Personal Statement

I have more than 40 years of experience as a professional musician, vocalist, entertainer, and producer. I bring the benefits of this world-class experience to my students in each and every lesson I teach.

As a working musician, I have backed nationally and internationally known entertainers and have also led my own show bands. I have worked in musical theater and industrial shows. I've worked in commercial recording studios as a musician, vocalist, voice-over artist, and producer and have also owned my own recording studios.

As a teacher, my students have been accepted at some of the country's finest music schools including Berklee College of Music and Indiana University. I have served as adjunct professor of jazz drums at UNC-Pembroke and I also have extensive experience in the area of marching music.

I teach drums to beginners through advanced adult students and trumpet/baritone to beginners through intermediate. I also teach beginning saxophone and beginning piano.

To learn more about me and my teaching methods, please see my lesson page at: BernettMusic.com/lessons.html

Education / Training

Over the years I have worked in USO shows, traveled with top-40 show bands, played in dinner theater and regional theater pit orchestras, worked in commercial recording studios, toured with the American Cavalcade of Big Bands, and backed internationally famous entertainers.

My recent jazz drumming credits include shows with Grammy-winning jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan, trumpet innovator Charles Lazarus, jazz vocalists Marlene Ver Planck and Melva Houston, and New Orleans trumpet phenom Shamarr Allen.

My past experience includes:

* Local Clubs (Indiana, Michigan, Chicago), 1968-1969
* USO Shows/Navy, 1969-1971
* Touring Show Groups, 1971-1973
* College Music Major, 1973-1974
* Dixieland and Shows (New Orleans), 1974-1975
* Touring Show Groups and Touring Pop Groups, 1975-1979
* Celebrity Theater, Dinner Theater & Studio Work (Chicago) 1979-1981
* Touring Big Band Review, Las Vegas, 1981-1982
* Corporate Shows, Studio Work, Club Dates (Mpls), 1982-1995
* Independent Audio and Video Producer, 1995-2002
* Drummer, Vocalist, Producer, Teacher, 2003-present

Over the years, I have played backup to: Steve Allen, Tiny Tim, Julius LaRosa, Steve Lawrence/Eydie Gorme, Jack Jones, Terry Gibbs, Art Lund, David Allyn, the Lettermen, the Spinners, the Temptations, Rodney Dangerfield, Redd Foxx, Phyllis Diller, Bill Cosby, Rich Matteson, Ray Papai's Nirva Nova Orchestra, Trumpeter Warren Kime, Bozo the Clown, Emmett Kelly Jr. Circus Show, the Cat's Pajamas, Fred Steele, Connie Foote, Duke Kane & Company, Skip DeVol, Paul Lennon, and a whole bunch of others that I've forgotten.