Rates

In-Home Rates

Studio Rates

Drums Teachers

Simon Miminis
Vennie Tu
Tyler Davloor

Frequently Asked Questions



Q: How much do drum lessons cost?

A: Affordable drum lessons at Neighbour Note start at $35 a lesson for studio and online drum lessons, and $40 for private lessons in-home. This is for 30 minute music lessons. Forty-five minute lessons cost $50 for studio and online drum lessons, and $55 for private lessons in-home. Sixty minute lessons cost $70 per hour for studio and online drum lessons, and $75 per hour for private lessons in-home.

Q: What kind of drums do you have at the Neighbour Note Music School?

A: The Neighbour Note music studio has a Pearl Vision acoustic drum set, and a Roland V Drums TD10 digital drum set. They also have a couple of Alesis Nitro digital drum sets and a Roland V Drums digital drum set.

Q: How long are drum lessons?

A: Toronto drum lessons at Neighbour Note are thirty, forty-five, and sixty minutes in length.

Q: Do I need my own drums to start music lessons in Toronto?

A: The short answer is yes. You can either buy or rent a drum set or percussion instruments at a local music store or online. Buying a used drum set or percussion instruments is a good option. Renting is the most affordable option short-term.

Q: How will my first lesson go?

A: The first drum lesson or percussion lesson is free and consists of a thirty minute lesson and consultation. Here, drum students will learn some basic drum techniques such as the flam and paradiddle among other things. For pitched percussion students, our drum teacher will show some basic scales and rhythms. For percussion, basic rhythm and hand techniques will be taught.

Q: What are the benefits of drumming?

A: Learning to play the drums, either the drum, or percussion, reduces stress, anxiety, and depression. It can lower blood pressure, burn calories, improve coordination, and make you smarter! It truly is a workout for mind and body. According to Dr. Christiane Northrup: “Drumming is a great workout for your brain and actually can make you smarter because when you drum you access your entire brain. Research shows that the physical transmission of rhythmic energy to the brain actually synchronizes the left and right hemispheres. So, when the logical left hemisphere and the intuitive right hemisphere of your brain begin to pulsate together, your inner guidance system – or intuition – becomes stronger.” Listening to drum sounds can also have the same effect as actually drumming.

Q: What do we need to start drumming lessons?

A: This all depends on which type of drumming lesson you choose. For drum set lessons you need either an acoustic or digital drum kit including drum sticks. For pitched percussion, a xylophone, metalophone, or glockenspiel is a great way to start. For non-pitched percussion a jembe, bongo, or instruments such as the clave or triangle are good starts.

Q: At what age can you start learning to play the drums?

A: You can start learn drums as young as three years old.

Q: What is unique about Toronto drum lessons at your school?

A: Toronto drum lessons at Neighbour Note are eclectic. We combine drum lessons with some percussion elements. This helps to isolate certain rhythms that may be difficult learning on the drum set. We also teach a wide variety of music genres including music from video games!

Q: Where is your music school located?

A: Our music studio is located in the High Park neighbourhood of Toronto. The address is: 407 Annette St., Toronto, ON, M6P 1R7.

Types of Toronto Drum Lessons We Teach

At Neighbour Note we teach non-pitched percussion, pitched percussion, and drum set music lessons (digital and acoustic). Non-pitched percussion instruments include: djembe drum, bongo drum, conga drum, cymbals, triangle, clave, castanets, cowbell, cup chime, drum stick, egg shaker, shaker sticks, gong, guiro, hand bell, hand chime, hi-hat, jam block, jingle stick, maracas, rain stick, tabla drum, tambourine, wood block, wooden fish, vibraslap. Pitched percussion instruments include: piano, celesta, xylophone, metallophone, glockenspiel, hammered dulcimer, marimba, pixiphone, song bells, tubular bells, timpani, tingsha, vibraphone, washboard, wind chime. Drum set lessons can be taken on any size acoustic drum kit or digital drum kit (within reason).

At Neighbour Note, the most popular percussion lesson is definitely the drum set. It is certainly the coolest! There are so many interesting designs and colours of drum sets. Acoustic drum sets have more variety in terms of colour and design. The problem with acoustic drum sets is that they are extremely loud. Digital drum sets are not as cool looking as acoustic drum sets but they have the ability to control the volume. You can even play with headphones! Digital drum sets also come with many different sound samples. You can choose to play numerous different types of acoustic drum set sounds as well as other sampled instruments. The sampled instrument sounds can include but are not limited to: brass instruments (trumpet, trombone, tuba), woodwind instruments (saxophone, flute, clarinet), stringed instruments (bass, violin, cello, guitar), timpani, rotary drum, wind chimes.

Music Lesson Registration
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Jennifer Carson
John is incredibly knowledgeable, kind and patient with my daughter (who is a chatter box). She really enjoys her lessons and he has instilled the love of guitar in her! Highly recommend John as a teacher and the Neighbour note!
SMC King
I have been taking guitar lessons with John for two months. Even though I started out with no prior experience, I appreciated that from the very beginning John's lessons are structured to teach you new chords that you can use to play songs you know. Lessons are fun and John sprinkles bits of music theory throughout, always thoughtfully and patiently answering my questions. Thank you, John!
Eric Somerville
At 5 years old I wasn't sure how well my son would adapt to music lessons. John creates a very flexible and accommodating space where learning is fun.
colleen reich
John is very friendly, flexible and an extremely talented and gifted musician/teacher. He has made it fun and easy for me to learn the guitar as an adult. I would highly recommend him!
Amanda Benn
I’ve been playing guitar for 10+ years but have been in a progress plateau for a while. I decided I wanted to improve (and wanted an after work hobby!) and found Neighbour Note. Working with John has been such a pleasure! He’s patient, laidback, and explains the theory behind what we’re learning in an easy to understand way. I’ve most definitely noticed an improvement in my finger picking skills and an increase in confidence which is exactly what I wanted! Definitely recommend Neighbour Note to anyone at any skill level.
Miranda Amoroso
I started taking guitar lessons with John at neighborhood note as an adult with some prior experience. He has been very patient and has structured lessons in accordance with my interests, while making lessons engaging and fun. I really look forward to lessons, and enjoy the readings and practice given as homework. I especially appreciate that he sends videos explaining thing we went over in lessons, which really help to solidify concepts.
paulina tchernikov
Honestly the best music lessons I’ve had compared to other places. I worked with John and he was always patient and kind during the learning process. He’s an easy person to ask questions, always corrected my technique, gave out easy short videos to follow for homework, was always flexible for rescheduling (make up lessons), and had a fast contact response. He helped me orient my personal style of playing and didn’t push any specific style onto me. I walked in knowing nothing about guitar and after I left I understood my way around the instrument (to where I could learn songs on my own). He made the lessons fun and he was always a great teacher. Thanks John!
Andrew Guy
My 10 year old daughter has had an excellent experience starting guitar with Neighbour Note. They are friendly and accommodating and she enjoys going every week.
Shannon Johnson
My 9 year old daughter has been taking guitar lessons with John for 4 months and absolutely loves them. The lessons are easy to follow and engaging and John provides feedback and follow up when new chords are learnt so she can more easily practice new material at home. Wonderful experience!
Tuyen Do
This is my 5 years old son first drum lessons, he loves it and loved his teacher. John has a great personality and is always willing to help, he even teach my son piano lessons when he wonder. I highly recommend Neighbour Note.
Carly Biggart
My daughter really enjoyed Neighbour Note. John, the instructor, was amazing at personalizing the piano lessons by her; teaching her snippets of her favourite songs. Daily practice was meant to be digestible . I cannot say enough good things about this company. Very flexible and great teachers.
Malgosia
My son started taking piano lessons when he was five and a half years old. After 6 months he wanted to quit. At this time we switched teachers to John Force. I couldn't believe the change! My son started to love the piano and would look forward to lessons. It has been over 2 years now and he is still going strong. John is patient, makes learning fun - he just know how to motivate kids. I couldn't recommend him enough.
Leigh Ann Wayland
My son loved his guitar lessons and my daughter was thrilled with her piano lessons. I was so happy to be in the comfort of my home as I witnessed my children's weekly improvements. Well done Neighbour Note and thank you!
Bob Harbarton
We could not be happier with Neighbour Note! They have an amazing teaching faculty consisting of University and College Professors, High School and Elementary School Teachers, and Rock Stars! Our piano lessons with Neighbour Note have been fantastic. I truly believe they are the best music school in all of Toronto! You rock Neighbour Note!