drums

Joel Cane

I had drum lessons with Richard for around ten years and I looked forward to going every week. I learned so much from him that I went on to do music at college and hopefully one day It will be my career. He took my thought each of the eight grades and gave me the skills to play in any musical situation. Thanks Richard

richard dalby

I have been seeing Richard at Leicester drum school for several years and has taken me from complete beginner to taking my grade 5 soon. He's really patient and lets you learn at your own pace. He's a great player himself and can accommodate a really broad range of styles.

Jack Glover

After looking for a new teacher for several months I stumbled across Leicester Drum School. Shortly after I started having lessons I made great progress and reached grade 5 in a very short space of time. With Richard’s teaching I have developed a solid foundation in rudiments which I previously did not appreciate and have developed the skills to play along with a lot of songs I couldn’t previously. I would highly recommend this drum school to current drummers wanting to improve or even people with no experience at all.

Amy Pollock

My daughter was a complete beginner 2 years ago when she first started having drum lessons with Richard and she has made great progress. She has achieved a distinction in both of the Grade exams she has taken and really enjoys her lessons. I would recommend Richard to anyone looking for a drum teacher.

Rebecca Hames

My 14 year old son has been learning drums with Richard now for 3 years. He started as a complete beginner and has improved so much he is now loving playing in groups as well as on his own. He always loves going to his lessons and is keen to do well under Richards excellence guidance.

Matthew Norton

We have been really pleased with our son's drum lessons from Richard, he has progressed really well in a short time frame and really enjoys it too. Richard obviously knows his stuff and how to interact with students to get the most out of them in a structured yet relaxed atmosphere, and is a great guy to top it off. Thanks!

Matthew Cane

Richard has been an excellent drum tutor to my son for the past 10 years. My son Joel began drum lessons with Richard at age 8 as a total beginner. Over the next few years he took his Trinity Drum kit gradings reaching grade 8 at age 16. Throughout these years Joel has always enjoyed learning and developing as a drummer with Richards help. Richards passion for music helped my son as he took his studies to Leicester college to study music performance. Joel has played in several bands including the Enderby Brass Band and won individual awards for his percussion. Joel is now enjoying gigging with his own bands and we are both grateful to Richard for his help and support.

vicky shepherd

9 years ago

My son has been having drum lessons with Richard for over 2 years now and his confidence in life has doubled. He really enjoys drumming with Richard and is looking forward to reaching higher levels. I would highly recommend Richard to anyone looking for drum lessons

Adelheid Stevenson

13 years ago

My 10 year old son has been learning to play the drums since he was 6 years old with Richard and has recently passed his grade 2 with a merit after just 6 months of preparation! I could not find another teacher who would take my son on so young, but Richard was willing to teach him simply on the snare drum to begin with as he wasn't quite big enough for the drum kit. After completing grades 1 + 2 on the snare drum very successfully, Richard decided it was time to take him a step further and to have a go at playing the full drum kit. Now just four years on, my son has passed all of his 4 exams so far first time with 2 distinctions and 2 merits! This would not have been as easily achievable without Richard's constant support, encouragement and one-to-one tuition. I highly recommend Richard as a tutor for drummers of all ages and experience and cant wait to see my son flourish with his talent even further.

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