Dennis was my drum teacher for several years. Not only is he a very skilled drummer, but also an excellent teacher. Learning from Dennis was a great experience. He taught me all different styles of drumming such as Jazz, Rock, and Funk. He has a very patient teaching style and was always easy to work with. I would recommend Dennis as a teacher to anyone who is aspiring to be a drummer. -James Agee
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
D (Dennis) is a great teacher. I've been taking drum lessons with him for over three years now, and I'm still learning new things. He's one of the best drummers I've seen, and I've watched him having SO much fun playing it should be illegal. He's really flexible, and is totally okay with teaching me what he thinks I should know, or what I want to learn. When something doesn't click for me from one approach, he's always got a different approach we can try. He's not afraid to push me when I need to be pushed. Lessons are never boring. -Megan "Nutmeg" Ashley
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I would highly recommend Dennis Cussen as a drumset/snare instructor. He was our son's teacher the past four years, and he was wonderful. He immediately adapted to our son's learning style, and never shied away from offering his own ideas and perspectives on how to help our son become the best drummer he could. Dennis is great for any beginning or advanced level drummer of any age. -Duane
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dennis is a great drummer, but he is an even better teacher. He first taught the mechanics and had me do all sorts of rudiments. Like, paraddidles, double stroke rolls, five stroke rolls, flam accents, and flam paradiddles (which I had a little trouble with) but Dennis simply knew how to teach. He helped me make a drum solo, even though I chickened out, it still would have been a great solo. My first drum lesson I really hoped that I would end up with a teacher I liked, respected, and most of all could teach me how to play the drums. So, if you get Dennis Cussen as a drum teacher, you're really lucky! -Mark Hatfield
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
My son has been studying with Dennis for over a year now, and I am amazed at the progress he has made. In that short time, Dennis has taught him not only the foundational paradiddles and flams, but has shown him how to incorpoarte them into more complex rhythms, and has even taught him how to read sycnocopated rhythms. Dennis is a very intuitive teacher, meaning that he does a great job of nudging and reading my son's cues so as to maximize the effectiveness of their lessons. He is awesome with praise, too. When my son has accomplished something particularly difficult, Dennis gets really excited which, in turn, is really motivational for my son. Dennis also spends time jamming with my son in order to "teach" him the essence of drumming and allow him creative time to really execute and apply the concepts he's been taught.
I would highly recommend Dennis as a drum teacher. He has worked wonders with my son, who had never taken lessons before we started with Dennis. I look forward to seeing what Dennis has in store for my son's future. -Lisa Noyes
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I have had the pleasure of taking drum lessons from Dennis Cussen for over two years. I can unequivocally state that Dennis is one of the best drummers I have had the experience of working with over my 40 years of playing drums. He is not only brilliantly talented acreoss multiple styles but can also teach and explain complicated drum patterns to even the most challenged students like myself. His huge passion for playing inspires all of his students to take their playing to new heights. But most of all his tremendous patience, compassion and understanding allow even the crustiest old drummers like me down to the youngest new beginners to experience drumming at its best!
-Stacey Gray
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I have been friends with Dennis for many years and I have been drumming with him for most of those years. He taught me the basics and he made me into a better drummer. I'm not going to lie, he is without a doubt one of the most talented drummers I have ever seen or heard. I wouldn't be the drummer I am today without the help of Dennis. -Tim O'Connor
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hooked up with Dennis as an intermediate drummer trying to learn a different approach after being glued to drum sheet music for years. He showed me how to trust my instincts more and not worry about the count all the time (except count 1)!! Got me to LISTEN to the music more and move around the kit instead of always being locked on beat!!!! Great approach for what I needed to get me playing better at an intermediate level and adding more dynamics for my band mates. -Greg S
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We knew from the onset that Montel was gifted to play the drums and that this would be a major part of his life. When he was only six years old, we went in search for a drum/percussion teacher. We found Dennis.
Dennis and Montel were the perfect match. The instructor just as wild and passionate about the drums as his student. Dennis poured into Montel and Montel grasped all he could consume from Dennis. The lessons were never really the norm. There were times all out jam sessions could be heard and more.
Dennis not only gave Montel lessons, but there was so much he could see in Montel. For the next six years, there would be a bond like none other between student and teacher. To this day, Dennis still continues to be an intricate part of Montel's life. And, Montel says of Dennis "oh he's cool". Oh, and the translation of "cool" I got directly from Montel means that "Dennis is a 'beast' on the drums" and the best teacher ever! -Samanatha Brown
