ABOUT Peter Erskine

SESSION TITLE: The Use of Melody in Teaching the Drumset

Peter Erskine has been a student of the drums since the age of 4. He is known for his love of working in different musical contexts. He has recorded over 700 albums and film scores, including several on his own Fuzzy Music label. His playing and recording credits include the big bands of Stan Kenton, Maynard Ferguson, and Bob Mintzer; groups such as Weather Report, Steps Ahead, Steely Dan, and the Yellowjackets; vocalists Diana Krall, Joni Mitchell, Kurt Elling, and Kate Bush; and jazz artists such as Chick Corea, Michael Brecker, John Scofield, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Kenny Wheeler, John Abercombie, Eliane Elias, Sadao Watanabe, Gary Burton, and Pat Metheny, as well as his own trio. He has appeared in concert as soloist with the Oslo, Helsinki, Radio Frankfurt, LSO, City of Birmingham and BBC Symphony Orchestras, Ensemble Modern and ensemble intercontemporain, plus the Berlin, Los Angeles, Tonkünstler and Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestras. 

Mr. Erskine conducts clinics, classes, and seminars worldwide, and taught at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles for over 20 years (he is now retired / professor emeritus). He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the Berklee School of Music and has won Modern Drummer magazine’s Readers’ Poll in its Jazz Drummer categories numerous times. He has won 2 Grammy Awards and been nominated nine times. Mr. Erskine is a member of the Percussive Arts Society and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2022. He plays Tama Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Remo Drum Heads, and Vic Firth sticks and brushes.