The Teaching Concept
The education at the Wizdom Drumshed drum school in Marseille is aligned with the high quality drum educational concepts taught at the original Wizdom Drumshed in Long Island New York, USA by Global Drum Educator Dom Famularo.
To inspire students to reach their undiscovered potential and express themselves fully, it is important to provide a thorough grounding in the mechanics of drumming and the application of different techniques.
A short story about the origins of the Wizdom Drumshed...
 While growing up on Long Island NY in the late 1960s, Dom Famularo (see left) had the wonderful opportunity of frequenting the legendary New York music scene at the height of its musical life, regularly witnessing the performances of the phenomenal drumming talents of the day such as Buddy Rich, Max Roach, Jim Chapin, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Papa Jo Jones, Roy Haynes, Louie Bellson, Philly Jo Jones amongst others.
Being a young and passionate student of drumming, Dom was so awestruck by the level of mastery he saw applied to the drum set during these performances that he made it his goal to seek out where the source of this phenomenal technique originated.
During his research, the three names that were constantly mentioned to Dom by every drummer on the New York scene when asked were those of teachers Billy Gladstone, George Lawrence Stone, and legendary marching drummer and renowned teacher Sandford Moeller (see below right) who had developed their own way of integrating natural laws and principles of nature into drum set technique to create maximal efficiency of movement.
 However, his subsequent efforts to locate these masters with the hope of one day studying with them resulted in his discovery that they were no longer with us to share their secrets.
Refusing to accept the hypothesis that the secrets of these techniques had been lost with their teachers, the logical course of action was to seek out the students of Gladstone, Stone and Moeller and to learn from them.
Dom consequently studied the Free Stroke and advanced finger techniques with Joe Morello, Ted Reed and Arnie Lang who were students of Billy Gladstone and George Lawrence Stone, the originators of the Free Stroke principle.
As well as this, Dom also took lessons with the late Jim Chapin (see below left) who was the finest student of Sandford Moeller in 1938 and who exposed Dom and indeed many others throughout his life to the famous Moeller technique that is so extensively and effectively used by the very top drummers of today.
 During 35 years as one of the most highly esteemed drum educators in the world, Dom continued to pass on the techniques that he learned from his teachers to drummers around the entire world, and to take the educational aspect to the next level, designed a modern day solution to describe the mechanics of natural movement on the drum set, ‘The Range of Motion`.
What is the Range of Motion?
Based on the effective use of the Free Stroke and Moeller whipping techniques using different hand positions and with different dynamic applications, The Range of Motion encompasses all the different combinations of finger, hand and arm movement so effectively applied in modern drum set playing by such players as Dave Weckl, Jojo Mayer, Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Smith, Tommy Lee, Steve Gadd to name but a few.
What is happening today...?
Dom continues to teach these concepts, helping to unlock the potential of thousands of upcoming drummers, maximizing the educational process with the development of his purpose built state of the art teaching facility `The Wizdom Drumshed` Long Island New York. (see below).
 Now, with the collaboration of the Wizdom Drumshed in Quebec Canada with Stephane Chamberland and in Marseille France with Rob Hirons, the transmission of these techniques is entrusted to a further generation of teachers around the globe, each with their own personality and style of education.
While the techniques of the forefathers of drumming have been passed down since the early days of drum set development, the methods of transmission from generation to generation have changed according to current needs and developments.
Today, the study of modern drum set playing requires a modern approach with up to date teaching and coaching methods that exploit up to date technology and teaching resources.
 The mastering of natural movement described in the Range Of Motion for both hands and feet is essential to develop speed, power, control and endurance – the physical element of drum set playing to develop unused potential as described in the Range of Expression (see left).
Equally important and complementary to this is the development of the emotional element, the student’s own voice and vocabulary at the drum set.
The latest multimedia technology available at the Wizdom Drumshed enhances the development of the vocabulary and individual expressivity necessary to share the passion of drum set playing with others, whether it is to be in a professional situation or for personal fulfillment.
Based on the notion that students progress faster when they’re learning to play by playing to learn, teaching sessions at the Drumshed feature the latest drum tuition books with multimedia play along support, interactive DVD demonstrations, (see below) and internet access to online learning material.
 The student now has more options than ever to tap into their undiscovered potential, combining proven learning methods with other important development skills such as reading, listening and watching that allow them to develop their own voice at the drum set in alignment with their own pre established personal goals and objectives.
In between every teaching or coaching session, the learning process is supported by email follow up containing important assignments in the form of workbook exercises, play along development material, DVD lessons, web research and online lessons that are to be pursued in parallel by the student to maximize the learning potential.
This innovative approach allows the teaching process to remain aligned with the technological advancement that exists in all aspects of today’s world, linked with a strong respect and fidelity to the proven techniques passed on from past generations of innovators since the early days of drum set playing.
The drum student of today is very much part of this process - he may himself choose to accept the responsibility of continuing the cycle by passing on what he has learned to a future generation in his own unique way, whether that be in the form of assisting enthusiastic students in a teaching environment or by expressing his voice during live performance, influencing others by sharing his passion.
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Download the Range of Motion charts for hands and feet here
Range of Motion Chart (Hands) - demonstrates :
• The three principle hand positions using different muscle groups
• The two styles of movement exploiting the Freestroke and Moeller concepts
• Three differents references of amplitude of movement for different dynamics
Download Chart
Range of Motion Chart (Feet) - demonstrates :
• The two different foot positions using different muscle groups
• The three combinations of movement possible depending on foot position
• Three different references of amplitude of movement for different dynamics
Download Chart
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