Los Angeles Drum Teachers

Ben Richardson

A drummer since the 5th grade, Ben grew up in Washington, D.C., performing with both his high school's jazz band and D.I.Y garage punks The AK's. His lifelong love of the instrument has seen him to perform in a variety of working bands in Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles,  and also internationally, traveling as far as Germany and Finland.  

Educated at Harvard University (English Literature) and Musician's Institute (Drum Performance), Ben now works for hire in Los Angeles. A versatile, trained professional, he is dedicated to passing on his knowledge and love of the instrument through teaching -- volunteering in an LAUSD middle school, teaching after-school music classes with the LOUD music education program, and also taking on private students. Ben believes that within every student is someone searching for the joy of music, and his teaching approach combines a grounding in the fundamentals of technique and musical literacy with a sense of fun, exuberance, and creative expression.

Aaron Shadrow

Aaron Shadrow began his musical endeavors as a drummer at age 9. He quickly fell in love with music, and soon after took on guitar, bass, and piano. He has played in countless bands of different genres and instruments, including; drums in a jazz combo, lead guitar in an indie rock band, keyboards in a pop band, and many more. 

Aaron tested out of high school early to achieve a degree in Music Production from the Los Angeles Recording School. While instrumentation is still a huge focus on his life, his main daily workload relies heavily on the usage of DAW (Digital Audio Workspace) production (specifically Pro Tools and Ableton). 

Aaron is actively excited and eager to engage other musicians in their musical quest. While he is ready and able to teach beginner/intermediate lessons on drums, guitar, bass, and piano, he sees first-hand that the music industry has drastically changed, and that any musician who wants to make a living off of their craft must have a basic-advanced knowledge of DAW production. Ask Aaron about signing up for production lessons in Pro Tools and/or Ableton. Hybrid lessons are also highly encouraged (instrument of choice/DAW production).

Grant Jordan

Being a musician in Los Angeles has provided Grant with wonderful opportunities. Traveling the country, sharing the stage with some of the greatest players in L.A., playing on records and getting to teach all in the name of music.

Throughout his youth Grant played in school jazz bands and local rock bands but it wasn't until college that music became his primary focus. He studied jazz performance, earned a degree in Music Business and juggled multiple original projects during his 4 years at The University of Redlands.

In 2008 Grant moved to L.A. and began "cutting his teeth", learning quickly what it meant to be a professional musician; not just what was expected of him as a player but also the importance of preparedness, being on time, and a good attitude.

Grant has toured the country backing singer songwriter Benny Marchant, he was a two time finalist at the "Next Great Drummer Competition" sponsored by Sam Ash Music and is the drummer featured on the popular interactive music toy "Paper Jamz" Drum series.

Grant currently resides in Hollywood California playing and recording with various artists and performing with top L.A. music agencies.

Jeremiah “Miah” Palmer

Jeremiah “Miah” Palmer is a professional drummer from the San Francisco East Bay area. Having started his percussion instruction in elementary school at age 9, he played drums and percussion in the concert, symphonic, jazz, and marching bands. At age 15 he joined his first rock band, which he played with through the rest of high school. At 19 he joined the US Army, where he honorably served his commitment, and continued to play professional gigs around central Texas. In 2003 he decided to move to Los Angeles to study at the M.I. (Musicians Institute). In 2006, he accepted a position with The Van-Dells and had to move to Nashville, Tennessee. After returning in 2007, having received his Journeyman and Professional certificates in percussion from M.I. and he was hired on in 2007 as a classroom drummer, teaching assistant, and LPW (Live Playing Workshop) instructor, all the while playing gigs with L.A. bands and recording sessions. He now teaches privately online, at his home studio, and at both the Pasadena Piano Academy and Fountain Valley Music.

Daniel Beallo

Growing up in Los Angeles, Danny took full advantage of the multitude of music styles available to him to perform. Through his experience in the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts, he was able to at a young age play in a variety of styles. This program gave him the opportunity to play with jazz bands, singer-songwriters, percussion ensembles, rock bands, musicals, and with tap dancers. This experience gave him the skills to play in jazz bands with such musicians as Roger Neuman and Richard Simon; performing at the Central Ave. Jazz Festival, the Sweet and Hot Jazz Festival, and opening up for such artists as Daniel Glass, Jennifer Leitham, and Buddy Collette.

With the vibrant LA club scene, he has had the opportunity to perform at world famous clubs like the House of Blues, the Viper Room, Whiskey A Go Go, The Mint, The Rainbow Bar and Grill; opening up for bands including Flock of Seagulls and working  with producers including Roy Thomas Baker, and Jay Laura.

Along with a busy performance schedule, he has recorded at 4th Street Recording, Angelhouse Productions, Black Smoke Gallery, and has had his recordings featured in the movies Stomp the Yard and Obsessed; as well as 95.5 KLOS and 88.9 KXLU.

He is currently the percussion instructor at Culver City High School. He keeps a busy teaching schedule and can be seen playing around Southern California.

Jaron Takach

Jaron Takach is a professional drummer/instructor based out of North Hollywood, CA. In addition to a degree in music production from Ohio University Jaron has studied intensively under world-renowned drum instructor Bruce Becker who has taught megastar drummers such as Jojo Mayer, Mark Schulman (P!NK), Lucky Lehrer (Bad Religion), and David Garibaldi (Tower of Power), among many others. Furthermore, Jaron has worked with artists such as Effie Passero and Rayvon Owen from American Idol, the Billboard-charting Ollie Gabriel, and a plethora of independent artists.

Jaron's teaching philosophy is to combine teaching the students' their favorite music while they study the proper techniques and musical language to allow them to be successful. This approach allows for a more engaging and effective response by increasing the students' intrinsic motivation to excel at their instrument. Furthermore, he offers audio/video production knowledge to students which is a viable skill for both the modern day musician and content creator. 

David Rodenhiser

Dave has been playing drums for more than 35 years. He started taking lessons at age 11 and was inspired by Mike Derosier, Peter Criss, Ringo Starr, John Bonham and Bobby Rondinelli to name a few. Dave studied for four years with various teachers and then started playing in cover bands before starting his own band Leadfoot, which would go on to record and play clubs in the Boston area. This band featured Dave as not only a drummer, but also a songwriter and lyricist.

Over the years Dave has played with a handful of bands including The Eclipse, Natural Aggression, Cool Fool, Masque, Full Metal Rakket and In The Light. He has studied with Mike Mangini who inspired Dave to start teaching and write a drum method book called DRUM STUFF. Mike also told him, "If you want to be a better rock drummer, learn to play jazz". This would lead Dave to The Berklee College of Music where he met and studied with Rick Considine who helped him learn jazz independence.

Dave is also a studio engineer who graduated from the Northeast Broadcasting School with honors from the Recording/Engineering Program. He is currently in the recording studio with his original band XCEPTION and has done collaborative recording with guitar virtuoso Mike Gapys from Poland, over the Internet. Dave has been teaching privately for 17 years and has been a sound engineer in local clubs in and around the Boston area. He is currently in the process of learning to play the piano and is also an award winning published poet.

Forrest Mitchell

LA based drummer Forrest Mitchell blends a plethora of styles including Rock, Jazz, Funk, Latin, Trap and Heavy Metal to create a unique sound he has made his own. After graduating from Musicians Institute with an AA in drum performance and the "Outstanding Player Award", Forrest has been able to make a living as a freelance musician and educator in the LA area. With his positive attitude and determined work ethic on the stage and in the studio, Forrest has been fortunate to work with a variety of talented artists such as Jason Mezilis, Diana Ebe and Yard of Blondes.

As an educator, Forrest is very hands-on and methodical with his teaching method. Whether you are just picking up the sticks for the first time or you are a serious professional looking to take your career to the next level, Forrest will help you tackle all your weaknesses and highlight your strengths while still managing to keep it fun and exciting. With custom tailored plans for each student, Forrest will help you take your drumming to the next level!

Joe Turner

Joe has been playing drums/percussion for almost 30 years. He started taking private lessons in 4th grade. During his pre-college years he was involved in every music program offered at his school in Michigan. This included Marching Band, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, Pit Band and back up for the Choir. After high school, Joe turned his focus to writing and performing original music while attending Michigan State University. After working with many different groups and multiple nation wide tours, he moved to California to pursue music full time. 

Joe is currently a working musician playing with several different projects in Los Angeles and Orange County. He has steady work as a session drummer for Granted Records in Santa Ana, CA. However, he simply LOVES teaching! So with the precious free time he has available he chooses to indulge this passion and teach! Joe's positive energy and enthusiasm for music and playing the drums is contagious with all of his students!

Derek Vautrinot 

Derek is a session/touring drummer from Boston, Massachusetts who recently relocated to Southern California to further his career in the music industry. He started playing drums at 11, went on his first tour when he was 16 and continued to tour during school vacations until he was able to peruse music full time. Derek loves and adapts to all genres of music and his work as a drummer led him to tour the U.S. numerous times as well as tour internationally in Japan, Canada and Europe to play many different festivals. He's had the opportunity to open for names such as Portugal, The Man, Bone Thugs and Harmony, We Came As Romans, Four Year Strong and many many more. 

In recent years Derek began dedicating his spare time to consulting on social media marketing and teaching drums not only in passing his knowledge of how to play drums down, but also in how to build a career in drumming. What KIND of drummer do you want to be? Are you more than a drummer? 

Derek is here to help beyond just sitting behind the kit. He specializes in technique, best practices, how to get the gig, how to prep for tours/gigs/sessions, taking care of your body as a traveling musician and helping to create a reputable name as a drummer/creative. 

We hope you enjoy working with him!

Seth Jeremy

Seth Jeremy is available for one on one or small group lessons on the saxophone, clarinet, piano, guitar, vocals, beginning bass and drum. Available to all styles, ages and levels in your home or mine in Los Angeles, CA. Lessons are tailored to individual styles and goals. 

Seth has been teaching for over sixteen years, primarily working with children. He has worked with Grammy winning producers and touring musicians in helping them hone up on their music theory and piano chops. 

Seth Jeremy teaches the fun way by tailoring each lesson to fit the student's needs and goals.