Is this you?

• You’re passionate about playing the drums and looking for new challenges and input to make the next steps? 

• You often have questions and the wish for quick guidance but don’t know who to reach out to?
  
  

• You want professional feedback and support from an experienced drummer and drum teacher?

• You want quick answers, without having to wait until your next scheduled drum lesson?
  
  

• You enjoy traditional 1:1 lessons, but they’re not flexible enough and often don’t fit your schedule. 

• You want to work at your own pace, on your own time—without a fixed plan, but with ongoing support when you need it?
  
  

• You’d love to be part of a community of fellow drummers who share similar goals, inspire each other and grow together?

If this resonates with you, you might be in the right place. Welcome to my Drum Lesson Studio!

Here's how I can help:

My teaching system is based on a hybrid of asynchronous coaching and in-person lessons.  

While face-to-face lessons are excellent for direct interaction and immediate corrections, asynchronous coaching offers consistent, ongoing support. You will get all the necessary information, personal feedback, and guidance just as you would in traditional lessons, but with the flexibility to work on your own schedule and pace, and from anywhere you like. You will receive feedback much more quickly than the traditional way, leading to faster progress.

Combined with a community of motivated students, this will give you the ideal environment for deeper and more efficient learning and growth. It also makes our one-on-one lesson time (if you choose to have it) more focused and effective, since we won't need to spend time on things that can be handled outside the classroom. 

Face-to-Face Lessons
(In Person or Online)

In addition, you can add face-to-face lessons whenever you feel they would be helpful.  These can take place either:

• In person at my lesson studio in Kawasaki (located near Motosumiyoshi station), or 

• Online via video call. 

Some students find that coaching alone provides all they need, while others prefer a mix of both.  A common pattern is one 1:1 lesson plus coaching per month, but it's flexible, and we can adjust to whatever fits you the best. 

Who Is This For?

From beginners to experienced players, everybody is welcome to swing the sticks with me! The system works for all skill levels, and the more diverse our community, the better the learning experience for everyone. 

For the coaching and exchange, we currently use Google Chat, which is a simple and easy to use collaboration platform. All you need is a Gmail account and the Google Chat app, and you're ready to go. If you don't have a Gmail account yet, it's free to sign up!

More About Me

I am a professional drummer, music educator, and dad of two from Germany, living in Japan since 2009.

I teach at Senzoku Gakuen College of Music (Jazz Course) and run my own private drum lesson studio in Kawasaki, Japan. With over 25 years of teaching experience, I’ve taught at various music schools and led workshops and ensemble classes on jazz and improvisation at middle and high schools in both Germany and Japan. 

I studied music at Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA (Class of 2004), and since then, I’ve performed across Europe, the USA, and Asia — from small jazz clubs to concert halls, arenas, and recording studios. I’ve also appeared on TV shows and commercials, including a feature on NHK’s 旅するためのドイツ語 (German for Travelers).

Throughout my career, I’ve had the chance to work with a wide range of artists, including Makoto Ozone, Sadao Watanabe, Seiko Matsuda, Lisa Ono, Akiko, Dan Nimmer, Yu Shirota, Sarah McKenzie, Tomonao Hara, Kengo Nakamura, Takana Miyamoto, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Jun Abe, Michel Reis, Martin Sasse, and Roman & Julian Wasserfuhr, among many others.

I'm a versatile drummer comfortable playing many musical styles. Good music is good music, and I love anything from rock, pop, funk to classical, soul, world music, and of course jazz, which is my passion and area of expertise.

I’m proud to endorse Canopus drums and Zildjian cymbals.  

Yuki O.
“I highly recommend Dennis as a drumset private instructor, I’ve been taking drum lessons from him for about 3 years now and I’m very happy with the progress i’ve made with him! Currently preparing to study jazz performance at a college level and Dennis has really helped me with that.”

Chris M.
“I’ve been studying with Dennis both in person and online since 2019. He is patient but persistent, always pushing me forward while encouraging and guiding me in my efforts to be a better musician. He has also helped me work on any type of music I have wished to. Taking online lessons with Dennis on forte has been quite smooth; he understands and uses the technology effectively. I recommend Dennis without hesitation.”

Sebastian S.
“Our son started drums lessons with Dennis about 3 years ago, at the beginning face to face lessons and later due to pandemic situation online. So we know Dennis very well and we strongly recommend Dennis not only as a very good teacher, but also as a very nice person. Our son enjoys a lot the lessons and he plays with fun and confidence because Dennis finds a good balance between challenging drums theory, relaxed communication and playing together drums. Dennis writes personalized music notes for the level and music interests of our son. Even if we live know in Germany, Dennis is very flexible in providing us a proper and reliable lesson schedule: he never forgets appointments, he is always punctually and in a good mood! We are very grateful for his engagement in teaching our son in a high quality and fun drum experience!”

Gary L.
“Dennis has been giving my son online lessons in English for two years. He is a kind and patient teacher and is always creating new ways to keep the lessons interesting and fun for my son. The online technology works great and makes it possible for us to attend lessons remotely from our home in Tokyo. I highly recommend Dennis for drum lessons!”