Drum Yoda

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About

A freelance career drummer with 14 years experience. Background includes rock, jazz, country, big band, and studio work. An avid student of the drums, and a teacher for more than 40 years. Study background includes: Jim Blackley, Claude Ranger, Paul Delong, the Ontario College of Percussion, and the York University Jazz Program.

A Personal note

My musical career was cut short when I was still relatively young. I had entered the Jazz Program at York University in Toronto to further study my craft when, half-way through my second year, I began to suffer extreme pain and a loud ringing in both ears. Within a few weeks I was forced to leave music completely. Still, in all my years away from music, I never felt that I'd stopped being a musician or a drummer. I continued to work out rhythms in my head and to devise ways to communicate drumming concepts.
It has been only recently that medical insight into my type of hearing damage has offered me an opportunity to rejoin the drumming world, and I am pleased to be able to pass on my knowledge and experience through teaching.

About the name

I chose the name Drum Yoda as a tribute to all the great drum teachers who, quite literally, march to their own drummer. Although there are many teachers who are deserving of  the title  Drum Yoda,  I especially want to acknowledge the profound impact that Jim Blackley’s teaching has had on me and countless other drummers around the world. The title also reflects my somewhat obsessive interest in the philosophical side of drumming.

905.844.2379

rwdbest@gmail.com