Tim Kuchta - Drummer, Percussionist & Educator

FORMAL EDUCATION

  •  Bachelor of Music from Duquesne University (Jazz Performance), Pittsburgh, PA 1985
  •  Master of Music (Jazz Performance) from University of Miami 1987
Duquesne Diploma                    University of Miami Dipiloma

PERFORMING EXPERIENCE

Tim KuchtaMy interest in music started at a very early age. I can remember being very interested in the drums from the time I was about 7 years old. I starting taking drum lessons with Mary Sorick when I was 8 years old. Her teacher was Wm. F Hammond, a founding member of NARD, the National Association of Rudimental Drummers (in case you don’t know the 26 rudiments: www.drumnetwork.com). When I was in 4th or 5th grade I had my first “professional” gig. I got paid to play snare drum in a local marching drum and baton corps in Pittsburgh, PA. Then I played in middle school and high school concert, marching and jazz bands. When I was 16, my sister (thanks Laura!! - always one of my best supporters…and friends!!) introduced me to her boyfriend, a guitar player; soon we were Rockin’!! I was in my first rock band, The Arrows, and we played in various rock clubs in Pittsburgh. After that band it was Icarian. We played around the “Burgh” a bit and won a competition at Edinboro State College.

Always into a lot of different music, I also started performing with the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra at that time. Duquesne University was next. I studied jazz and classical percussion. Then it was on to the prestigious University of Miami where I got my Master on Music degree in jazz performance. While I was attending U.M., I started gigging around South Florida with all kinds of bands playing all kinds of music: a pop-rock trio @ Hollywood Beaches Howard Johnson (now the Marriot) and condo shows (those weren’t too much fun-but it was good experience for reading charts and doing live “theatre” type shows, which came in handy). Then I started playing with a Ft. Lauderdale band, the Groove Thangs, for about 4 and a half years. It was a great band with one of the biggest followings of any local South Florida band (then or now). We played locally, did a lot of traveling, including playing in Switzerland. It was lots of fun. Like the movie, we were “Almost Famous”. Many other bands followed, like SoBe Blue, who I performed with in Indonesia. Recently, for the last several years, I’ve been performing with 2 bands on a regular basis: the Nucklebusters Blues Band and the Funkabilly Playboys. Also, since the early 1990’s, I have also performed many times at the Broward and Kravis Performing Arts Centers, as well as the Parker Playhouse, the Caldwell Theatre, the Burt Reynolds Theatre, and too many hotels and nightclubs to mention!

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Professional Educator's CertificateI currently teach music at Sunrise Park Elementary in Boca Raton, where I started a band and percussion program (Fall of 2015), and Palm Beach State College in Boca Raton.  I taught at Miami-Dade College for about 8 years and taught many different classes: African Drumming Ensemble, Jazz and Popular Music in America, MIDI and Electronic Music, Music Appreciation, Jazz Workshop and private drum lessons.

Other part time teaching included being the percussion instructor at Loggers’ Run Middle School, Omni Middle School, St. Andrews, St. Alachues High School, Spanish River High School, U.M.’s Guitar, Bass and Drum Set Summer Camps and PBSC's Summer Youth College.

PRIVATE LESSONS

I started teaching privately while I was in high school. While I was attending UM I taught privately in Kendall and I have been teaching privately in South Florida ever since, either at a music store or at my own private studio.


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