"I've been playing drums professionally since 1978. I'm very fortunate and grateful to have played and recorded with many artists including Anne Murray, Bruce Cockburn, Jann Arden, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings and Tom Cochrane. I met Adam Hay around 2012 and we've become good friends and contemporaries. We love getting together to share musical and drumming anecdotes. I've known Adam as a studio and live player and also as a very focused drum teacher. I'm impressed with how he has taken such a keen interest in a more nuanced approach to teaching the drums. Adam is a great player and has infinite passion for the instrument. He also has an eclectic musical background. Because of this, he understands and has experience in a very, very broad range of styles. His detailed, insightful, and philosophical approach set him apart from other drum teaching methods as he has a great interest in tailoring the lessons to the individual and working with what's in front of him. Adam's approach is to get to know the individual and how they learn. From beginners to the advanced student, he will expressly try and understand what the student is hoping to achieve and will work within that. He also takes the learning experience itself as mostly his responsibility, helping a student to evolve as efficiently as possible. I would highly recommend Adam as a teacher, he offers a very insightful and musical approach to drumming."
GARY CRAIG (12 x Juno Award winner, Maple Blues award winner, legendary Canadian session/live drummer)

"Adam Hay is an incredibly passionate and talented musician I've had the pleasure of knowing for the better part of 20 years. His dedication to drumming both in live/studio performance as well as being a high-level educator is quite astonishing. His resume speaks for itself; performing and touring with multiple-platinum and multiple-diamond selling artists such as, Chantal Kreviazuk, Raine Maida, Royal Wood, Justin Rutledge, and Martina Sorbara to name just a few. As an educator, he is extremely curious, and spirited. Adam encourages his students in ways that are both inspiring and motivational to their trajectories as up and coming musicians. Needless to say, Adam has a heart of gold with a real sense of community among his peers."
Davide Di Renzo (7 x Juno winner, Mariah Carey/Tom Jones/Chaka Khan/Feist)

"When live music became legal again, I hit the ground hitting hard, and earned a repetitive strain injury for my efforts. As part of my healing process I wanted to bounce some ideas off another pro, another set of eyes to help ensure that doesn't happen again. It took all of half a second to think of Adam Hay. Adam's passion for music and drumming, and knowledge of current pedagogy runs deep. A top-notch player and teacher, I knew he was my guy. He met my challenge and gave me things to think about that I hadn't even considered. And as always, the hang was great." Ryan Granville-Martin (multiple Juno award nominees/winners Sarah Slean, Great Lake Swimmers, Classic Albums Live)

"Adam Hay is awesome! PASSION AND KNOWLEDGE!! If I could take lessons from him, I would."
PAUL BOSTAPH (SLAYER)

" Adam Hay is an extremely knowledgeable and accomplished drummer, percussionist and educator who is well versed in many genres of music. His thirst for knowledge and dedication to his chosen craft is continually inspiring.

Recently, after a period of particularly heavy playing, I was experiencing some physical discomfort and realized I had to make some adjustments to my technique if I wanted to continue in the musical direction I was heading in. I got in touch with Adam, knowing he has extensive knowledge and ability in my particular area of concern. Adam provided some observations and alternative techniques that produced immediate results.

I highly recommend him as an instructor for drummers at any stage of development, from beginner to pro."
GLENN MILCHEM (multiple JUNO winners Blue Rodeo, legendary Canadian drummer.)

"I was looking to better my drumming technique almost like how an athlete goes to a coach to learn to move their body properly. I reached out to Sekou Lumumba — drummer of Serena Ryder, Bedouin Soundclash, Thornley etc — and he highly recommended Adam. His recommendation was correct. Adam was amazing. I went to my first session with him and he had already watched videos of me drumming and immediately had ideas of how to help fix my problem areas. On top of being a great teacher he is also a really great guy. I highly recommend Adam to any beginner, intermediate or professional drummer to help learn new skills or focus on problem areas."
DANNY MILES (July Talk, multiple Juno winners)

"After touring internationally for 10 years nonstop I decided to go back and undo some bad habits I had acquired over the years. Adam helped me make some adjustments to my playing that has opened a whole new world of possibilities for me and my playing."
ADAM TUNE (Keys N Krates/Juno winners)

"I was really excited to meet Adam. As a person, he was awesome. As a teacher, he should teach other teachers how to be better teachers."
K.B.

"Adam Hay is a very knowledgeable, dedicated Toronto musician and a great player. He covers a lot of musical ground in his drum lessons and has a wonderfully supportive and enthusiastic approach to teaching. Highly recommended. Check him out!"
Mark Kelso (Multiple Juno Award winner, former Head of Humber Music Percussion, Canadian drumming legend)

"Adam: Great seeing you. You sound excellent! You are doing some really excellent teaching. You are honest, an excellent communicator, an inspiring teacher and your chops are very strong. This is a great foundation. You are the next generation of drumming leaders. Remember who came before us and push hard everyday..... Keep sharing what you are doing. You are raising the standard!!"
DOM 'The Teacher' FAMULARO (Drumming's Global Ambassador)

"I have great admiration for Adam. He's a saint. He's a great musician and educator and perpetual student with an amazing background in music; he's a real friend, tremendously talented, and an all-around very impressive guy. Generous, sincere, honest ... and a seriously heavy musician. But more importantly: an excellent human being. I'm blessed to know him."
AL CROSS (Big Sugar, Canadian music legend)

"A f***ing amazing drummer!! SO damn smart. Such an exceptional, special person."
CHANTAL KREVIAZUK (multiple JUNO winner, quintuple platinum selling artist)

"Adam is a tried, tested, and true teacher who has the background, experience and skillset to prove so. Not only is he more than capable of teaching numerous concepts, his approach is gentle yet effective - a perfect fit for any student or player at any level."
ANTHONY DANIEL (The Battle of Santiago, 2 x Juno nominee)

"This guy is a SERIOUS drummer. I know, I'm a drummer too, and Adam is very, very solid."
RICK CAMILLERI (former President of Sony Music Canada)

"I loved playing music with Adam, and still to this day think he is one of the most talented mofos around, without a doubt, placed on this earth to play drums and make music - and I relish our past together."
ROYAL WOOD

"Adam Hay is a consummate professional. A drummers' drummer - Adam is a living example of the daily hard work and dedication to our craft that one must have in order to stand out from the crowd. Our community is very lucky he has chosen to share his knowledge with us through his teaching practice. If I were starting again today I would choose Adam as my teacher. I am proud to call him a contemporary and friend."
JESSE CAPON (Berklee College of Music)

"Adam is an excellent teacher! I would have run in the opposite direction at the mention of drum notation, but he made it look so easy. It's opened a whole new window for me. Looking forward to many more lessons, I know I'm going to have a great time." D.S.

"The way Adam plays to click ... I don't know how he does it!"
RAINE MAIDA (Our Lady Peace, multiple JUNO winners, multiple Diamond (million) selling artist)

'Adam Hay loves drums. They are his living, his lifeblood, his soul. He is dedicated to his craft and he knows his stuff! Whether in performance, or instructing drummers, it's his passion for the instrument that is his greatest attribute. It's what drives him and impresses me most of all!'
FLAVIO MONOPOLI (Session Drummer / Producer)

"Can't say enough about this guy. Hay is too talented for his own good! Ridiculous drummer, unbelievable author, amazing teacher, and one of the craziest, funniest, honest people you'll ever have the chance to meet. He must be stopped."
ADAM WARNER (Royal Wood, Jill Barber, Steven Page)

"Whether I've needed help with concrete issues of hand and foot technique, or more ethereal concepts of expression and passion for music, Adam Hay has always been there to guide me on my journey. Adam's an outstanding musician, an inspiring teacher and one of the nicest guys you could ever hope to meet."
MATT BENNETT (Five Star Trailer Park)

"The thing I appreciate about Adam's teaching method is that he understands the student's end result; he gets what they are trying to understand and accomplish and helps them attain the next level in their drumming."
LOUIE LE COCHE (Zim Zum)

"I can't say enough good things about the high quality drum lessons Adam Hay gives. He practices positive re-enforcement and has always made me feel comfortable during our lessons. I have always felt guided gently but have been ignited with the same excitement and passion that Adam has for drumming throughout my learning journey. His deep knowledge and extensive experience are transferred to his lessons while maintaining the fun factor with the instrument. It has also been a relief to know that Adam is reliable and punctual with his time in all aspects of lessons. I feel lucky to have found such an incredible teacher and mentor. Adam: thank you soooo much for the wicked lessons. It is so fun and enriching to be taught by you. You are really an excellent teacher!"
SARAH K.

"Adam is extremely talented and a great teacher. As an instructor he displayed lots of patience and knowledge. I looked forward to our lessons and enjoyed playing my drums with him."
RICHARD M.

"He knows a lot when it comes to Cuban music. More than most people. He picked up the quinto part in guaguanco in only two weeks ... it usually takes people YEARS to learn that!"
BLAIR RICHARD MARTIN (Master of Cuban Percussion/Klave Y Kongo/Raving Mojos)

"A sensational drummer."
CAM FULLER (The StarPhoenix, Saskatoon/Winnipeg)

"If there are old souls in this world, Adam Hay is one of the oldest. The Toronto born, session/studio/touring groove-guru has crisscrossed the globe with some of the finest talent on the planet and still has time to inspire young minds. Players like Adam are anomalies; perhaps a handful exists in the world. These are the players who play without ego andlisten without opinion. They play for the song and the moment, nothing more. They are the truest souls in the sense of the word and bring nothing but growth to our industry. Far beyond chops and groove, Adam strives to be plugged into his creative brain. For him, rhythm is beyond the "one," the pocket and all of the human terminology we have bestowed upon the most ancient of art forms. Having paid his dues on the streets of Toronto to afford the heady dreams of the big stage alongside the likes of Raine Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk, Adam still remains the eternal student."
SEAN MITCHELL, Editor, The Black Page Magazine

"Adam is a great drummer and educator. His passion for music and drumming has definitely influenced my playing and helped me to continue to challenge myself."
CHRIS FRENETTE

"I've been taking lessons on and off for about 10 years, and my experience with Adam was near the best (with the exception of my private lesson with Dennis Chambers). During my lessons, Adam quickly assessed my skill level and tailored his teaching to match it perfectly.This made for a great learning experience. Also, in my past experiences, many teachers tended to gravitate towards "their" style, which was usually jazz. And while there is nothing wrong with jazz (of which Adam has quite the mastery) and everyone should eventually study this genre, if you want to rock, it's not always the straightest path to your goal. Adam was able to develop practice drills on the spot that helped me master areas that I wanted to learn, in a way that was simple and focused on mastery. All of these were demonstrated in a great teaching environment. He has an A+ level in 5 things as opposed to a D- level in10. Adam has passion for music and this pours out when you talk to him about percussion or any other aspect of music. He lives drumming ... this is NOT a side job that he does part time. And finally, Adam is one hell of a nice person and a pleasure to be around. So, if you are in Toronto or the GTA, and you are a beginner and want to learn how to play drums oran experienced player wanting to increase your skill, I can't think of a better person to go see. Adam is your guy."
STEPHEN HAILEY (Richmond, Virginia)