Brief History -

Hey, I'm Dave. I started teaching drums at the Lounge in '05 and like the old saying goes, "time flies when you're having fun!". Here is a brief list of some of the music related things I've been up to:
· I've been playing drums since 2000 and have been teaching since 2004.
· I'm currently studying music at Sydney Uni and only have one year to go to complete my degree.
· I was honored to receive the "Best Metal Drummer" award in the 2009 Australian Metal Awards.
· I was a finalist in the prestigious Billy Hydes play-offs in 2004 and 2005.
· I've have extensive experience playing live in both originals and covers bands.
· I've recorded as a session drummer for numerous bands and solo artists.
When I'm not teaching, practicing, reading about drumming or listening to music you can find me working on material for my band, OUROBOROS. We're currently working on our debut full length album to follow on from our 2007 EP. So far we've managed to have our videos played on RAGE and have just won the best unsigned band award in the 2009 Australian Metal Awards. We've also been fortunate enough to tour with some of the best metal bands in the world including Necrophagist, Cannibal Corpse, Psycroptic and The Faceless.

Although I love heavy metal, my first paid jobs in music were actually playing in a jazz band! I’ve also been involved with various covers bands that had me playing everything from Disco to Swing, Motown to Latin, Funk to Reggae and Rock to Pop. I’ve even dabbled in some wild jazz fusion for the Billy Hydes play-offs.

My Educational Philosophy -

I think the most important aspect of teaching is keeping the material relevant to the student. I do this by tailoring the course to each student's needs and interests while maintaining a fun and friendly atmosphere where it's ok to make mistakes. Part of this process is setting goals and working towards achieving them. These goals could include working on music for school, playing favorite songs, composing original drum parts, playing in bands, working as a professional musician and much more.
My job is to encourage students to grow as musicians and give them the tools they need to express themselves creatively and effectively. Depending on the student, these tools may include developing effective technique, learning to listen analytically, learning to read and expanding horizons with different musical styles & approaches. To help with this process I draw from a large library of drumming method books/notes, thousands of CDs, a growing collection of videos as well as my own material which has been painstakingly assembled over years of teaching.

My Musical Interests-

I’m inspired by many, drummers. If I had to list some of my favorites, I couldn't leave out Morgan Agren (Fredrik Thornendal's Special Defects), Hannes Grossmann (Necrophagist), David Haley (Psycroptic), Bobby Jarzombeck (Spastic Inc), Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree), Gene Hoglan (Death, SYL), Milan Troha, Sean Reinert (Cynic, Death, Gordian Knot), Tomas Haake (Meshuggah), Vinnie Colaiuta (Chick Corea), Dave Weckl (Chick Corea), Steve Gadd (Chick Corea).

Styles Of Music Taught -

While my specialty is metal & rock drumming, I also love teaching Jazz, Blues, Funk, Brazilian and Afro-Cubin styles as well as new styles like Jungle Drum 'n' Bass.