Teaching

Drum Tuition with Rick Lacey

With over 40 years of live performance experience, I consider teaching not just a profession, but a privilege. Sharing the skills and knowledge I’ve gained throughout my career is both rewarding and inspiring, and I take pride in helping each student achieve their musical goals.

Teaching Locations:

• Monday & Tuesday: Rawtenstall
• Wednesday: Whitworth (Studio Studio)
• Thursday: Ramsbottom (The Royal British Legion)
• Online: Flexible sessions available via all major meeting platforms

I am a fully qualified tutor, trained to Level 4 PTTLS, and hold an up-to-date DBS check.

My teaching philosophy is simple: learning is most effective when it’s enjoyable. Every student receives encouragement, constructive feedback, and lessons tailored to their individual style and pace. Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate player, junior, or adult learner, I create a supportive environment where progress feels natural and rewarding.

From the very first lesson, students play behind a drum kit, developing skills through simple beats, fills, and rudiments. I offer guidance in reading music, as well as the freedom to play along with your favourite songs. All sessions are one-to-one, ensuring focused, personalised tuition.

Learning an instrument brings enormous benefits, particularly for young people. If you’d like to explore some of the research on this, please take a look here.

From the very first lesson, every student works directly on a drum kit in a dedicated one-to-one session. Beginners start with simple beats, fills, and basic rudiments, building solid foundations from the outset. Lessons can include learning to read music, developing technique, or simply playing along with your favourite songs — always tailored to your goals and interests.

I have a dedicated teaching studio in my home in Rawtenstall, equipped with a modified acoustic drum kit fitted with mesh heads for optimal response and playability. The kit features a high-end Jobeky snare with both head and rim triggers, allowing precise rim shots and cross-sticking.

All other drums are equipped with professional triggers connected to a Roland brain, while the dual-zone, chokeable cymbals provide a natural feel and realistic playing experience. The entire setup runs through a PA mixing desk into a Behringer speaker system, delivering a clean, clear, and punchy sound that accurately replicates the dynamics of an acoustic kit.

Sessions are either 30 minutes or one hour long

I teach on Wednesday at Studio Studio Whitworth using an acoustic kit. Sessions are all One To One and either half or one hour long.

Thursday sessions are held in the function room upstairs at the Ramsbottom Royal British Legion. I have a Premier kit, Sabian and Zildjian cymbals. It is gig standard so students have the real feel of an acoustic kit.

Booking sessions is easy! Please use my contact page here and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!

My Rawtenstall Teaching Studio

The kit I use at Whitworth, Rochdale is a PDP kit with Ufip cymbals. It is one of my gigging kits. It sounds amazing and students are learning on a real life working kit.

Everything is done on a One-to-one session basis during afternoons and evenings. I use the Function Room upstairs, it is perfect.

The kit in Ramsbottom is a lovely Premier APK. I have a real fondness for Premier Drums as I had a few in my early years. The Cymbals are Zildjian and Sabian. This kit is exactly like the one I had and gigged, in fact some of the cymbals I used to use when gigging.

I’m always adding stuff to my YouTube channel, not just drum tuition but other bits and ideas.  You’ll find it Here

The Ramsbottom teaching room

If you’d like to book some sessions in Rawtenstall or Rochdale please use my contact page here