Meet the Boston Drum Lessons Instructors 

Kyle Harris

Kyle is the founder and operator of Boston Drum Lessons. With over 19 years of drumming experience Kyle has been leading the Boston Drum Lessons team since its beginnings in 2015. Kyle's approach to drumming is one that blends complex rhythmic and dynamic systems (influenced from his time performing with nationally competitive drumlines and percussion ensembles) with improvisation and a sense of groove. His goal as a drummer is to constantly push to improve as an improviser, writer, performer and to always search for new ways to express himself on the drums.

Currently, Kyle has been playing drumset with Blue Man Group on a world tour that’s taken him from Russia, to Canada, to Saudi Arabia, to Qatar, to Europe and China. Wish him well on his travels and shoot him an email to say hello sometime!

Outside of BDL and BMG Kyle composes music and plays with his original projects Goody Bag and Ben Levin Group.

Josh Merhar

Josh has been playing the drums for over 20 years and joined Boston Drum Lessons in 2015. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Josh has been heavily influenced by the tremendous talent of his peers, his instructors and a wide array of music styles, particularly complex music encompassing advanced rhythmic concepts. These forces, combined with working closely alongside forward-thinking musicians, have pushed him to forge a mathematical, outside-the-box approach to the drums.

Since 2008, Josh has performed live on hundreds of occasions around the mid Atlantic and New England regions. He can be heard on recordings of various genres including alternative rock, progressive metal, jazz and blues rock. Josh currently performs with the Boston-based groups Vitamin Sun and GEPH.

Curtis Hartshorn

Curtis Hartshorn is a music composer, performer, and educator living in Boston, MA who specializes in drumset and percussion. As a high school student Curtis performed 2 seasons with the Boston University Winter Percussion Ensemble and later joined the Spartans Drum and Bugle Corps. In 2010 Curtis earned a Bronze medal with the Corps. In 2012 Curtis earned his Bachelors in Music Performance and Music Business from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, specializing in Percussion under the tutelage of Jeff Fischer, Fred Buda, Mark Wheeler, and James Lattini. Currently Curtis is a member of several local bands whose genre's span rock, jazz, folk, fusion, hip hop, contemporary, and classical. Curtis has also made regular appearances performing for the Boston Celtics and the New England Patriots.

Nicko Guerrero is an eclectic musician with a range of ensembles in several styles, including Jazz, Pop, RnB, Rock and Latin music. As an in-demand session player, he has worked and collaborated in several singles, studio albums, and live sessions with a variety of artists from the USA, Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, the list includes Grammy® award winner Luciana Souza and the most famous popular colombian singer nowadays Paola Jara. He also has toured internationally, including performances in the United States, México, Argentina, Perú, and the Dominican Republic.

Guerrero holds a Master’s Degree and a Post-Master Fellowship certification from Berklee College of Music, where he received a Full Tuition Scholarship. Currently ambassador of the prestigious Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI) where has been mentored by Jazz Legends such as Wayne Shorter, Terri Lynne Carrington, Billy Kilson, Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, John Patitucci, Danilo Perez among others. 

Nicko leads his own musical project “PURA BULLA” that mixes original and traditional Bullerengue compositions with jazz, with an extraordinary ensemble that includes musicians from Italy, Philippines, Greece, Palestine, United States, India, and Venezuela. 

Nicko Guerrero was an Associate Professor at the Berklee Global Partner - EMMAT and has conducted drum workshops and music conferences in Mexico, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Colombia.

Isaac Hiller is a Boston-based drummer who plays for an eclectic mix of groups spanning many genres including rock, pop, funk, blues, country, gospel, and jazz. Isaac started playing drums at age 11 and has over a decade of performing experience under his belt. Receiving his music education at Clark University and Berklee College of Music, Isaac learned his craft from drumming masters such as Mike Connors, Dave DiCenso, Marko Djordjevic, Jackie Santos, Mark Walker, and Sergio Bellotti. Isaac understands what it takes to be the backbone of a band, and finds it genuinely rewarding to share his knowledge with others. Isaac works with students of all ages to build their skills and feel more confident in what they play, regardless of the genre. He believes the most beautiful part of drumming (and life) is that nothing can ever be mastered; there’s always a deeper place to go. Whether it’s related to timing, technique, groove, drum sound, or rudiments — Isaac loves to find ways to motivate each student to push their skills to the next level and strengthen their relationship with the drums.

David Greiff

David is a drummer and composer from New Jersey with over twenty years of experience performing and creating music. His background ranges from concert and marching band to pop, rock, funk, country, jazz, and world music (with a specialization in Afro-Peruvian rhythms and percussion). He believes that improvisation is one of the most inherently rewarding aspects of music and works towards enabling his students to be more deliberately creative in their playing. A lifetime student himself, David is constantly developing his approach to the drums and has modeled that approach as a teacher for almost a decade. This desire to learn and improve has led him to relocate to Boston in 2022 to further his knowledge and musical study by attending Berklee College of Music.

Over the last few years, David has had the privilege of studying with Benny Greb, JP Bouvet, Skip Hadden, Mark Walker, Casey Scheuerell, and Lil John Roberts. He has also studied percussion under the tutelage of Ernesto Diaz and Eguie Castrillo and plays cajon, cajita, quijada, congas, barilles, and bongos.

I'm a professional touring drummer and Berklee College of Music alum who's been playing for 30 years. I like to cater my lessons to what the student's individual goals are with the instrument, while still building a strong foundation of drum rudiments and technique. My goal is to help my students become versatile, creative, and confident drummers. I've taught students of all ages and skill levels, and in all different styles of music. I was featured in the Oct 2017 issue of Modern Drummer magazine, and have been touring internationally with the rock band Bent Knee.

Imad Coulibaly is an independent artist hailing from Boston, Massachusetts. He started playing drums at the age of 4 years old. Being surrounded by music at home and in church, Imad became passionate about music. He kick started his music career after winning the Umass Amherst Jazz Festival for “ Best Jazz Trio” and opening for the Chris Potter Quartet. Imad Coulibaly currently plays in his jazz/fusion hip hop group Soul Space. He is also a live/session and touring drummer working with artists such as Rugawd, Martin Gonzalez, David Mrakpor, King Chino, Dave Powell, Rob Araujo and Vooo. Imad’s primary focus is on live/session and touring gigs as well as education in music to inspire drummers of all ages and backgrounds.

Zak King is a versatile musician who has been performing professionally for over 15 years. He received a Bachelor of Music in music education from the University of New Hampshire and a Master of Music in music performance from the New England Conservatory, where he spent time under the mentorship of Billy Hart, Les Harris Jr., Joe Hunt, Bob Moses, and Jerry Leake, amongst many others. Zak’s style ranges from jazz/jazz fusion to rock and metal. He has recorded with and toured nationally with a number of projects, currently Uncured and Laang. Zak regularly performs locally with Matt Savage, Javier Rosario, and Ayan Imai-Hall, as well as others. He has also performed at the Rochester International Jazz Festival, Welcome to Rockville in Daytona, and Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Virginia. Zak has been teaching private lessons for over a decade as well as group classes in the Boston Public Schools and the UNH Summer Youth Music School.

Benjamin is a multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, composer, arranger, recording artist, and classical pianist. With parents that fled from the Soviet Union during its collapse, born in Jerusalem, Israel, and raised in a few places in the great United States, he is a citizen of the world before any other place in it. Drawing from his varied and multicultural experience, he creates music that doesn’t fit into any one category; it hails from all of his rich heritage and incredible work ethic to always know more and explore further forward. Never satisfied, his hunger to keep making more music ensures that he is always on the hunt for cool, new, original projects, while continuing to perform frequently, if only to keep his finger on the pulse of music today.

He holds two Bachelor’s Degrees in Biology and Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, as well as a Master’s in Music for Composition at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In the brief moments of free time he has between his life’s works, Benjamin enjoys hiking, playing video games, cooking, and spending time with his wife, with whom he lives in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Syd is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, performer, studio musician, producer, and educator. They began their musical journey with the study of piano, and along the way discovered a love for improvisation and writing. Guitar, flute and bass soon followed. Born and raised in the Upper Midwest of the United States, Syd’s musicianship has allowed them to travel and be a part of many different musical experiences and genres, from performing solo as a blues/jazz artist, playing at metal festivals, participating in jazz ensemble competitions, and pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Performance at Berklee College of Music. 

Syd’s goal of teaching is to provide students with the tools to express themselves as authentically as possible. Lessons are tailored to the individual student’s unique interests, as well as to providing them with the foundational knowledge of the instrument to further their musical endeavors now and for the years ahead. Syd believes that the teacher-student relationship is sacred and wishes to foster an inclusive learning environment with each of their students.

Introducing Caitlyn O'Brien (She/Her/Hers), a Cambridge-based musician known for her diverse talents as a singer-songwriter, musician, producer, and DJ. Working under her independent label, C8 Music, she expresses her creativity through two distinct personas—Kit Orion, which represents her solo work and debut album, and DJ C8, where she shines as a master curator of musical vibes.

Driven by a deep commitment to community, Caitlyn frequently collaborates with local musicians, sharing her own compositions on stage and engaging audiences with dynamic DJ sets at cherished local venues. In every aspect of her musical endeavors, Caitlyn O'Brien embodies the spirit of creativity, collaboration, and community, leaving an indelible mark on the vibrant music scene of Cambridge and beyond.

Caitlyn extends her passion for music beyond performance by offering private lessons and workshops, sharing her expertise in vocals, harmony, music production, and singer-songwriting. With a nurturing approach, she guides aspiring musicians on their creative paths, empowering them to discover their unique voice within the art form and fostering connections within the musical community.