Welcome to
World Percussion Academy

Not at all. Our courses are designed for complete beginners as well as experienced players looking to deepen their skills. Each course is clearly labeled by level (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced), and beginner tracks start with how to sit, how to position the drum, and how to produce your first clean tone. If you can clap along to a song, you have everything you need to begin.

It depends on what draws you in. The cajón is a popular entry point because it allows you to play all the grooves we know and love from the drumkit as well as most other musical styles. Frame drums and the darbuka open the door to Middle Eastern and Mediterranean traditions, and frame drums in particular are apartment-friendly because they're not as loud as other hand drums. If your neighbours are a concern, an udu is the perfect choice because it has a soft tone that no one in the next room will complain about. That said, any of the various instruments can be a doorway into the beautiful world of percussion. You can check them all out in our free trial with the World Percussion Fundamentals beginner course.

Start the cajón course and practice on your kitchen table. Or check out World Percussion Fundamentals and see which instrument inspires you most. For all the different drums, solid beginner instruments are available for less than 100 EUR.

Online learning offers things a weekly in-person class often can't. You can rewind a difficult passage as many times as you need, slow down videos to study hand positioning frame by frame, and practice at your own pace without holding back the rest of a class. You also get access to master teachers from around the world — players you might never be able to study with otherwise because they live in another country. And you can practice at 6am or 11pm, whenever your schedule and your neighbors allow.

Yes, and it even comes with certain advantages. Our lessons use multi-angle camera setups so you can see hand technique from above, from the side, and close-up — angles that would be impossible to get in a group class. Many students find that being able to watch a master player's hands repeatedly, in slow motion, accelerates their progress substantially.

A single in-person workshop with a master drummer often costs more than several months of access to our entire library. You also save on travel, parking, and the cost of fitting lessons into a fixed weekly schedule.

Each course is broken into short modules — usually 2 to 10 minutes each — so you can fit practice into a lunch break or an evening. Modules build progressively, with technique lessons, rhythm patterns, and sometimes play-along tracks. Our courses include downloadable rhythm notation.

Anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months or more, depending on the level of the course. Our courses are designed to give you a clear path for tangible progress and at the same time provide practice material for many months if you want to go deep.

Yes. You can submit videos of your playing in our community, and David and the other students will help you with feedback.

We have a community where you can share recordings, meet other players, and support each other's learning.

Every lesson has a comment section where you can post questions, and David checks in to respond. You can also upload videos and ask for feedback in the community.

A phone, tablet, or computer with internet access. That's it. A pair of headphones is helpful for play-along tracks. You don't need any recording gear unless you choose to submit videos for feedback, in which case your phone camera is more than enough.

Hand drums are quieter than you might think, especially at practice volume, and you can dampen them when necessary. Udus and frame drums are particularly apartment-friendly.

Many techniques can be adapted, and we have specific guidance for players with wrist, shoulder, or hand issues. If you have a specific concern, reach out before enrolling and we'll let you know which courses and adaptations might suit you best.

You have ongoing access to any course you purchase, including any updates we add later. Subscription members have access to the full library for as long as their subscription is active.

Yes. With the 7-day free trial of the WPA membership you can explore every course for free before you commit.

If you can't currently afford the courses, get in touch with us via the contact form. We'll do our best to find a solution. I (David) believe that money should not be the limiting factor when learning music.