Drum Kit
Holding the drumstick
Hold the stick between your thumb and forefinger. It should be able to swing easily up and down like a see saw with your thumb and forefinger acting as the fulcrum point. Let your other fingers rest gently on the stick, you want to feel relaxed.
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There should be about an inch to an inch and a half of stick poking out the back of your hand. Try to keep the back of your hand facing the ceiling so that when you pivot your wrist, your hand moves up and down.
With drums, the most important thing is to keep to the beat. It's okay if your grip or stroke isn't perfect. If you're not sure about your rhythm, try tapping the beat whenever you listen to music. This alone can help establish a good sense of how to keep in time. The description and images below apply to right handed players. If you're left handed, simply reverse everything like a mirror.
Ride Cymbal
Snare Drum
Floor Tom
Bass Drum
Tom Tom
Crash Cymbal
Hihat
Drums
Snare Drum
Snare Drum
The snare drum is so named because it has a snare, a series of metal wires that give the drum its distinctive sound. The snare is attached at opposite ends of the underside of the drum. One side has a latch which can be flipped to loosen the snare (switch it off), or tighten it (switch it on). The snare drum is the one in the middle of the kit and is the most played drum. Your legs should sit either side of it so your feet can rest on the two pedals.
Tom Toms
The tom toms are the drums that sit around the edge of the snare drum. There are usually three, one high, one medium, and one low. The low tom tom is to your right and sometimes sits on the floor (also called the floor tom). The high and medium toms are attached either to the bass drum or the cymbal stands and sit over the bass drum, behind the snare. They provide a variety of pitches and are often used in drum fills.
Bass Drum
The bass drum (or kick drum) is played with a pedal using your right foot. It is the lowest in pitch of all the drums and is often used in rock beats to accentuate the down beat. to get a good sound out of the bass drum, don't be afraid to really stomp on it.
Make sure the pedal is firmly attached to the rim of the drum.
Cymbals
Hihat
The hihat is operated both by hitting it with sticks and by the pedal under your left foot. It consists of two cymbals stacked on top of each other. The pedal when pressed down clamps the cymbals together, making a tighter, neater sound. If you lift your foot off the pedal, the cymbals will open and sound louder and more like the crash cymbal. When playing a beat, try to keep your foot down and the cymbals closed. Play the hihat with your right hand, which should cross over the top of your left (see image below)
Crash Cymbal
The crash cymbal is the loudest instrument in the kit and is often used for emphasis. To get a full sound out of the crash, play with your stick angling up slightly so the shaft (the main section, not the tip) of the stick is hitting the edge of the cymbal. If you use the tip of the stick on the surface, it will make a thinner, more tinny sound. If you plan to play drum kit frequently, invest in a pair of earplugs. It's a very loud instrument when done right and it's a good idea to protect your hearing from the beginning.
Ride Cymbal
The ride cymbal is played with the tip of the drum stick either on the bell (the raised part in the middle) or the surface of the cymbal. It can be used as a substitute for the hihat if you want the part to be louder, or in jazz to keep the swung beat. It looks a lot like a crash cymbal, but will hopefully have 'ride' written somewhere on it. If you're unsure which is which, try playing using the crash technique to see if it has a lot of rich overtones. If not, it's probably a ride cymbal. Rides also tend to be thicker.
If you have an instrument in your classroom that you'd like to learn how to use, make a request in the forum and I'll make a tutorial on how to play it.