Experienced Percussion Instructor in Tacoma: Yousef offers private lessons tailored to your specific needs.

High quality drummer, teacher and human. Provides thoughtful lessons designed custom to help any skill level progress in any music style. Knowledgeable not just in drumming but music and music theory in general.

In my search for a drum instructor, I did not want to just be a slot in someone's calendar. it was important to me that I find someone who I could develop a good student/teacher relationship with, who would challenge me to improve week over week. I am grateful that I found that in Yousef!

They are attentive and thoughtful with their approach; keen to notice the elements of my playing that need help, and developing a lesson plan accordingly. When I got injured and could only use one of my hands, Yousef easily accommodated this issue and I still got lots of value out of my sessions. The lessons and materials they created are thorough and of excellent quality.

I look forward to continuing my drumming and rhythm education with Yousef as I'm certain to improve under their direction!

Taking lessons with Yousef has been amazing! They seem really invested in my learning and make me excited to grow my skills.

I feel like I really lucked out with Yousef! I'm trans and I felt super comfortable working with them. They know so much and have been able to challenge me but are also patient and understanding when I need to go slow and repeat things a million times. They are super nice and have made practice fun for me.

I’ve been taking lessons from Yousef for a couple months now and am really enjoying them! I’m an adult beginner to drums but played trumpet and piano when I was younger - Yousef took the time to understand the level I was at when we started and check in about what I wanted to get out of the experience. They have been great about developing lessons and materials based on my goals and adapting and adjusting those based on how quickly I can pick it up or if I am struggling with a particular element. Yousef has also been helpful in recommending equipment (and is accommodating if you don’t have something like a full kit right off the bat). My lessons have been virtual so far and I’ve been impressed by the quality of the meeting platform and how easy it is to share materials. Yousef is a talented instructor and musician and always very kind, patient, and professional!

I started drum lessons with Yousef Shami recently. They are LGBTQ+ friendly and also have experience working with neurodiverse individuals. They are really professional and their home studio is comfortable and welcoming. They have excellent communication in and outside of lessons and a great balance of positive and constructive feedback. I’m already improving and I feel like I can learn a lot from them. I’m looking forward to seeing how my skills improve over time.

Great lessons! Yousef is patient and able to explain rhythm and beats in an easy-to-digest way. A fun and professional experience.

I recently started taking lessons with Yousef, and have really enjoyed the experience so far. I am a complete beginner drummer in my early 40s so am less of a "traditional" student. Yousef has given me helpful exercises and an extraordinary repository of resources to help jump start my progress. Beyond that, they have answered each one of my more global questions about being a beginner drummer with incredible insight and wisdom. I feel extremely confident that they will be able to guide me well on this exciting journey, nurturing my creativity, honing my skill set, and setting me up for success. I look forward to many more lessons in the future, a

I've been working with Yousef for a couple of months now and they have been fantastic! I really appreciate that Yousef is able to be flexible with me (as a working adult) and they did a great job quickly identifying where I need my skills built and targeting lessons to those needs. Yousef has a great repository of worksheets, books, and lessons that has been really helpful so I can keep up my practice. Yousef is always on time, a great communicator, and makes it very easy to schedule lessons with an online system. And they're a great drummer!!
Would definitely recommend Yousef for lessons!

I am one of Yousef's students and they were exactly what I was looking for in a drum teacher. To start they have been so helpful with everything drums. If I had a song I wanted to learn they would transcribe it for me. If there was something I wanted to work on, they would find material that would help me. Whenever I asked about equipment they would give me recommendations. Unlike some teachers I’ve had in the past, they were always willing to teach me and let me learn in any way I wanted, in anything I wanted. Along with that, they were able to notice things I struggled with and they would help me with whatever I needed. On top of that, they are so inclusive and respectful. I have had plenty of amazing and interesting conversations in the short time I’ve been practicing with them. I also know that they are very adaptable to whatever needs, need to be met in order to provide the best learning environment.

Anyway TL:DR, They are amazing and truly an understanding teacher who is to do so much in order to give people the experience they are looking for when learning drums. They know what they are talking about in music and they try their best to make it work for you.

Yousef is an excellent teacher and a skilled musician. They have done an amazing job creating a guided, catered lesson plan that I can attest has been very effective so far. Yousef provides awesome material that reinforces what was covered in the lesson. They have been very responsive, helpful, kind, and adaptive throughout. I highly recommend Yousef for all ages.

Yousef is very good at establishing your strengths and weaknesses on the drums and helping you work towards improving upon your weaknesses and other personal goals you would like to accomplish. I would recommend them to anyone.

Yousef is a great teacher for adult beginners! Music has always been very difficult for me to learn, but their lessons are engaging and educational and I’ve been able to make so much more progress than I thought I would! Yousef is a very calm and patient teacher and I highly recommend them!

Yousef is an awesome, polite and very professional drum instructor. His studio is nice and very accommodating . He's very patient with his instructions and monitors progress. I would definitely recommend him.

Yousef really takes a teacher's approach when it comes to lessons. We learn new concepts during our sessions, and then he promptly provides "homework" that expands on those concepts and allows me to work towards mastery. I've never played drums before and I'm learning as an adult. Yousef has been incredibly patient and takes so much time personalizing the lesson for me. I couldn't recommend him enough! 

Yousef was very patient with me and really tight with keeping the rhythm. He has interesting fills and also offers criticism in the most genuine ways. One of the best if not the best drum teacher I've had!! You definitely won't be disappointed when you work with him.

Yousef does a great job adapting the lessons to my needs. I really appreciate the care put into making sure I understand each part of the lesson. There is a huge focus on trying different techniques to help me learn something, instead of repeating the same thing over and over again, as I have experienced with other teachers. The homework assigned is very relevant to what I am doing and is really helping me advance my skills to the next level. In lieu of the COVID-19 crisis, Yousef has done a great job adapting the lessons to online. I am always sent homework promptly after lessons and the sound is crystal clear which allows my learning to advance at the same speed it was in person.

Yousef is very thorough when teaching music. He focuses on student needs, is very good at explaining what he wants you to accomplish, and provides materials and resources to help his students become better prepared.

I have been taking drum lessons with Yousef for about a year. It's great learning from him. Not only does he know his stuff and makes his teaching personal to your needs, but he also has a way to make you feel successful even when you are struggling. I always feel better about my playing when I leave than when I got to his studio. He recognizes my learning style and what I want to accomplish, then builds his teaching around that.