John Bertrand has been developing percussive rhythms for,...well, a long time. Teaching drumming privately, he took his first student at 17 at the recommendation of his private music teacher, Glenn Celgia, Crane School of Music, and still continues to teach privately in the upstate community of New Hartford, NY. While studying at Syracuse University Mr. Bertrand performed with the Syracuse University Conservatory Percussion Ensemble and has continued private teaching working with ages 5 to 50 individually as well as groups. Mr. Bertrand has also worked with schools to create percussion ensembles to bring drummers and non drummers alike together, to enjoy the amazing primordial feeling community drumming gives. After working in the private sector, he returned to University to earn a Master’s degree in Education, Adolescent Psychology, to teach in the secondary classroom and is working toward an MBA in Human Resources and Organizational Behavior. Mr. Bertrand has also done master classes with Dom Fumalaro and Todd Sucherman and is a Certified Drum Circle Facilitator through his mentor and world renowned facilitator, Jim Donovan.
Today Mr. Bertrand has spent 35 years as a private music instructor, and nearly twenty years in the education classroom. In his desire to bring together his love of teaching drumming and rhythm, experience in private sector, writing countless lesson plans, coupled with understanding of team and leadership dynamics, in 2017 founded Lead with Rhythm with the belief that everything and everyone has a rhythm, and when you find yours, be it a individual, group, team, or company, great things can happen.
Our Story: Bring people together and break down barriers to communication and success… “ finding my rhythm”, is a phrase I have heard many times, in many circumstances, perhaps you have said it yourself. Individuals, couples, teams, and entire organizations have a rhythm, and once they tap into it, great things can happen. I have worked with couples, teams, groups, gymnasiums filled with participants, finding their rhythm with nothing but fun.
