Highly recommended! My almost 9 year old has been under Dawn's instruction for about two years now and I can't be more satisfied with how his drumming has progressed. I was wary of finding a new instructor since he was with his original instructor for almost 4 years before we decided to make the switch due to her moving to a new location which was too out of the way for us. The transition between instructors was almost seamless. Dawn keeps it exciting for my son by allowing him to incorporate his own new musical findings into their lessons. I am very happy with how she's been able to insert formal music lessons while still allowing him to be creative and rock out after the more serious stuff. read more

You want to learn to play the drums. Of course you do. Drummers are cool. Keith Moon collapsing on his kit at the Cow Palace? Cool. Animal, the drummer from the Muppets? Cool. That guy from the Romantics who sang What I Like About You (way better than Talking In Your Sleep)? So cool. But how to find a teacher? Most drummers are hateful people: they're grumpy, chain-smoking night owls, filled with nihilistic impulses (see Keith Moon). If you're lucky you'll find one who won't spit beer on you while you practice. If you're the parent of a kid who wants to learn you'll be lucky if your son or daughter doesn't return from their lesson with a tattoo of a flaming, grinning truck across their chest. I'd searched for a good teacher for years, and had just about given up hope when, from within the dark, smog-like cloud of hate which surrounds most drummers, there shone a beam of brilliant light. That light was Dawn Richardson. You'll need to get past the initial crush you develop for her: the adorable crooked smile, the personality, the cute red hair with a streak of gray that makes you feel better about being 40 and still wanting to be in a rock band. She's charming and sexy, so you will fall in love with her when she sits down and starts to play (you might even fall in love with her just from listening to her play; if you're blind and take a lesson from her lemme know if that happens). Get past it if you can and let her teach you. There's no "OK, start here, then do this, then do this, then...stop talking, no talking...then do this." She talks to you, she finds out what you like, what you want to learn, what your goals are. Armed with that knowledge she assesses where you're skill level is at and gives you what you need to get where you want to go. Her studio is every wanna-be drummer's wet dream: kits, equipment (you won't know what it's for, maybe she doesn't either, it's not important), posters, a gold album (Did I mention she's the drummer for 4 Non-Blondes? Is your drum teacher the drummer for 4 Non-Blondes? No? Mine is.). It's worth half of what she charges just to hang out in there with her. You want to learn to play the drums. Call Dawn. Go to her. Steal your friend's bike and ride it to her studio. Do what she says. Then you can email me to thank me. read more

Dawn is simply the best music teacher I ever had. I've had other drum teachers and I feel like I learned more with her in a few months than I did in years with other teachers. She has the best approach. She is also a great human being and a talented musician who performed with some of the best artists. She is patient, super professional, fun, open and gives the best advice. She makes you feel very comfortable despite her formidable skills and impressive career. I am so glad I met her and would recommend her to anybody who wants to learn to play drums or improve his/her skills. read more

If anyone in your crew wants to learn how to play drums, look no further than Dawn Richardson. My 9yo daughter started lessons with Dawn this year and, while she has always been a little shy, Dawn has been able to draw her out and get her to play away. Ending the school year with her first ever public recital, we have been really impressed with Dawn's teaching style and approach that seems to have found the drummer in my daughter. Plus, nothing against the boys out there, having a female teach my daughter has been a plus. Never one to get too excited about anything, whenever my daughter finishes a lesson, there is a little bounce in her step. For parents, Dawn is a dream. She is response to emails, thorough with her accounting and always accommodating. I would say the only downside is that the studio where they rehearse may or may not have seating in the waiting area (artists' building) but Dawn is always happy to provide a beach chair for the wait. We have been thrilled, plus, I am far from being a music aficionado, but people in the know totally know who Dawn is . . . so there is a "cool" factor bonus. read more

I had played drums a little and I was taking lessons from a guy whose style was not meshing with what I wanted. I was looking to make a change. I subscribed to Drum magazine and I saw an article about female drummers and one of the profiles featured Dawn and said she gave lessons. Awesome !! I checked out Dawn's website and emailed her about taking lessons. She emailed me back promptly and we talked via phone so she could get an idea of what I was looking for and we setup an appointment to meet at her studio. I was really psyched- and the journey began. One thing I love about Dawn is that she is so down to earth and extremely professional. She has a very patient teaching style and she really wants to make sure you can rock the beats you are working on. Dawn will transcribe songs you want to learn, (although, she pretty much knows them all) and she provides CD's of the songs that you are going to be working on. Dawn is always prepared for your lesson- Never once was she late, nor did she ever flake on me. Dawn shows a respect for your time, and I respected hers. Another cool thing about working with Dawn are the events that she has put on to give students the opportunity to play with a band and perform live- like being part of "The Big Drum Show". Plus, it is always cool to learn from someone who has actually played in big arenas in front of thousands of people and has a gold record. If you are looking to learn how to play drums, or improve your technical skills- Dawn is your girl. She is a very talented musician, she has a great work ethic and a fun sense of humor. read more

Kids who learn drumming through Dawn love it! She's got a fantastic approach (probably thanks to her hugely successful performing career), reaches kids at their level, packages method/content in the name of fun and inspires them to try stuff. After just two lessons my two sons (7 and 6 years old) both had a grasp of the different notes and basic rhythm. They now listen to music in a new way - with attention and curiosity. Drumming lessons are so much fun that they never want to leave Dawn's studio, it's such a place of wonder and inspiration. read more

I really love music and was shy about learning drums so late in life (I'll be 40 this year) because the image of a potential drum teacher in my head was some cocky dude that was more into flexing his own musician ego in front of students than really teaching me. What a relief to find Dawn! Although she has TONS of reason to walk around with a chip on her shoulder (she was a 4 Non-Blonde, she tours with the likes of Tracy Chapman, she has mega awards), she is one of the kindest, down-to-Earth, cool-ass people I know in life and she even carries one of my favorite personality traits - a dash of nerdiness. Kids & Adults alike: If you want to learn to play drums (the right way) or better your playing, you couldn't be in better hands. I'm much older, but from attending student recitals, I've seen how amazingly patient and caring Dawn is with kids. I kinda want to have kids just so I can take them to Dawn and make them young rock stars! I've seen her rock hard alongside an adolescent boy yearning to bang out some Nirvana then gracefully switch over to helping a sensitive 7-year-old girl perfect the rhythms of a Taylor Swift song. Personally, I gravitate toward a mashup of classic rock and funk/hip hop. Dawn knows 'em all and can accommodate your tastes and interests. She's a master of percussion - having studied percussion formally since childhood. To get access to a master like her as a beginner almost seems wrong, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. How long till you're drumming: I thought learning the drum kit would be really daunting and take a long long time. Dawn had me up and drumming in just a few weeks. Ever since then, I've just been getting better and better and having a ton of fun. I'm a drummer all of a sudden! It's so much fun. What a lesson is like: My lesson with Dawn is my favorite part of my week. She's awesome to talk to. She'll coach you through all the proper sticking techniques. She has you play along to your favorite songs in her studio. She gives you homework to work on the things she sees you need help with. It's so much fun to play real drums at real volume in her studio. Oh and she's actually published her own drum books and they're great. I've ordered a bunch of other drum books and always find myself coming back to hers. She's really thought them through. Anyway, at lessons, she sets you up on the "guest" drum set and watches your technique. At some point she gets on her drum set in the same room and you both drum. She coaches you from her set and you both play along. Did I mention this is so much fun? My only criticism is that I often just want her to break out in an awesome drum solo while I just watch a master perform. But alas she's too dang modest and brings us back to a focus on me. . . so I just have to go watch her perform when she's gigging. read more

I wouldn't be the musician I am today with out having Dawn in my life! I started lessons with her when I was a young teenager and studied with her until I went off to college. She's an amazing teacher, very patient and fun! read more

Dawn has been teaching my son to play drums for five years and he still looks forward to his lesson every week. Presently, thanks in large part to Dawn's tutelage, my fourteen year old son is a percussionist in the San Francisco All City Band and he recently performed in the CMEA Bay Section Junior High Honor Band at San Jose State University. I believe that Dawn's lessons are designed for each student's needs, she always focuses on the positive, and she's fun to work with, whether you are young or old. It won't be long before Dawn has you playing pardiddles and buzz strokes, along with whatever music you most enjoy. In addition to being the best drum teacher you'll ever have, Dawn is an incredible percussionist who works with many professional musicians who can play almost as well as Dawn. It is also worth noting that Dawn has a very well equipped studio and it is the best in the Bay Area that I have seen. read more