Matt McFarland
Percussionist/Educator
Matt McFarland began playing drums at the age of 18. He felt that studying with great teachers would make up for any lost time. His extensive musical background in Piano and French Horn aided him in the theoretical study of the drums and teachers like Jeff Salem, Robin Boers and Arthur Hull more than helped in the study of the practical side. By his 19th birthday he was playing the Toronto circuit with local bands and beginning to develop a desire to teach. At the age of 23 he was teaching under Jeff Salem and helping to write what would later become the TIPS curriculum, an educational system focusing on creating a step-by-step process for learning percussion.
In the winter of 2003 Matt and Jeff formed TIPS (Total Integrated Percussion Studies) and began to realize their vision. The student response has been extremely positive. Apart from teaching drum set using their curriculum, Jeff and Matt conduct drum clinics all over the Greater Toronto Area. A recent introduction to the percussion arena has been DRUM CIRCLES - where Matt conducts and facilitates rhythm based events for children in classrooms and adults at the corporate level. This has been an overwhelming success.
More recently, Matt has been playing around GTA with the original band “Garner”. Matt is a member of Vic Firth’s PDT (Private Drum Teacher) program. This program focuses on creating universal teaching methods and educational material fueled by the educators on the roster.
Driven by a desire to learn, teach and play, Matt McFarland remains a dynamic individual in the Toronto percussion community.