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Musician/ Drum and Percussion Instructor

Bio

Jim Lattini has been a senior adjunct professor of drums and percussion at the University of Massachusetts Lowell for eighteen years. He is currently the drum and percussion instructor at Lexington Public Schools in Lexington, Ma., and he is a home private instructor in Methuen, Ma. Jim has a B.A. in Music Education from the University of Lowell, and an M.M. in Percussion Performance from Boston University.

He has extensive performance experience with renowned jazz artists including Nick Brignola, Bobby Shew, Randy Brecker, Steve Marcus, Ricky Ford, David “Fat Head” Newman, Phil Wilson, Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, John Lockwood, Carmen Bradford, Marvin Stamm, Bucky Pizzarelli, Ken Peplowski, Clair Dee, and Terell Stafford.

He has performed with well known jazz groups such as The Bruce Gertz Quartet, The Bruce Gertz /Ken Cervenka Quintet, The Capital Jazz Orchestra, The John Allmark Jazz Orchestra, and Mark White and “The Last Trip”. In 1989, Jim toured with the Artie Shaw /Dick Johnson Orchestra throughout the United States and Canada.  He performed with the late Rebecca Parris, and has recently done an east coast tour with the Benny Goodman Tribute Orchestra featuring Ken Peplowski.

He has also appeared in numerous performances with internationally known shows and entertainers including The Fifth Dimension, The Four Freshmen, Buddy Hacket, The Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, Jeffrey Osborne, The Rat Pack, Byron Stripling’s Tribute to Louis Armstrong, Franco Corso, Joe Piscopo, Don Rickles, Joan Rivers, Pete Barbutti, and Steve- March Torme’.

He has also numerous television and motion picture recording credits including “Visions” on WLVI channel 56, Boston, Ma., the sound tracks of the television shows “Melrose Place”, “90210”,the motion picture “Analyze This”, and he appeared in Joan Rivers' documentary, "A Piece of Work". Some of his recording credits include, “The Bob Sinicrope Trio”, “Boston Gig” (featuring Enrico Rosa), Miles Donahue’s “Bounce" (featuring Joe Calderazzo and John Patitucci), Louise Van Aarsen’s “Destiny”, Rebecca Parris’s Grammy Award nominated album, “You Don’t Know Me” (featuring Houston Person, Jerry Bergonzi, and Gary Burton), and the most recent recording “Reflecting Forward” (The Palance/Wolff Project Part I).

His festival credits include the Boston Globe Jazz Festival, The Equinox Jazz Festival, and The Cape Cod Jazz Festival. He has also been a performer and clinician at the IAJE Convention in Boston Ma. in 1994. Jim has also done numerous drum set seminars and workshops at U. Mass. Lowell and Salem State University. He has also been an adjudicator for Massachusetts Northeast District and All State auditions. Jim is an endorser of Vic Firth products and is a member of the Vic Firth Education Team. He continues to use his passion for teaching to educate students of various ages, skill levels, and interests in traditional percussion and drum set.

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Customized Lessons to Fit Your Needs

I work with all age groups and will accommodate each individual's skill level, goals, and music desires.

Rates for 1 on 1 Teaching: Half Hour- $35    Forty-Five minutes- $52.50    One Hour- $70

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Lesson Policy

Percussion Curriculum Vitae

During my years of teaching drum set and percussion particularly at the college level, the primary purpose is to encourage the student to develop a solid foundation in technical facility, musicality, and overall musicianship in traditional percussion and drum set. The focus is to develop exceptional practice habits and musical problem solving skills which will lead to well prepared weekly lessons. Eventually students will acquire the ability to present a successful musical performance as an accompanist and as a soloist. The goal and outcome is for the student to become a well refined, knowledgeable musician, and also to become a well- rounded, versatile performer involving traditional percussion and drum set.

Some of the aspects of snare drum that are addressed include technique, developing an improved sense of time, rudiments, reading, dynamic control, various levels of snare drum studies, and standard repertoire.

As for keyboard percussion, the focus is on fundamental technique, major scales and triads, minor scales (all forms), developing an improved sense of time, reading, tone quality, phrasing, various levels of two and four mallet studies, and standard repertoire.

Timpani involves fundamental technique, developing an improved sense of time and control, tone quality, development of the roll, tuning, dampening, articulation, various levels of timpani studies, and standard repertoire.

Drum set includes snare drum technique, reading, application of various rudiments to the drum set, coordination studies with the focus on various styles and concepts including jazz, latin/jazz, funk/fusion, various ethnic/world rhythms, brush technique, chart reading, tune knowledge, soloing on the form (improvisation), transcribing, and compiling a listening library. The goal is to develop the student into a well rounded musician by addressing the many components of music including sense of time, sound, listening, and reaction skills on a consistent basis.

I have also had extensive experience teaching in an ensemble setting at the college level. The purpose of the ensemble is to provide students with a clear understanding of skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for ensemble performance from a classical and small group perspective including genres such as jazz, rock, latin, etc. These include adequate theoretical knowledge and technical facility for ensemble participation; rehearsal techniques and protocols; application of aural skills; development of sensitivity to ensemble tone, balance, and blend; development of phrasing and idiomatic understanding.

Contact Me

Please contact me for lessons, questions, comments, concerns, or business inquiries. I will be happy to answer.

Methuen, Ma

978-857-1452

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