Best Drum School Berkeley Near Me

4worldlovers: Jon Arkin has been a music educator since the early 1990s. In a private lesson format, he offers his students a unique perspective—that of a musician with extensive real-world experience, a teacher who is inspired to help his students find joy & evolution through music, and a member of one of the first generations to fully embrace the educational potential of technology.

Jon’s lessons are customized for the individual student. While he is well versed in the traditional methods of drum instruction, his specialty is in finding ways to adapt/invent materials that suit the individual’s learning style, and to encourage & inspire every kind of student, since a one-size-fits-all approach rarely leads to an inspired learning experience. To this end, he only accepts a limited number of students into his teaching schedule.

In addition to Jon’s long-running private teaching practice, he has taught classes, workshops, and lessons at many institutions around the U.S. and abroad:

4worldlovers: I highly recommend Eyal for drum lessons. He’s a wonderful teacher who tailors his approach to the needs and styles of his students. He’s been working with my son who is 7 for about a year. He finds creative ways to keep my son engaged in the 1 hour lessons, by connecting to my son’s interests and musical tastes. As a teacher myself, with a Masters degree in education, I know great teaching when I see it, and Eyal is a great teacher.

We could not be more pleased with our son's experience with Oakland Drum School and his excitement about learning something new. When the pandemic kept us all home in 2020, our son decided he wanted to learn how to play the drums for the first time. A friend told us about Oakland Drum School and we were hooked up with Mike McCulloch, who has been teaching our son for more than a year in an online format. As loud as it is in our house when he plays and practices, it is so rewarding to see him excited about his music. We highly recommend Oakland Drum School.


Styles include: Rock, Pop, Indie, Funk, Punk, Jazz, Ska, Reggae, Metal, Latin, Hip-Hop and RnB, Gospel, Electronic, Drum n' Bass, Country, Blues and more.

Eyal Satat is the founder of Oakland Drum School. A drum teacher for over 12 years, based in Oakland, CA, Eyal is a lover of music and he shares that passion with his students of all ages, from beginner to advanced levels. Eyal's lessons are fun and motivational, encouraging students to perform the best they can while enjoying the learning process. He is patient, and a big believer in improvisation to improve creativity and confidence. Eyal expects students to practice the techniques they learn and come prepared for each lesson.

Michael Abrams was born and raised right in the heart of Music City - Nashville, TN. His roots run deep in music having learned drums under the instruction of Joe Hobbs, Bill Bachman, Chris Watson and other heavy hitters in the marching percussion world. His percussion career started in high school and consisted of several successful years competing in WGI Scholastic Open Class and World Class Championships in Dayton, OH as well as SCGC regional competitions throughout the southeast. In college, he marched with the University of Tennessee's Pride of the Southland Band, then taught at two high schools in the Knoxville, TN area that participated in WGI as well as CIPA regional competitions. Throughout the years of marching percussion, he picked up some other styles of drumming in the form of soul, funk, rock, blues, metal, punk, jazz, and some latin styles on drumset. Drum lessons with Michael are fun, accessible, encouraging, and challenging for drummers of all ages!


Gabe has been drumming for 30+ years and teaching for 15+ years. He has an alternative teaching style that caters to the individual needs of his students. He has a fun approach to teaching and focuses on techniques to bring out personal style. Gabe’s musical background is mostly in rock, punk, and avant-garde, and he incorporates elements from many genres to help students find their voice. Gabe enjoys drumming and loves to share that joy with others.

Shawn Myers, a California-native of the central coast, has been drumming since he was 8 years old. Studying under greats such as Billy Hart (Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock) and Jamey Haddad (Paul Simon), Shawn has cultivated an approach honoring his mentors while adding knowledge of challenges he personally faced learning the craft.

Drumming is first and foremost a social instrument created with the intent of “moving” people in all senses of the word. Shawn breaks down the components of movement to help the student achieve musicality and technicality. Thus, creating a drummer that will listen to the music and be spontaneous while relating to aspects of their own lives to pull from. This will result in engaging, fulfilling music and drumming.