John Dutra

John Dutra has been playing for almost fifteen years and teaching for more than five.  He is passionate about drums...music, and is an active recording/gigging drummer and drum builder.

As the great guitar player Jimmy Page once said, "I believe every person inherently has something unique about their playing. They just have to identify what makes them different and develop it." The method that John uses to teach his students varies according to their needs and interest, but is only a means to developing the players inherent unique quality and personal drumming style. He stresses the importance of reading music, the skill to "hear" music and of corse, having fun during the process! He's dealt with a diverse group of students, ranging from age six to sixty years old and dealing with both advanced drummers and total beginners. He uses a combination curriculum of books, DVD's, songs and exercises crafted for the individual student.

Besides teaching and performing, John was once lead drum builder for Shine Custom Drums (2005 - 2007) and has created over hundreds of drum sets for top performing drummers with national recognition, TV appearances, and Billboard chart placements. 

Since 2008, his business Guerrilla Drum Making (specializing in showing anyone how to make their own drum set) has been a progressive force in the custom drum making industry with his simple methods and innovative building styles.

He currently plays in rock bands Breva, Automatic Static, and has been signed under the Volcom Record Label, toured nationally and has recorded with producers of bands Deftones, Pennywise, Strung Out, Far, and more. He also enjoys writing bios in the third person.