The 10 Best Drum Lesson Programs
Where is the Best Place to Take Drum Lessons?
Ever sit and listen to your favorite bands and dream of being the next lead drummer? Whether you like jazz, classic rock, or you just grew up trying to beat the high score on "The End” by the Beatles on Rock Band, we get your groove. Drums are one of the most interesting instruments out there and a great way to enjoy learning rhythm, get your cardio in, and gain all the benefits of music education at the same time.
No matter what anyone says, the drums are the most important building block of the band (we love you, lead singers, but it's the drummer's turn). Go on, pick your favorite song, and listen to it on YouTube with "no drums.” You'll feel the emptiness, like the heartbeat of the piece is missing.
Friday, May 16th
2025 Drum Lesson Program Reviews
Drum Beats Online
Drum Beats Online is a highly-rated course of drum lessons offering over 400 individual videos for a one-time purchase. With materials that go from beginner to advanced levels as well as tons of opportunities to connect or gain professional feedback, Drum Beats Online is the total package. With its money-back guarantee and impressive review scores, there are no downsides to giving Drum Beats Online a try.
Melodics
Melodics is a fun, interactive app for drum lessons with a gamified approach that will remind some students of their childhoods playing Rock Band. Offering real-time feedback and progress tracking, you can run through over 1,200 individual lessons with play-alongs and graded scores to help you grow. With a free plan to try it out, students can enjoy this game-based drum program with zero commitment. While it isn't like the standard instructor-lesson format, it's a great option for students who need something more engaging and game-like.
Learn to Play the Drums
Learn to Play the Drums is a program for drum lessons hosted by Udemy. The course is beginner-focused with 6 hours of video lessons taught by 3 different teachers. While it is a more limited course than others, it's wonderful for beginners who just want to try the drums. At an affordable one-time cost of $64.99, you can learn the basics of drums without any concern for high lesson costs. Plus with a 30-day money-back guarantee, you have nothing to lose when you try Learn to Play the Drums.
Drumeo
Short Drumeo is a popular online drum lesson platform offering a wide variety of courses that include beginner materials to advanced artist courses. Including over 1,500 play-along songs from popular music libraries, this program offers fun and structure in one place. While you have access to a 90-day refund policy, some students struggled to use it when canceling their memberships. So, despite nearly perfect ratings elsewhere, Drumeo earns a slightly less than perfect rating in our review.
Dave Weckl
Short Dave Weckl's online drum lessons offer 70+ hours of video content across 14 lesson topics. Covering beginner-level concepts up to advanced material for pros, Dave Weckl's program is designed to be flexible for all students. The drum lessons are a monthly subscription, so there is no preview (and currently no satisfaction guarantee) - which reduced Dave Weckl's rating somewhat. However, there is high praise for Weckl's lessons on forums, and for those looking for a general knowledge of drumming techniques, this site is worth a look.
Drum Channel
Drum Channel is a site that offers a variety of style-specific drum lessons. With over 1,000 videos to browse, Drum Channel teaches drums to beginner and advanced students. While the platform would seem to be a standout option, the limited number of reviews and lack of structure makes Drum Channel less suitable for absolute beginners. And although the 90-day refund policy is a great source of security, Drum Channel still doesn't rank as highly as other well-reviewed options for drum lessons in our review.
Drum Ambition
Drum Ambition is an online drumming course designed only for beginners. Created by Simon DasGupta, the program offers 16.5 hours of lessons and lifetime access for a one-time payment. The course is great for newbies but lacks content for those who want to grow beyond that level. For this reason, Drum Ambition comes in at a decidedly average rating rather than a higher position in our review.
Learn & Master
Learn & Master is a DVD-based course designed for beginner and intermediate drummers. These drum lessons offer a variety of drumming styles as well as a single-purchase approach that makes it more affordable. However, Learn & Master's reliance on outdated materials like DVDs and CDs is a drawback, as many modern students may not have the equipment to access the lessons anymore.
Mike's Lessons
Mike's Lessons, designed by Mike Johnston, offers online drum lessons that blend song-based instruction with homework and live sessions with Mike himself. However, the lack of a refund policy and limited details on the course materials raises some questions about the quality of the drum lessons. Despite praise for Mike as a personable teacher, we have to give these drum lessons a lower rating for providing limited customer support and restrictive policies for refunds.
Stephens Drum Shed
Stephen's Drum Shed offers online drum lessons with a focus on helping students practice effectively for just 20 minutes per day. However, the site is difficult to navigate and a problem with transparency makes it hard to tell what you're getting with your purchase. While Stephen's Drum Shed offers a 14-day money-back guarantee, the confusing layout and lack of third-party reviews earn these drum lessons one of our lowest ratings.
Continued from above...
While all elements of a song are needed to create music magic, the drums are the basis of the beat. In the studio, the drummer usually puts his or her tracks down first to give everyone the beat to follow. And there's no age limit to learning the drums; so, no matter where you are in your journey, you can pick up drum lessons anytime.
Drums have a unique history as one of the oldest instruments known to man. While most people are familiar with the drums through our favorite bands ("Moby Dick” by Led Zeppelin, anyone? Or maybe you're a fan of "Drumming Song” by Florence + The Machine), you can find drums in almost every culture. From steel pans in Trinidad to tabla in India, drumming has been used as an ancient art form since over 7,000 BC. And drums aren't just for music. In Africa, drums have been used for long-distance communication for centuries. So, whether you're trying to be the next Ringo Starr or explore music from another culture, the drums are a great place to start.
Many recent studies show that there are plenty of benefits to drumming when you practice a few hours per week. Most drummers work on two motor skills at the same time, so regular drumming practice can help you improve your ability to perform multiple large body movements in different directions at the same time. Drummers also have more symmetrical brains because regular drumming can make your brain more efficient. Cool, right?
Plus, drummers tend to have better connections between different hemispheres of their brains, so you don't have to worry anymore about being "Right” or "Left” brained; you'll be doing it all once you start drumming. The benefit that most surprised us was that drummers tend to be calmer, and drumming can have positive impacts on those with ADHD. Drumming really helps you get all that energy out.
Ready to rock and roll? Great! - but now you might be stumped at where to find the best drum lessons. It can be costly to pay for private instruction, and not everybody has the time. Luckily, there are plenty of online drum lessons to choose from. Here are a few things to consider as you browse different courses and teachers:
- Cost. People make a career out of music, so it can get pricey to pick up lessons. As you browse drum lessons, make sure that the course or teacher offers what you need within a budget you can handle. You'll want to look at who is teaching and how far you'll get with the instruction (do they stop at beginner or can you go all the way to advanced or professional?) to make sure the cost and value are worth it.
- Methods. Learning anything is a personal experience, and you know how you learn best. So, keep an eye out for drum lessons that teach the way you like to learn. Whether that's synchronous online video lessons or distance learning from videos and booklets, you'll want to be comfortable learning throughout your drumming journey.
- Guarantees. Sometimes things don't work out, and that's okay. But you want to make sure when you sign up for drum lessons that there's a guarantee or refund policy to support you if you change your mind. Some courses offer a trial period to test the drum lessons for yourself. Either way, you want to make sure you can move on to a better teacher or course if the first one doesn't work out.
- Reputation. There are plenty of other drummers (pros and beginners too) who have tried lessons and left reviews. Check out what they have to say to help guide you toward your best pick. Third-party review sites like the Better Business Bureau are a great way to see if drum lessons from a particular teacher are worth your time.
To help you start laying down a beat, Top Consumer Reviews has reviewed and ranked today's top drum lessons. We hope this gets your toes tapping (ideally on that snare drum) and pretty soon, you could be one of the next names in music history. Let us know when we can buy your new album!
Drum Lesson Program FAQ
Compare Drum Lesson Programs
Select any 2 Drum Lesson Programs to compare them head to head
Trending Drum Lessons News
Related Drum Lesson Program Reviews
Since you're interested in Drum Lesson Programs, here are some other reviews you might find interesting.
Newest Reviews
