14 search results for "year end"

Gettin’ Good – Volume 1

Published by otto on March 31, 2016

Those of you that read this regularly (for the two weeks the site has been around) know that this site came in part as an outgrowth of my work with Musician’s Notepad. Editing the site for the last year and a half I have had the responsibility of writing two ‘year end wrap up’ posts, and in both of them I have mentioned the idea of ‘Getting Good’ again.

My drumset playing has really fallen off in the last handful of years. One of the reasons I decided to go back to school was that the band I was in and was dedicated to had broken up. I was burnt out on relying on others for my musical destiny and needed to take matters into my own hands. Going back to school let me be completely self motivated, though those of you that knew me then also know that I can’t keep out of trying to make things bigger and involve more people. I started to work on classical percussion, and got ‘ok’ at it. My kit playing that was pretty good went by the wayside.

During that same time I started picking up the guitar more and working on songwriting. I took this approach because I didn’t want to be in yet another group where I was not in control of moving the project forward. I could either be a solo act or have a band and no matter what I was in control of the destiny of the music. Eventually the band became just as important, and then more important, to the music as I was, and as most bands do it eventually fell apart. By the end of everything I had ignored my drumset skills for the better part of a decade.

For the last year since that happened I’ve been in a musical abyss. Uncertain of where I’m going or what I’m doing. Realizing there are aspects of music I have been working for that I do not want, and realizing that there are aspects that I should be chasing down. This past December I had a two conversations with two of my best friends in the world that really inspired me. A few weeks later, Musician’s Notepad missed its first Wednesday content release since its inception because I was busy researching where I want to take things and where I want to go. In the post I mentioned that it will be life changing for me. I don’t mean to be vague or coy, in fact I’d be happy to talk with anyone about it if they message me, I just don’t want my plans to be public yet.

I will talk about step one of this plan though, which is that I need to get back to being good. I feel that to be able to confidently step forward I need to be in the best playing shape of my life.

For the last three months I have been practicing drumset consistently. My feel has come back, my chops have come back, and I’m really happy with my playing. I think that my practice technique is better than ever and I am getting more out of the time I am putting in than I ever have. Mentally I am feeling much better as well. I feel less lost. An adult student of mine likened it to going to the gym. It goes good, it goes bad, it goes easy, it goes hard, all around it makes you feel better and you feel bad when you miss it. Three days in I got that musician’s high. You know, where it’s like something is playing through you and all the choices you make musically are the right ones. I hadn’t had that in forever.

So I guess the point is that I am on the right track. I’ll let y’all know how it’s going as it goes. Originally my plan was to use the fifth Wednesday of every month for these kind of updates on The Musician’s Notepad. As I don’t want to conflict with the standard release schedule of The ‘Pad I’ll drop one of these every 31st of a month. Thanks for paying attention.

Otto

Parent Tip Series – Stage Fright

Published by otto on March 8, 2021

More in the series of short videos designed to help parents help their students get more out of their music lessons.

Parent Tip Series – Overcoming Stage Fright

At Otto Percussion Studio we specialize in Drum and Percussion lessons for all ages and abilities. Give us a call or text at 248 783 6520 or send an email to otto@ottopercussion.com to set up lessons. If you’re local to Lake Orion, Rochester, Troy or the surrounding areas of North Oakland County, MI you can come directly to the studio. If not, we can set up lessons over the great series of tubes known as the internet!

Video Transcript

Hi Facebook, Jeremy Otto from Otto Percussion here to help you help your student get more out of their music lessons.

It’s recital season here at Otto Percussion Studio and today we’re going to talk about “Stage Fright” because It’s really common to have a student be extremely confident in lessons and at home during practice leading up to their performance and then freeze up on stage. But how do we combat stage fright?

My first professional gig was a standard 3 forty-five minute set bar gig. While nervousness had welled up in me before for some previous performances for school band and the like, it was nothing like the stage fright I felt before this gig; but the show must go on. We hit, and lo and behold about 20 minutes into that first set, I just stopped being nervous. My fight or flight response just eventually had enough and turned off.

Cut to many years later, where I’ve gone back to school for music and I’m playing in my first classical concert since high school. I’m on stage getting set up to play my first notes on the chimes and I’m staring at my involuntarily shaking hand wondering how in the world I’m supposed to hit the right note if I can’t hold my hand steady. This was MUCH worse than the last time I had stage fright.

Because classical percussion does not replicate the constant engagement experience I had at the other gig,I eventually decided the answer was to just perform as often as I could, and that is the suggestion I have for you. Make your student perform often and on a regular basis. And by perform, I don’t mean stand by the basement stairs with the drumset turned the other direction. and I don’t mean just pop your head in their room. Make an event of it. Make them the center of attention. Make them move to a different area, preferably in the central gathering place of your home. Get as many people to watch as possible, Mom, Dad, Siblings, Grandparents, Friends and Neighbors. Make little brother put down the video games and give the “Please set all cell phones to silent” speech. Make sure the performer knows the attention is on them. Put the pressure on. Do this often, like once a week often.

So how did I really get over stage fright that second time? Well, about three quarters of the way through my ‘play as often as possible’ experiment I ate it, really bad, on a really well known piece, in a solo performance, in front of a large group of music school students and faculty. My stage fright didn’t go completely away after that performance, but it quickly tapered off to the point where it is no longer an issue. I no longer have any problem making a fool of myself in front of others. The fact is that everyone eats it now and then, we just need to get over the fear of that happening.

So the takeaway for today is just to make your student perform, like perform perform often. Make them practice the performance like you make them practice the music.
Thanks for watching. Maybe leave a comment of any cool performance ideas you have, or maybe the one about how you overcame your stage fright, or of course we can talk about it at lessons. If you haven’t already please ‘like’ the page and maybe share this video with others that might find it helpful. Thanks again, Lets hit it.

Don’t Practice More, Practice More Often!

Published by otto on January 6, 2020

This is the first in a series of videos designed to help you help your student get the most out of their music lessons!

Parent Tip Series – Practice More (Often)

Video Transcript

It’s the new year and every musician’s resolution is ‘This Year I’m Going To Practice More.’ While we often think about this in terms of total time, what is really more important is that we practice more often.

Getting better at a musical instrument, especially percussion, has a lot to do with building muscle memory, and as a former teacher of mine was fond of saying “You can’t cram a motor skill.”

The more days per week you can get your student to practice the better. While the amount of time in those practice sessions will vary from student to student I often say I would rather have a student practice 10 minutes 5 times over the week than an hour just before their lesson.

The easiest way to keep up with all the practice is just to give it a place in the schedule. Make it part of doing homework, right after school, or in between dinner and bedtime. Just like going to the gym for that New Years Resolution, it’s a tough sell at first, but eventually you start to crave it.

So the two things you should take from this are:

So the two things you should take from this are
(1) Don’t just have your student practice more, have them practice more often.
(2) accomplish that by putting it on the schedule and making practice a habit.

If you have any questions about how much your student should be practicing please send me a message or of course we can talk about it at lessons.

otto

Percussion Ensemble

Percussion Ensemble

Published by otto on May 9, 2019

August 12th thru August 16th 10AM-2PM – Concert August 17th – $125 (Current Students – $100)

Get back into shape for the school year by getting together with other percussionists and hitting things! We’ll knock the summer rust off while having fun and reading all sorts of percussion literature. Whether you’ve a been a diligent practicer or you haven’t touched a stick since mid June, playing in a group will reawaken your ensemble listening and reignite your passion for percussion. Camp will conclude with a concert at the Otto Percussion Studio summer recital Saturday August 17th.

This camp takes place at Otto Percussion Studio, 243 W. Tienken Rd, Rochester Hills, MI 48306, from 10AM to 2PM with a half hour from 12-12:30 for lunch. Students must provide their own lunch. Recital Time and Location TBA.

Students should bring their own sticks and mallets. A device to which the student can stream music and/or a metronome is highly recommended. Students may wish to bring their own headphones, and/or practice pad, though these will be provided as needed.

Once payment is made we will send an email confirming your registration for the camp! Registration Deadline is June 7th, 2019

Current students of Otto Percussion Studio receive a 20% discount on this clinic. Please contact me separately before you sign up so I can apply the discount to your account.

Click Here to Register for the Percussion Ensemble

Snare Maintainance Clinic

Snare Maintainance Clinic

Published by otto on May 2, 2019

June 29, 2019 – 12PM-1:30PM – $35 (Includes a Batter Snare Head)

Snare not sounding great? Is drum tuning confusing to you? Does your snare have the same head on it that it came with when you bought it used three years ago? We can get that drum up and running and teach you how to keep it sounding just the way you want it. Bring your drum! We’ll go through it from top to bottom, talk about each part and how it should function, make adjustments, lubricate the moving parts, put a new top batter head on it (included in the $35 price), explore different tuning and muffling strategies, and more. Keep your drum sounding great! Sign up today!

This clinic will take place at Otto Percussion Studio, 243 W. Tienken Rd., Rochester MI, 48306. Once payment is made we will send an email confirming your registration for the camp!

Current students of Otto Percussion Studio receive a $10 discount on this clinic. Please contact me separately before you sign up so I can apply the discount to your account.

Register for the Snare Maintenance Clinic Here

Summer Camps 2019

Published by otto on April 9, 2019

SNARE DRUM MAINTENANCE CLINIC
June 29th 12:00PM-1:30PM – $35
(Current Students – $25)
Bring your snare! We’ll learn how to change the heads, adjust and lubricate all the parts, inspect the snares, and tune the drum! Tuning range and muffling options will be explored. Get that drum sounding perfect! Price includes a batter side snare head!
(Click here to register, or fill out the form below for more info!)

BEGINNING DRUMSET CAMP
June 24 Thru 28 – 10AM-2PM – $125
(Current Students – $100)
No experience necessary!!!! This camp is for percussionists with little to no experience behind the kit. Whether you’re an absolute beginner that has never picked up the sticks, or a seasoned veteran percussionist that just has never had the opportunity to sit on the throne, we’ll get you grooving in no time. We’ll cover a variety of styles, charting, drum fills, soloing, and more. Get the experience and confidence you need for that jazz band audition, pops concert piece, starting a band, or just for fun!
(Click here to register, or fill out the form below for more info!)

DRUMSET INTENSIVE
July 8 Thru July 12 – 10AM-2PM – $125
(Current Students – $100)
Designed for the middle/high school intermediate to advanced drumset player looking to take their playing to the ‘next level,’ whatever that level may be for them. In this camp, we will explore the balance of disciplined approach and creative expression needed to become an artisan on the drums. Students will be led through a guided process of creating their own path to their achieving goals, with specific objectives for the long and short term, including a goal set for the end of camp. Students will not only learn how to create their own curriculum for this, but will also take part in creating curriculum for each other.
(Click here to register, or fill out the form below for more info!)

SNARE CAMP
July 29 Thru August 2 – 10AM-2PM – $125
(Current Students – $100)
Do your hands feel lazy by the time fall rolls around? Lets fight the summer lull by working on our hands!! In this camp we’ll go through fundamentals, rudiments, and “chops.” We’ll learn the history of the snare, talk about different types of snares, grips, sticks, and their uses. We’ll talk style, genre, and approach. Most of all we’ll play! Exercises, etudes, solos, ensembles, we’ll play anything and everything and come out at the end with chops of steel!
(Click here to register, or fill out the form below for more info!)

PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
August 12th thru August 16th – 10AM-2PM (Concert August 17th)- $125
(Current Students – $100)
Get back into shape for the school year by getting together with other percussionists and hitting things! We’ll knock the summer rust off while having fun and reading all sorts of percussion literature. Whether you’ve a been a diligent practicer or you haven’t touched a stick since mid June, playing in a group will reawaken your ensemble listening and reignite your passion for percussion. Camp will conclude with a concert at the Otto Percussion Studio summer recital Saturday August 17th.
(Click here to register, or fill out the form below for more info!)

Camp Details
All camps takes place at Otto Percussion Studio from 10AM to 2PM with a half hour from 12-12:30 for lunch. Students must provide their own lunch. Students should bring their own sticks and mallets. A device to which the student can stream music and/or a metronome is highly recommended. Students may wish to bring their own headphones, and/or practice pad, though these will be provided as needed. Please register by calling 248-783-6520 or filling out the form below. Registration Deadline for ALL CAMPS is June 7th, 2019. Current Students may register directly through My Music Staff. Thank you!

Summer Camps 2019 Pre-Registration Form

Please fill out this form if you are interested in registering for an Otto Percussion Studio Summer Camp. Once you have submitted the form we will get back with you shortly to answer any questions and complete registration. Thank you!

Sign Up For Lessons Today!

Published by otto on September 19, 2018

Jeremy Otto is a percussionist with over 15 years and hundreds of students worth of teaching experience. He holds a degree in Music Education from Oakland University. Along with running Otto Percussion Studio he is an in demand clinician and performer.

For a longer bio, click here!

Check Out the Youtube Channel

SUMMER CAMPS 2018

Published by otto on April 16, 2018

Camp Descriptions are below. Please fill out the form at the bottom or call 248 783 6583 to reserve your spot!

SNARE DRUM MAINTENANCE CLINIC
June 23rd or July 21 – 10:30AM-12:00PM – $30
Bring your snare! We’ll learn how to change the heads, adjust and lubricate all the parts, inspect the snares, and tune the drum! Price includes a batter side snare head!

MALLET WRAPPING / MAKING CLINIC
June 23rd or July 21 – 12:30AM-2:00PM – $30
Have an old set of yarn mallets that have come undone? Learn how to rewrap them, while making a set of rubber mallets at the same time. Don’t have an unwrapped set of yarn mallets? No problem! We’ll wrap that set of newly made rubber ones, turning them into a set of yarn mallets! All materials included!

Make a day of it! Take both the snare maintenance clinic and the mallet wrapping clinic on the same day for $50

Clinics are held at Otto Percussion Studio. If students take both clinics it is recommended they bring a lunch for the 12-12:30 break.

BEGINNING DRUMSET CAMP
June 25 Thru 28 – 10AM-2PM – $125
This camp is for percussionists with little to no experience behind the kit. Whether you’re an absolute beginner that has never picked up the sticks, or a seasoned veteran that just has never had the opportunity to sit on the throne, we’ll get you grooving in no time. We’ll cover a variety of styles, charting, drum fills, soloing, and more. Get the experience and confidence you need for that jazz band audition, pops concert piece, starting a band, or just for fun!

Camp takes place at Otto Percussion Studio. Camp runs from Monday July 9th thru Thursday July 12th,10AM to 2PM with a half hour from 12-12:30 for lunch. Students must provide their own lunch. Students should bring their own sticks. A device to which the student can stream music is highly recommended, as well as earplugs. One set of foam earplugs will be provided if needed, but if the student has a nice set of plugs, it is recommended they use those. The same goes for headphones. They will be provided as needed, but it is recommended they bring their own if they have a set they prefer. Please sign up ahead of time by calling 248-783-6520. Space is limited to 4 campers.

NEXT LEVEL DRUMSET
July 9 Thru July 12 – 10AM-2PM – $125 – Up to 4 Students
Designed for the drumset player looking to take their playing to the ‘next level,’ whatever that level may be for them. In this camp, tailored to the individual student, we will explore the balance of disciplined approach and creative expression needed to become an artisan on the drums. Students will start the camp with a realistic evaluation of their playing and a look towards where they want their playing to go. Students will then be led through a guided process of creating their own path to their goals, with specific objectives for the long and short term, including a goal set for the end of camp. Students will not only learn how to create their own curriculum for this, but will also take part in creating curriculum for each other.

SNARE CAMP
July 23 Thru July 26 – 10AM-2PM – $125 – Up to 5 Students
Let’s work on our hands! In this camp we’ll go through fundamentals, rudiments, and “chops.” We’ll learn the history of the snare, talk about different types of snares, grips, sticks, and their uses. We’ll talk style, genre, and approach. Most of all we’ll play! Exercises, etudes, solos, ensembles, we will work our hands. All snares will be provided, as well as pads, though if the student has a favorite pad they are encouraged to bring it. The same goes for sticks. We will be using varied types of sticks for different applications, but if the student has a pair they prefer, they are encouraged to bring those.

Camp takes place at Otto Percussion Studio. Camp runs from Monday July 23rd thru Thursday July 26th,10AM to 2PM with a half hour from 12-12:30 for lunch. Students must provide their own lunch. One set of foam earplugs will be provided if needed, but if the student has a nice set of plugs, it is recommended they use those. Please sign up ahead of time by calling 248-783-6520. Space is limited to 5 campers.

PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
August 20th thru August 23rd – 10AM-2PM – $125-Up to 4 Students
Get back into shape for the school year by getting together with other percussionists and hitting things! We’ll knock the summer rust off while having fun reading all sorts of percussion literature. Snare, mallets, accessories, we’ll work together to work our way through the section! Camp will conclude with a concert on the last day!

Percussion Ensemble takes place at Otto Percussion Studio. Ensemble runs from Monday August 20th thru Thursday August 23rd,10AM to 2PM with a half hour from 12-12:30 for lunch. Students must provide their own lunch. Sticks and Mallets will be provided, though it is encouraged that students also bring their own sets if they wish. One set of foam earplugs will be provided if needed, but if the student has a nice set of plugs, it is recommended they use those. Please sign up ahead of time by calling 248-783-6520. Space is limited to 5 campers.

Please fill out this form to register. Shortly after we will send a confirmation email and a secure invoice. Thank you!

Gettin’ Good – Vol. 5

Published by otto on October 31, 2016

It seems like I’ve been saying the same things for the last couple of months. Those things are important, but they are repetitive, so I will try to say them quickly and in a manner that is commiserate with the weight of what they are before moving on.

I am finding myself with less time to practice, but I am still getting better. In fact, I am definitely in the best playing shape of my life. On top of that I am happy with the way I sound. I still want to improve it, but I like my output. Direct evidence of both being in great shape and sounding good is that the other night at rehearsal I totally pulled off some things I never would have been able to before. On top of that I did it without ego, or at least without the idea of “I’m gonna try and pull this off.” The moments I’m talking about just flowed out of my playing. They were not an attempt to do something cool, they were a result of the meeting of my ability and and a musical moment.

I think it’s important at this time to start to differentiate these posts a little more. I honestly thought it would take longer for me to be satisfied with my playing. It had always been a struggle before. Even when I wasn’t playing I’d get a few calls a year for gigs. I’d practice for them, but it was never great. I was never at the top of my game. I remember one specifically where I got a call for a startup wedding band. It was new players working together for the first time on new songs. I wasn’t expected to walk into a fully formed band and just sit in, there was some craft in working together. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to really dive back in to playing. I got the song list and started working, but I got bored quickly. While I could play the tunes, I wasn’t playing well at all. Nothing felt right. I was fighting it.

What I missed was that I needed to be working on me, not the songs. I wasn’t spending any time at becoming a better drummer. I was just trying to learn those songs. That’s why I got bored. Learning the mechanical spots of when and where to hit what part of the drumset is an inherently droll task. Certainly there are times when an insane combination of dexterity and coordination is exhilarating, but the second one can do it, it’s not as important as it was before. That’s what failed me all the times before. I thought I needed to work on tunes. What I needed to work on was me.
I don’t know what it was that lit a fire under me last January, but it’s been really amazing to become this better player. I don’t think I would ever get here, but here I am. Thank you for reading these as you have. This is not the end. I will continue to update on the 31st of every month that has a 31st, but they will be a lot less “yep, it’s getting better,” and hopefully a lot more “this cool thing happened” and “this was something that helped me in my journey.” That journey that is of course ongoing. Thanks for coming along with me on it.

otto

Bio/Contact Information

Bio/Contact Information

Published by otto on August 3, 2016

Jeremy Otto is a Detroit based drummer, percussionist, and most important to his identity, an educator. As with many players he’ll tell you he’s seen it all. From original rock to symphony orchestras, from percussion ensemble to triangle with a flute ensemble, from country covers to jazz on a boat as background music to be ignored, he’s played almost every gig imaginable.

Like many he fell into teaching after years of playing, and like many he saw teaching as a part of being a player – one of those things you did but wasn’t your main focus, like how your high school baseball coach was also the most checked out history teacher in the history of history teachers.

… and then the band broke up, and Jeremy wasn’t quite sure what to do next. There were still gigs, but the band that was going to make him a rockstar was no more. He started to realize that he really enjoyed his job teaching private lessons. He started thinking about going back to school. Five years later he found himself with a bachelors degree in Music Education from Oakland University.

TL;DR

Jeremy Otto is a drummer, percussionist, writer, recording engineer and mixer, audio producer, video producer, cinematographer, video editor, website editor, label head, music distributor, graphic designer, band teacher, conductor, arranger, composer, techie, and more. If it’s related to music, he’s done and continues to do it all. Most importantly however, Jeremy Otto is a dedicated music educator, looking to spread his knowledge and love of music to everyone, hoping to show them that they can do it too.

CONTACT INFO:
otto@ottopercussion.com
248-783-6520

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