Professional Drum School was established in Hutchinson, Kansas in 1983. Students attend PDS from all over central Kansas including Pratt, Kingman, Inman, Cheney, McPherson, Buhler, Nickerson, Sterling, Valley Center and more. Students have gone on to perform in DCI corps including Blue Coats, Blue Stars, Troopers and Pioneer. Also, students have performed with the Hutchinson Symphony Orchestra, Hutchinson Municipal Band, Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony, the Wichita Music Theater for Young People, and many currently perform with their church praise bands.
The Drum School has a roster of 60+ students ranging in age from 7 through adult. All lessons are taught in a one-on-one setting. Also, the Professional Drum School has years of experience teaching students with various learning disabilities such as ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome.
PDS Mission Statement
Professional Drum School offers percussion education at its best!
Quality instructors teach with honesty, respect, compassion and an understanding of each student’s individual needs. PDS offers an exciting and safe environment where a student is measured by his or her individual progress, and has the opportunity to learn skills and gain knowledge for becoming a musician. The student is encouraged to reach his or her maximum potential through the experience of music and percussion.
Areas of Instruction
Drum set (all styles)
Concert Percussion
Marching Percussion
Timpani
Mallet Keyboard
Ethnic Percussion
Percussion Ensemble
Music Theory
College Prep
Tuition
Payments are due at each lesson. Other arrangements can be made to pay monthly at the beginning of each month.
Falling behind in payments can cause termination of the student’s lessons with PDS.
Fees
30 minute lesson – $25.00*
60 minute lesson – $50.00*
Sibling discount: 1st student – regular rate, 2nd student – less $5*
Returned Checks: $45.00*
*All fees are subject to change
Scheduling
Weekly lessons – most students schedule these.
Every Other Week – 2 per month – the student will be scheduled on the 1st and 3rd or the 2nd and 4th particular day of the month. If there should be a 5th day in the month, that is a ‘bye’ week unless requested. It will not change the rotation of 1st and 3rd or 2nd and 4th.
Our Instructors
Ginger Zyskowski
John Parker
John was educated for ten years at the Professional Drum School in Hutchinson Kansas, directed by Ginger Zyskowski. There he learned his mastery of drum set along with his skills in marching, orchestral, and keyboard percussion. John’s skills were further honed with Anthony DiSanza and Dennis Wilson at Kansas State University along with Steve Hatfield in Wichita Kansas.
Professionally, John has played with various performance groups. Most notably, these include numerous musicals with Crown Uptown Professional Dinner Theater and Wichita East High School. John’s contemporary playing is on display each weekend when he occupies the drum throne at Newspring Church, a venue that has given him the opportunity to participate in two recording projects and has educated him in modern stage performance technology.
A master of rock, pop, funk, and jazz drum set styles and possessing a professional level knowledge of other percussion instruments, John is able to bring his wide breadth of experiences to each teaching situation. Tapping into that knowledge, students can be ensured that they are learning from a true professional, gigging musician. You can learn more about John Parker by visiting his website, phatmandrums.com.
Kim Garey
Kim Garey a professional drummer in New York City. Kim has been playing drums since the age of 10, and has been studying, teaching, and performing on the instrument ever since. She began to study music privately with Ginger Zyskowski, then in her middle school and high school band and jazz band program, directed by Brad Shores, and then went on to study percussion and composition at Wichita State University, Wichita, KS. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with her double bachelor’s in Percussion performance and Music Composition, and her Masters in Music Composition. At WSU she studied with JC Combs, Tom Fowler, and Walter Mays. She has also continued her studies with such drum greats as John Riley, Joe Morello, Matt Wilson, Steve Houghton, Michael Spiro, and Allison Miller.
A native of Kansas, she moved to New York City in March of 2006 and kept busy with performance since her arrival. Since moving to NYC, she has performed with legendary jazz masters such as Junior Mance, Don Braden, and Tim Price. She performed regularly with the Jr. Mance Quartet, Tim Price/Ryan Anselmi Tenor Maddness Ensemble, Avi Wisnia, and Gina Fox.
Kim has moved back to the KS area and will be helping with subbing and developing ensemble classes at Ginger Zyskowski’s Professional Drum School.
Check out recording and videos at the websites of Kim’s NYC projects.
Ryan Coon, Guitar Instruction
Hutchinson native Ryan Coon has been performing and writing music for over twelve years. His guitar works are featured on the Nightcrossings program on Radio Kansas and has performed across the state on various festivals, dinner shows and coffee house events. He is versed in a variety of styles and has a passion for teaching. With his study of music education at Hutchinson Community College and his second solo album on the way, he is ready to focus on teaching. As an instructor Ryan focuses on the acuracy of every note and the passion it takes to become a great musician.
Policies and Information
Attendance
Students are expected to attend all lessons.
Lesson Cancellations
48 hour notice is requested. This will allow students on my waiting list an opportunity to schedule a lesson, or for a regular student to have a ‘make-up’ lesson.
Missed Lessons
A missed lesson without notice will be charged at the regular rate. After 2 ‘no show’ lessons, the student will be dropped and the lesson time re-assigned.
Student expectations
Practice = Progress! The student is expected to practice DAILY. Consistent practice will give the student confidence and allow him or her to be successful in mastering the instrument.
Lesson Materials
Students are expected to bring ALL materials and STICKS and MALLETS to each lesson.
Pre-Requisites
DESIRE to learn, PASSION for percussion, and a POSITIVE ATTITUDE!
PDS starts students at age 7. Students younger than age 7 can be evaluated to see if they would be ready to start at the drum school.
Visitors
Parents, siblings and/or relatives are welcome to observe lessons at any time. They are asked to remain quiet and attentive, but will be given time for questions at the end of the lesson.
Medical Concerns
PDS needs to be made aware of any and all student medical issues. If an emergency occurs, we need to be prepared to react quickly and responsively.
Substitute Instructor Information
In the event that I will need to arrange for a substitute instructor, every effort will be made to have a qualified and experienced instructor.
