Lessons

Joy Mullen, aka Joy On Drums, has been playing the drum kit for over 35 years. After graduating from the Contemporary Music and Technology program at Selkirk College, she worked professionally full time as a touring, recording drummer. She has performed at many festivals across Canada, US and Europe.including: Winnipeg Folk Festival, Vancouver Folk Festival, Aboriginal People’s Choice Awards, Dawson City Music Fest, and The National Centre for Truth And Reconciliation and has also been featured on soundtracks for CBC, APTN, and Mazinaw Rock Productions theatre company. Her local involvement includes City of Vancouver Artist Residency, Girls Rock Camp Vancouver, Music For Change, The Jazz Cellar and was the Artistic Director for The WISE Hall, and booking agent for The Waldorf Hotel and Brief Encounters. She has been teaching at Rufus Drum Shop since 2015 and her teaching style offers a low barrier approach that makes drumming accessible to beginners of all ages. Her lessons include music theory, 4 limbed coordination, multi-genre beats, songs, stick technique and rudiments
Availability: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday @ West 10th. Friday @ Commercial Drive

At the age of 10 drum’s entered Jay’s life and he found his passion and purpose from that moment on. Jay studied privately with some of the lower mainlands esteemed teachers and started playing Vancouver night clubs at 15 years old. He has been fortunate enough to have been selected as an in-house studio drummer for a Juno winning & Grammy nominated producer. He has secured resident gigs amassing him over 1200+ nights of live performance. Also no stranger to the road, Jay has played all of Canada’s biggest venues, as well as the smallest ones.
Jay enjoys teaching students drumming skills they will use to play along to their favourite songs and/or use in a band setting. With 15 years of teaching experience Jay likes to provide a comfortable environment for students to explore their own creativity and develop their own identity on the drum set in hopes that they can bring confidence and conviction to their playing!
Availability: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday @ West 10th

Tristan began his teaching career in 2004 in Regina SK, teaching varying ages, and skill levels. In 2014, he moved to Vancouver and started teaching for Rufus Drum Shop when they first opened in 2015. Tristan remains one of the shop’s most popular instructors.
Tristan’s performing career has brought him to every corner of Canada, the U.S, and Europe. He has played with artists like Cindy Wilson of the B-52s, and played alongside bands like Canadian punk rock legends Propaghandi.
Tristan is a great choice for any age group or skill level. His passion for music rubs off on whoever he’s teaching, and he makes learning drums a truly fun, enjoyable experience.
Availability: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday@ West 10th. Friday, Saturday @ Commercial Drive.

Alexander is a lifetime Vancouver resident and has been playing drums for over a decade. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Berklee College of Music, a school from which he received a scholarship to attend. During his studies, he was accepted into the prestigious Berklee Global Jazz Institute. He has had the privilege of studying with world-class musicians including Danilo Pérez, Joe Lovano, Ian Froman, Dave Liebman, Billy Kilson, John Patitucci, Ralph Peterson Jr, and John Hazilla.
As a teacher, Alexander believes it is paramount to create an adaptable learning environment and has something to offer learners of all ages, experience levels, and learning styles. Every student is unique, and so lessons will be personalized based on each individual student’s goals and interests. No matter what his student’s musical goals may be, he strives to make the learning process fun and pass the joy that he gets from playing music on to them.
Availability: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday @ Commercial Drive. Friday, Saturday, Sunday @ West 10th

While Todd Stewart’s drumming expertise spans a wide range of musical genres and styles, he is primarily known for working within Vancouver’s Jazz scene as a sideman for a wide range of artists, including multiple Juno award-winner, Brad Turner (Metalwood, Seamus Blake) and Chris Davis (Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Jon Batiste). Todd graduated from Capilano University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Studies in April 2021 and in Fall 2019 he was awarded the Lou Williamson Memorial Scholarship Fund, which is awarded to one drummer on a yearly basis.
In his teaching, Todd focuses on setting his students up with a positive and enriching relationship with music, referring to his core values of patience, perceptiveness, empathy, discipline and improvisation. He stresses equally the importance of developing proper hand technique and rhythmic fluency, as well as the freedom to explore expressive sound-making, while tapping into his knowledge of all genres of music to find songs that excite his students.
Availability:  Friday @ West 10th., Saturday @ Commercial

Karli Macintosh has been playing drums for over 20 years. After attending Selkirk College’s contemporary music and technology program in 2008/09, she relocated to Vancouver from Nelson BC. Since then she has toured, played multiple festivals, and recorded several records. Her teaching journey started 10 years ago when she, along with her band mates, began teaching rock camps/workshops instructing both kids and adults. She currently plays drums and sings in her band Space Queen, and hosts rock camps at the Carnegie centre on the down town east side.
Availability: Tuesday, Wednesday @ Commercial Drive

Sean Dalton is the former drummer of popular Canadian rock band, The Trews. Sean is professionally trained in a variety of drumming styles including classical, rock, funk, jazz, African and more. He is an engaging and fun professional drummer.
During his time with the band, The Trews snagged multiple Junos, ECMAs, MMVAs and other acclaimed awards. Sean has shared the stage with the likes of Guns n Roses, Kiss, Aerosmith, Stone Temple Pilots, Bruce Springsteen, Jeff Healy, Big Sugar, Robert Plant, Kid Rock, The Black Crows, just to name a few.
Sean has studied classical music under Don Wherry, the head of percussion at Memorial University of Newfoundland, African hand drumming under Kwasi Dunyo, and jazz under the great Jim Blackley. He has been teaching private lessons for the last 8 years and has lots of experience with autistic, downs syndrome, ADHD and visually impaired students.
Availability: Saturday @ West 10th Mon, Tues @ Commercial

Kyla is an experienced and creative drummer, singer and teacher.  Her childhood was full of music education; including private lessons in multiple instruments, and a decade spent in the Vancouver Bach Choir, where she performed internationally.  At 18 she took up the drums, and performed, toured and recorded with many local bands and theater productions – a highlight being Ghost Light Projects’ Hedwig and the Angry Inch! She has also studied drums at Berklee College of Music.
In 2010, Kyla started volunteering for Girls Rock Camp Vancouver and found her passion for teaching.  For many years she taught, organized, and sat on their Board of Directors.  She has worked with Empower Through Music since 2018 – teaching drums to underserved youth in the Vancouver School system. She has also worked in  film both on and off camera – as a credited drummer, doubling for actors, and as a drumming and band performance coach for the Netflix film Mixtape.
Kyla is a supportive and encouraging teacher.  She has lots of experience with beginners, children and neurodiverse folk.  She knows that musical education is a powerful tool for activism; that we all have the ability to access the language of music, and use it to speak our truth.
Availability: Thursday @ Commercial

Iris Yakymyshyn has been studying drums since she started lessons at 5 five years old. She had the opportunity to study at MacEwan University, where she was mentored by the legendary Alberta jazz drummers Brian Thurgood and Thom Bennett of the A/B Trio. Her drumming sound takes lots of inspiration from pocket icons like Questlove and jazz giants like JD Beck and Roy Haynes. She can be seen frequently drumming around Vancouver with queer artists like Dust Cwaine and Belle Tower, as well as filling in for whoever needs it. Her love for music does not stop at drumming. She also is well versed in most music production DAW’s, loves piano and bass guitar, as well as receiving grant funding for her music projects.
Her teaching philosophy centers on getting the fundamentals right while having as much fun as possible. She has years of experience teaching from toddlers to adults, and can teach a wide range of skill levels. Whether it’s your first lesson or you’ve been playing for 10 years, Iris is thrilled to teach you wherever you’re at. She also has experience teaching children with special needs drums. With Iris, every lesson is engaging and fun.
Availability: Sunday @ Commercial

Rishi Dhillon is a drummer originally from Surrey, BC, and been playing for over twelve years. He recently completed his Bachelor’s Degree at McGill University in Montreal, studying under jazz giants Jim Doxas, Darrell Green, and Michel Lambert. Throughout the years, he has had the opportunity to showcase his talents on records by local artists, has played at Canadian music festivals, and has taught drums extensively in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. Rishi is a three time recipient of the BC Arts Council Scholarship, was a finalist of the Fraser MacPherson Jazz Fund, and in 2022 was one of seven artists selected in Canada for the Musicounts Accelerate Scholarship. As a result of his work behind the drums, Rishi has been able to play with Canada’s top jazz musicians such as Jodi Proznick, Campbell Ryga, Brad Turner, Christine Jensen, Miles Black- as well as American bassist Ira Coleman.
Rishi’s teaching philosophy is directly linked to the goals of his students, which starts with an understanding of how his students learn and which methods will be most effective based on aptitude, skill, and capacity. He aims to guide his students on their musical journey in a way that is fun, engaging, and effective. He believes that music and drumming is a way to build confidence and discipline, while also providing many neurological benefits such as, improving fine motor coordination, stress relief, and an endless outlet for creativity.
Rishi is also able to teach in English, French, Punjabi, and Hindi. He looks forward to being a part of your, or your child’s, musical journey!
Availability: Mon, Tues, Saturday @ 10th