Greenville drummer turns decades of experience into new teaching venture

After more than three decades of playing drums in churches, clubs and recording studios, Upstate musician Justin is returning to something he discovered years ago that he loves almost as much as performing: teaching.

Justin is launching a new drum instruction business at Poe Mill Music, a recording studio near downtown Greenville, where he will offer one-on-one lessons for beginning and intermediate drummers. His focus will include children and teenagers as well as adults who have always wanted to learn to play.

For Justin, the new venture, Justin’s Drum Studio(opens in new tab), brings his musical journey almost full circle.

His introduction to drums came around age 11 or 12, when his interest in percussion began with an unconventional first drum kit — his mother’s Tupperware.

“My parents put two and two together and said, ‘Let’s see about getting Justin drum lessons,'” he said.

At about 13, he began taking formal lessons from a local instructor and continued for nearly three years. The experience taught him much more than how to play a drum kit. He learned to read drum notation, understand the role of different cymbals and break down beats and rhythms. While many drummers learn primarily by ear, the ability to read drum notation gives musicians another important tool for learning new material, communicating with other musicians and preparing for more structured performance settings.

Looking back, Justin said that foundation proved invaluable and ultimately opened doors he could not have anticipated as a teenager.

After high school, he began playing drums at churches, sometimes filling in for different congregations on Sunday mornings or performing at special events. He later ventured into the Upstate music scene in Anderson and Greenville, playing at open mic nights at a blues club and getting exposure to blues, jazz and other musical styles.

His musical journey eventually took him to Memphis, Tennessee, a city known for its rich music history. While living there, Justin participated in a local recording project at a Memphis studio and also began teaching drums at Strings & Things, a music store housed in a renovated bread factory.

That teaching experience planted a seed.

Justin found that he enjoyed helping new drummers develop the same fundamentals he had been taught years earlier. After eventually returning to the Upstate, he taught for a time at the same music store where he had learned to play as a teenager.

Over the ensuing years, he continued performing, including playing with several large churches in Greenville and around the Upstate. But this year, he decided it was time to return to teaching.

“I wanted to give back,” Justin said.

The first step was finding the right place to do it. That search led him to Poe Mill Music, a recording studio located about two miles from downtown Greenville. The renovated facility immediately reminded him of some of the places where he had taught earlier in his career.

“Everything felt good to get set up there,” he said. “I’m just really excited about getting the word out to the Greenville and Upstate community that I’m a local drum teacher and that people can take drum lessons locally, in person, one on one.”

Justin sees his niche as working primarily with beginners and intermediate players and helping them build a strong musical foundation.

For younger students, that could mean providing a creative outlet, introducing them to reading music or helping them prepare for an audition for a school band, church music program or other performance opportunity.

His own experience gives him the ability to go beyond simply teaching technique. Having played in a variety of settings, Justin said he can help students understand what to expect when they begin playing with other musicians or preparing for performances.

He also sees an opportunity to reach adults.

Some may have wanted to play drums since childhood but never had the opportunity. Others may simply be searching for a new hobby, a creative challenge or a way to unwind.

Justin said those adult beginners are an important part of the audience he hopes to reach.

For all of his students, the goal isn’t necessarily to produce professional musicians. Instead, it is to give them the fundamentals and confidence to enjoy making music — potentially for the rest of their lives.

Learning an instrument can become a lifelong pursuit, Justin said, with musicians continuing to develop and improve regardless of their age or experience.

That is ultimately what he hopes to pass along through the new business.

“It’s about sharing some of that joy and musical experience,” Justin said, “to help people learn to play.”

Justin’s Drum Studio(opens in new tab) is located at 904 Pinckney St., Studio B, Greenville, SC 29609