18 independent music instructors currently teach at MockingBird Music - more bios will be added soon!

Fred Vaini, Drum Instructor • Playing drums for 20 years. • Teaching drums for since 2002. • Diverse range of styles including jazz, rock, Latin, funk and those that call for odd time signatures. • Favorite artists include Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, Weather Report, John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Al DiMeola and Ignicio Berroa. For Fred, it all began with the Italian Tarantella. As a boy he was fascinated by the rhythm of this festive, whirling folk dance often played at weddings and other celebrations. By the way, a Tarantella is most often played in 6/8 time possibly explaining Fred’s continuing interest in unusual meters. His drumming is testament that he hasn’t lost any momentum from those early years. Music has been a constant in his life. At this point he ponders the infinite nature of music and how it crosses time, distance and cultures and how it’s had such a positive impact on so many people’s lives. Most of all, Fred finds music to be as much fun as it’s always been. He encourages his students to learn slowly and correctly and be patient with their progression. He suggests trying a wide variety of styles, even those that the student may not favor, because each style contains its own unique drumming techniques. Fred’s favorite part of teaching is watching his students grow as musicians and people.

Eric Anderson, Drum Instructor • Fourth year student at the New England Institute for the Arts studying Audio Technology and Engineering, Music Production and Theory. • Playing drums for 10 years. Eight years of private lessons. • Has been teaching drums since 2005. • Has performed in clubs and venues throughout New England including the Tweeter Center’s Locobazooka. • Favorite artists include Steve Smith, Journey, Dream Theater and Greg Bissonet. Eric has been a mainstay at MockingBird since we moved to Mansfield in 2000. First as a customer, then as a student, then as a volunteer helping us move to our new location. Before long he was engineering the occasional recording session and now he’s our Second Engineer and has two full days teaching drums. One thing we know for sure about Eric: he’s a hard worker! That’s reflected in the advice he gives to all his students: “Practice a lot and strive to be better than average.” Eric follows that advice himself, both in his role as a drummer and recording engineer. Through his dedication to both pursuits Eric has developed a keen ear for musical detail, an important quality both in the studio and in drum lessons. He shares this with his clients and students by offering his perceptions of their work, helping them to develop the ability to hear in new ways to further develop their talents.

Dustin Patrick Drum Instructor Bio coming soon!