Empowering Musicians Inspiring Growth
45 years of professional experience and over 5,000 lessons teaching
Drums, Piano and Guitar... with Passion!
Discover JOHN MEARS Music LESSON OPTIONS
Private Studio - South Carlsbad, CA
Fun Vibrant Private Studio!!
Public Studio - N.East Carlsbad, CA
Click here to check out this Professional Music Instruction and Band Rehearsal Studio .
You never know who you might see there!
ONLINE - Worldwide!
ONLINE - Worldwide!
In New Jersey, Arkansas, Napa...?
Currently teaching in all these locations... Online!
Education and Experience
About My Teaching
Teaching Experience
Teaching Experience
I began teaching drums after college in 1993 in Colorado Springs, CO.
I had relocated from San Diego on a wing and a prayer, and with quality jobs thin at that time I decided I could start my own business doing something I knew and loved!
I transformed my basement to a studio and ran classified ads (no internet then) and the phone started ringing and friends told friends and before long a nice cliental emerged and I landed myself in a great band to boot.
I was always looking for new and fun teaching ideas/techniques in the private lessons, and during these years I really learned a lot about customizing each lesson for each personality and ability. This kept (and to this day still keeps) things fun, interesting and makes for a great learning environment. After nearly five years of consistent teaching and performing in Colorado I returned to San Diego County and I picked up where I had left of with bands I performed with prior & new.
I continued my teaching but on a lesser scale do to the demands of performance and recording for the next ten years. The experience gained during this period elevated my drum, music, performance, etc. knowledge to a new level and I began my passion again, and continue now, teaching all ages - with a full arsenal of fun!
For beginning students my method of teaching combines a balance of learning the fundamentals such as rudiments with notation, stick control, dynamics, meter, etc. while also teaching the student to play by ear, which is imperative for a drummer perhaps more so than any other instrument.
Lessons are always designed to be fun, interactive and engaging -never tedious or mundane. For practicality, drum practice pads are used to learn rudiments, but since the whole idea of learning drums to play a drum set/kit I get the student on the set on day one, and every lesson. I discuss what music styles the student is interested in and work on learning rhythms and songs by performing with the actual recordings. Also, with a practice pad set and a drum set in my studio I am able to play side by side, or I can also step into the role of guitarist or keyboardist and the student can perform songs with a live musician - a very valuable teaching technique I have found.
Finally, I often employee computer based programs such as Spotify, Soundcloud, Ultimate Guitar, Garage Band, etc. to assist with fully hearing and dissecting the music and keep playlists they can access to practice and perform with.
Methods I use for teaching Piano & Guitar will be added to this site shortly...
Teaching Experience
Teaching Experience
Teaching Experience
Over 5000 lessons taught & 45 years of Music Experience!
Music Instructor - Drums, Piano and Guitar
Independent Educator for
Private & Band Lessons
January 1996 - Present
In Studio
(Carlsbad, CA and Colorado Springs, CO)
and Worldwide Online
Drum Instructor (Retail)
Drum Flip Drum Shop, Vista CA
June 2015 - February 2019
Exclusive In-Store Music Instructor for Private Lessons.
Talent Judge for Drumming Competition Events for all levels and ages.
Education
Teaching Experience
Awards & Associations
Studied Music Theory, Music History and Performance
San Diego State University
August 1987 - May 1990
BA in Business Administration
National University
July 1991 - March 1992
Studied Music Production/Engineering
Mira Costa College
June 1989 - August 1989
Studied Music Theory & Music History
Palomar College
August 1986 - May 1988
AA in Radio & Television/Communications
Palomar College
May 1986 - May 1991
Private Lessons and Clinics
Professional Drum and Piano Instructors
February 1978 - May 1986
Awards & Associations
Awards & Associations
Billboard World Song Contest
(Top 1500 Globally)
Billboard Magazine
July 2007
Drummer, Percussionist and co-song writer/co-producer for the original pop/jazz/soul band Crash Carter, which received Honorable Mention in Billboard Magazine's World Song Contest (Top 1500) for performance on the track "Play On".
Triple AAA Album of the Year
Los Angeles Music Awards
August 2005
Performed all Percussion on original artist Michael Tiernan's release “Jumping In” which was awarded winner of the Triple A Album of the Year from the Los Angeles Music Awards held at The Fonda Theater in Hollywood. Review of album in The San Diego Reader states that the “musicianship on the album is flawless”.
National Association of Music Merchants
March 2022- Present
NAMM is the not-for-profit association that promotes the pleasures and benefits of making music and strengthens the $17 billion global music products industry. NAMM's activities and programs are designed to promote music making education to people of all ages.
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
January 2005 - Present
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a membership association of more than 480,000 US composers, songwriters, lyricists and music publishers. The ASCAP is committed to nurturing music makers throughout their careers.
Performance Highlights
Performance Highlights
Bands, Performances & Recordings
June 1984 – Present
Currently:
Drummer for the Americana/Country band
"Sunday Morning Sidewalk"
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3lquAsbf8o1nUFRgsWVBj9?si=v71HiloDRcq1uCNR_KDsQw
An intriguing combination of Drums, Baritone Acoustic Guitar, Fiddle/Violin and Mandolin.
Other notable collaboration/bands:
Crash Carter
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6TYDcnBB3IQwZWmxQPqHW1?si=UefmCnAJTgWltnlrjnfxlg
Michael Tiernan
https://open.spotify.com/album/6itrKP0vqnoLAwwyh4jnV1?si=qpvMg2VBTPuiCRxaaNvo8g
Union
https://open.spotify.com/album/4ZTTOd1O42skVqSuCWBwqV?si=XxQu5BmASdOck-ey2Wa80Q
Life of Wryley
https://open.spotify.com/artist/28l3xaWhR4vAcybXRnvDx4?si=k2VIQBuvQuK3gVBfuG8EIA
Others:
Tower 7, Los Beautiful Beasts, The Standards,
The Surf Chiefs, Tom Yermak's Tomfoolery,
The Late Walter Phobicman
(w/ Matt Beckley)
Head Full of Zombies plus others.
Performances w/ Notable Musicians Live:
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam,
Chad Forman & Ryan Fischer (Switchfoot),
Paula Nelson (Willie Nelson),
Joe Wood (TSOL)
Cella Blue (The Squirrel Nut Zippers),
Paul Johnson of the Surfari's (Wipe Out!),
Ryan Montana (Ike Turner),
Matt Beckley, son of Jerry Beckley of the 70's super group America/LA Producer,
Doug Allen (The Mar Dels),
Chris Swan (Tom Curran Band),
International Jazz flautist Bradley Leighton and former
Frank Sinatra pianist Ron Igarta...
among others.
Shared Stage with ...
Jack Johnson,
Dick Dale,
Jason Mraz,
Etta James, Macy Gray,
Slightly Stoopid,
The White Buffalo,
Donavon Frankenreiter
The Heartbreakers/Dirty Knobs,
The English Beat, Dread Zeppelin,
Venice, Desmond Decker,
Tower of Power,
Third World, Karl Denson,
Mikey Dread,
Tom Curran Band,
The Mar Dels, ,
Peter Sprague, Jack Tempchin
Common Sense, +++
Performance Venues:
Hollywood's Fonda Theater,
N. Hollywood's Palomino Club,
The Belly Up, The La Paloma Theater,
Rusty's on the Santa Monica Pier,
The Casbah, Humphrey's by the Bay, DiPiazza's, The Hard Rock Café,
The Del Mar/San Diego County Fair,
Festival Del Mar, San Diego
Rock n' Roll Marathon, Fiesta Del Sol,
Sony Art Walk, Winston's, The Bacchanal,
The Underground of Colorado Springs, Hansen's/Machado Surf Classic,
Lowe's Coronado, St. Regis Resort, Falkner Winery in Temecula, The Calypso, Amalfi's, Local Roots, La Papagayo, The Del Mar Plaza
and numerous other venues, events, corporate shows as well as live performances.
Air Play and/or interviews on Television
(NBC, FOX, KPBS, KUSI) and
Radio (91X, 94.9, KPBS, KGB, KPRI, KKSM)
plus others in and outside the San Diego county area.
Notable Recordings:
Over 50 recording sessions from Burbank/Los Angeles to San Diego. Sunday Morning Sidewalk, Crash Carter's release "Red Buttons Blink", Michael Tiernan's "Jumping In" and Life of Wryley studio recordings are all available on all digital streaming sites.
Audio Link of Full Recordings:
Click link below for over 3 hours of recordings Performance, Composition & Production
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/65SFaPSjZA3W7sgHZoTnn7?si=c4e3c264a7bd47b2
reviews
John Mears Music Instruction Reviews
Laura
Teacher's studio
John is an awesome teacher! He is super knowledgeable and gives us customized instructions on what to practice each week. We play drums along to fun music while learning technique. If you want to try drums, you should definitely book a session with him.
Posted Jan 30, 2024
Zach
Fantastic instructor. John uses songs to teach each technique which keeps each lesson fun and engaging. Such a fun time, highly recommended.
Posted Jan 9, 2024
Christina
Amazing, my boys love John!
Posted Jul 1, 2023
John
My six year old son is already off to a great start! John is very organized and adaptive to my son's learning style.
Posted Apr 20, 2023
Fred
John is the best instructor. I have returned to drumming after 52 years and to have someone as knowledgeable as John is tremendous. He is great teacher, with patience and motivation for the student. He follows up on any question that you may. He is dedicated to making you a better drummer. Excellence is the word that describes John.
Posted Apr 20, 2023
Sam
John is a caring and patient teacher. He's got a great positive attitude and has continued to inspire me to keep practicing! Worth every penny!
Posted Mar 16, 2023
Nikki
John is a very patient and friendly instructor. He has a lot of drumming knowledge and experience and can even give gear tips/recommendations. Also he’s able to customize the lesson to my specific needs.
Posted Feb 1, 2023
Alex
Online
John is a great teacher and helped me really get into the drums! Highly recommended!
Posted Feb 9, 2022
Colette & Eli
Teacher's studio
Mr. John is the best! My kids love him and he’s so great at teaching them and patient with my kids as they are learning and young. I recommend him to everyone!
Posted Sep 28, 2021
Lucas
John personalized the lesson to focus on the songs my son was interested in while he also covered the important fundamentals to start off right!
Posted Jun 30, 2021
Jacob
Just had my first drums lesson with John. He is great at breaking the instrument down into manageable pieces and building confidence quickly. I am very excited for future lessons!
Posted Jan 11, 2021
Serena
Online
Great instructor! Great communication
Posted Nov 14, 2020
Royce
Best instructor ever!
Posted Oct 20, 2020
Fred
Online
I looked until I found the right instructor for my husband...and it was John!. He is very skilled as well as endowed with the ability to teach! Great personality and is a great fit!
Posted Jul 22, 2020
Willy
Online
I bought these lessons for my 15yo nephew and like others, he is spending most of his time during this social distance, with video games, being cough up in a game he wanted to delay drum lessens, plus I think my nephew loves the drums but he didn't think he had a drummer in him so, anyway, I had my nephew call John and make arrangement for the lesson schedule ..well,, after John talked to my nephew, my nephew was so excited to take the lessons that he schedule for the next day,,, what ever John said got my nephew excited about music and my nephew realized that he does have a drummer in him,,, bc,. after his lesson,, my nephew has been practicing ,,, and taking a break from his video games,,, thanks John,,,
Posted May 2, 2020
James
Payten has absolutely flourished under John’s instruction. It’s the highlight of her week and her skills improve weekly!
Sep 17, 2020
Ronald
Teacher's studio
John, Is a knowledgeable and friendly drum teacher that is eager to help you reach your drum performance goals. Being a guitar player first, my lessons with John have been at a sporadic beginner pace as I attempt to generate time for both worlds. That being said John has been very patient and accommodating, and I'm sure he will help me dial in my drum skills.
Posted Nov 5, 2019
Larry
Teacher's studio
I really liked John's patient approach to me as a rank beginner. He jumped right into it which I liked so we could take good advantage of our hour together.
Posted Nov 14, 2018
Max
My 15 year old son is very happy with his electric guitar lessons. He looks forward to his lessons with John.
Posted Sep 21, 2018
Jay
Teacher's studio
John is terrific. I'm an adult learner, and John does a great job tailoring my lessons for the kind of instruction and music I'm most interested.
Posted May 15, 2018
Caroline
John is an amazing teacher. His ability to comprehensively synthesize complex ideas and explain them in easy-to-understand terms makes learning guitar approachable and fun.
Posted Apr 25, 2018
Maxton
Online
John was patient, very helpful, and met my son where he was in his journey. Already after the firs lesson, he was well improved and excited for the next lesson.
Posted Jan 14, 2018
Miles
John was patient, kind and very encouraging with My 7 year old son. He was able to keep him engaged, interested and inquisitive the entire 30 minutes. We are looking forward to his next lesson.
Posted Nov 3, 2017
Sarah
John has been a great drum instructor for our 9 year old son. In a short period of time, John has taught him tons of skills and also helped develop his love of drumming. He keeps it fun, easy and motivational, but also has challenged our little drummer. He is very encouraging and positive with our son's progress. John is always on time and is a great communicator. We definitely recommend John!
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Posted Oct 16, 2017
Lynne
Online
I picked the perfect instructor for me! John is genuine, fun, extremely knowledgeable on drums and a great communicator! He took time to learn about my goals and has given me direction for achieving them. I feel like I am in great hands and look forward to future lessons!
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Posted Apr 13, 2017