Midcoast School Of Music offers personalized lesson plans and one-on-one instruction with some of the finest musicians in New England, focusing on mechanics, theory, and performance. Below, you’ll see the instructors available for drum lessons and have a chance to learn more about them. For more information regarding available lesson times at either of our campuses, please fill out the contact form at the bottom of this page.
Chris Marro
Chris Marro grew up in South Portland, Maine and began playing drums at the age of 9. After breaking all of his parents’ Tupperware lids, he began shoveling his neighbors’ driveways and mowing their lawns, to buy his first drumset. Shortly after he began playing along with rock and jazz albums for hours everyday and it wasn’t long before he knew he would making his living as a drummer.
Chris became involved in every musical activity his school had to offer, starting with 5th grade band. Since percussion was not offered, he decided to played clarinet for one year while he continued to practice drums on his own. In 6th grade, Chris was excited to play drums in his school concert band and jazz band. Following a suggestion from his middle school music teacher, Chris made his way down to the Saturday morning Jazz Jam sessions at the Bridgeway in South Portland. The session was led by two legendary Maine jazz artists, Alfred and Don Doane. Chris was so inspired that he went home and practiced “Blues in the Closet” for an entire week so he could sit in with the band. It was here that Chris got his first taste of playing “real music” and he was hooked!
It was at this time in Chris’ life that he began taking formal drum lessons. Chris wanted to make sure that he studied with the best teacher he could find and he was lucky enough to work with the incomparable Phil Verrill. Phil was more than a teacher to Chris, he was a mentor. Phil pushed Chris week after week to work as hard as he could and always try his best, advice that he feels he would have been lost without. It is this information that Chris feels is the most important to pass on to all of his students.
Chris continued playing through high school and was involved in the school concert band, wind ensemble, jazz band, percussion ensemble and marching band. In preparation for college, Chris auditioned for the University of Southern Maine jazz combo as a junior in high school and made it into their top jazz combo- beating out senior music majors. In the same year, Chris was a founding member of the Southern Maine Youth Percussion Ensemble. In 1999, this group won the WGI world finals, held in Dayton, Ohio.
After graduating high school, Chris started his private teaching practice in the greater Portland area at The Drum Shop. Shortly after starting at The Drum Shop, Chris was contacted by local educator and musician, Tony Boffa, to teach drums at the Tony Boffa School of Contemporary Music in Westbrook. Chris maintained his tenure at both locations for close to 10 years.
While teaching privately, Chris also kept his passion for marching percussion alive by writing and teaching for the highly acclaimed Westbrook High School marching band (1999-2002). In 1999, under his direction, the percussion section took first place at the Citrus Bowl marching band competition in Orlando, Florida. Also, while under Chris’ direction, the Westbrook High School percussion section consistently scored in the top three in both local and national competitions. Chris also worked as a drumline technician for the Southern Maine Youth Percussion Ensemble. The group was a consistent finalist at the WGI world finals. Chris has also worked as a percussion adjudicator for the Maine Band Directors Association and has worked with a number of drumlines in the state as a marching percussion consultant.
Over the past ten years, Chris has worked with hundreds of students, becoming one of the most in-demand private drumset instructors in Maine. Due to Chris’ teaching philosophy, his students have consistently been accepted into District and All-State concert and jazz bands and prestigious music universities. Chris believes in the importance of teaching basic fundamentals to all students, whether they go on to play professionally or just for recreation. Students become proficient in music literacy, rudimental drumming, musical form, improvisation and a number of music styles including: rock, jazz, latin, funk, hip hop, R&B, and popular music.
Currently, Chris is employed by the Bath, Cape Elizabeth, and Westbrook School Districts as director of percussion. His private instruction philosophy holds true with public school classes as well. Chris was influential in the development of the percussion curriculum for grades 5-12 in both Bath and Westbrook, and the high school curriculum for Cape Elizabeth.
Chris also practices what he preaches, playing with a number of successful bands and musicians in the state. Most recently, Chris played with the Tony Boffa Band for 2 years and is currently the drummer for Retrospecticus; a funk, rock, R&B, soul band based out of Portland. In the past, Chris has played with Don Doane, Matt Fogg, Tom Snow, The Tony Boffa Trio, The Coronados and The Jim Ciampi Band, just to name a few. Chris is also a “first call” sub for a number of great local bands.
Chris’ latest accomplishment was opening The Midcoast School of Music with his good friend and business partner, Matt Fogg. In September of 2008, the two opened their first location in Bath, Maine. In July of 2009, the two decided to open a second location in Portland, Maine. The goal for the school was simple; to create a place where kids can explore their passion for music in a safe, welcoming environment.
Chris also holds a B.A. in Communication from The University of Southern Maine and lives in Saco, Maine. When Chris is not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Janice and their bulldog, Peaches.
Nathaniel Gowen
Nathaniel Gowen grew up in Westbrook, Maine. Though his family’s home videos suggest that he was percussively hitting objects at a much younger age, Nate was formally introduced to drums when he joined the fifth grade concert band at the age of 10. Under the direction of Phil Rich, Nate stuck with the band program throughout middle and high school, under the direction of Tony Boffa and Kyle Smith respectively. As such, Nate garnered much experience in concert drumming over the course of eight years after his initial joining date in the Westbrook Music Department, including experience on snare, timpani, mallet keyboard instruments, and auxiliary percussion. These instructors responsible for teaching Nate these skills were, for the first two years, Phil Verrill, and Chris Marro.
Nate was introduced to the drum set during the transition summer between middle and high school. His inspiration to pursuing the set drumming bloomed when he attended the concert of the Westbrook High School Jazz Band in the spring of that year. From that point on, he knew he wanted to be a drummer in a band like that, and that that was the music he wanted to play. Nate enrolled in the Tony Boffa School of Contemporary Music that summer and received drum set lessons from Chris Marro. He would take lessons with Chris for the next five years. His studies covered all sorts of styles, with specific focus in the jazz idiom of drum set playing, looking primarily into swing, Latin, and funk.
Since his freshman year in high school, Nate was, to his surprise and excitement, a drummer for the Westbrook High School Jazz Band and Jazz Combo, under the direction of Phil Rich and David Wells, respectively. The Jazz Band and Combo each placed first in the state Nate’s senior year, and, prior to his senior year, the Westbrook Jazz program consistently placed in the top three at each year’s High School Jazz Festival. Nate received statewide recognition for Outstanding Musicianship in the Jazz Band his junior year and in Combo in his senior one. In the spring of 2006, the combo formed as a band outside of school and played dozens of gigs over the course members’ high school careers. To this day, the “Kinda Blue” band continues to play whenever jazz, funk or pop music is needed.
Nate currently attends the University of Southern Maine as a Music Performance Major with a focus in Jazz Studies and also plans to pursue a Business Minor. He studies drum set with Les Harris, Jr. and studies classical percussion with Nancy Smith. In addition to drumming, Nate is fond of music theory and composition. He has some piano skills which he hopes to develop into professional competency on the vibraphone. Nate, outside of music, also enjoys good books, good movies and, most importantly, good jokes.
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