Wade Stephens

Drum Lessons

Lessons: Thursdays

Wade started as a percussionist in middle school band in the tiny town of Eastland, Texas. By his freshman year in high school, he was obsessed with the drum set and played along to records daily. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and was in the jazz studies program. While at UT, he performed in the Jazz Orchestra and smaller ensembles. He has studied with many different world-class drummers including Ari Hoenig, Mark Guiliana, and Adam Jackson. Wade has played many different genres including jazz, country, pop, rock, R&B, and more. He has played with Grammy Award-winning songwriter Bobby Boyd, Ross Cooper, world-renowned pianist Helen Sung, and many other artists of different genres. He has a very open mind about music and teaching drums is one of his passions.

His teaching style is foundational but very open-minded and tailored towards the students’ wants/needs. While studying with Wade students learn how to play their favorite songs, but are also getting a solid foundational grasp of the instrument. Many of the concepts he teaches are “pre-genre” meaning that coordination, classical technique, reading music, learning by ear, and creative approaches towards improvising can be used to play different styles of music. As students develop and mature, their interests in music often change. Wade teaches the tools that help students figure out how to play the style they desire and continue to grow independently.