Allen Aucoin
About
I am a professional touring and recording drummer and educator with over 20 years of experience performing, recording, and teaching. I graduated from Berklee College of Music with an Associate degree in Percussion and Contemporary Music. I am best known for spending two decades touring internationally as the drummer for The Disco Biscuits, performing hundreds of shows at clubs, theaters, and major festivals throughout the United States and abroad.
In addition to my work with The Disco Biscuits, my professional performance experience includes collaborations, live performances, and recordings with members of Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic, The Meters, Snarky Puppy, Blues Traveler, Medeski Martin & Wood, and Umphrey’s McGee, as well as artists including Billy Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Shaun Martin, John Popper, Jimmy Herring, Sonny Ortiz, Dave Schools, Jojo Hermann, Leo Nocentelli, Bernie Worrell, Oteil Burbridge, Alana Rocklin, Simon Posford, Ott, Johnny Rabb, and KJ Sawka.
Teaching Style
My teaching style is patient, encouraging, and detail-oriented. I focus on helping students understand how and why things work, rather than just what to play.
Lessons move at the student’s pace and are structured enough to provide direction while remaining flexible to address questions, challenges, or goals that arise along the way. I place a strong emphasis on relaxed and efficient technique, time, feel, musicality, and developing good habits that support long-term progress.
I strive to create a comfortable learning environment where students feel supported, focused, and motivated to improve. When helpful, lessons include a video recording and a brief written summary highlighting key concepts, exercises, and practice suggestions, allowing students to review material between sessions and practice more effectively on their own.
Curriculum
My teaching draws from a wide range of institutional, drumline, and professional methodologies. I incorporate concepts and approaches influenced by programs such as Berklee College of Music, the University of Georgia, Auburn University, the University of North Texas, Florida State University, Spirit of Atlanta, Southwind, and Escape drumlines, as well as materials and pedagogical standards supported by the Percussive Arts Society.
Core technique and reading development often draw from foundational texts such as Stick Control and Accents & Rebounds by George B. Stone, Modern School for Snare Drum by Morris Goldenberg, Snare Drum Solos for the Advanced Beginner by Garwood Whaley, America’s NARD Drum Solos, and Modern Rudimental Swing Solos for the Advanced Drummer.
For drum set coordination, time, feel, and musical application, I regularly use materials including Syncopation by Ted Reed, Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer by Jim Chapin, The New Breed by Gary Chester, Drum Set Fundamentals by Dave Mancini, The Drummer’s Complete Vocabulary as Taught by Alan Dawson by John Ramsay, and Beyond the Backbeat by Larry Finn.
Style-focused studies may include Advanced Funk Studies and Contemporary Drum Techniques by Rick Latham, Broken Eighth Note Feel by Skip Hadden, A Quartet of Recipes Around the Drums by Joel Rothman, The Art of Bop Drumming by John Riley, Mastering the Art of Brushes by Jon Hazilla, The Essence of Brazilian Percussion & Drum Set by Ed Uribe, and rhythm and sticking studies by Gary Chaffee.
Materials are selected and adapted based on each student’s level, goals, and musical interests. I regularly create and supply personalized exercises, written examples, and practice materials tailored to each student, and when working from established method books, I guide students on how to use those materials effectively in their own practice. I emphasize applying technique to real musical situations rather than working through material mechanically.
Credentials & Affiliations
PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE & VENUES
My touring career has included performances at major venues and festivals such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre (with performances spanning more than a decade), The Gorge Amphitheatre, Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, Camp Bisco, Identity Music Festival, Hulaween, Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, the Melkweg in Amsterdam, Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík, the Fillmore in San Francisco, the Mayan Theatre in Los Angeles, Times Square in New York City, Great Woods (Xfinity Center) in Mansfield, Massachusetts, and Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia.
Internationally, I have performed throughout Europe, Japan, the Caribbean, and Mexico, including concerts in Iceland, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Scotland, England, Japan, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico (including Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, and the Riviera Maya). My performance experience also includes live shows aboard cruise ships.
RECORDING & STUDIO EXPERIENCE
My professional recording experience includes studio sessions in the United States and internationally, including recording at Abbey Road Studios in London, as well as sessions at Studio 4 Recording. My studio work has involved live ensemble recording, overdubs, and the integration of acoustic and electronic percussion in professional recording environments.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Alongside my performance career, I have maintained an active teaching practice working with students of all ages and experience levels through private instruction, online lessons, and school-based programs. Earlier in my career, I taught in school settings in Columbus and Harris County, Georgia, including Shaw High School, Hardaway High School, Columbus High School, Carver High School, Harris County High School, Kendrick High School, Northside High School, Brookstone School (grades K–12), Richards Middle School, Arnold Middle School, Blackmon Road Elementary School, and Reese Road Elementary School.
In addition to classroom instruction, I served as a drumline and percussion instructor for programs at Hardaway High School, Shaw High School, Harris County High School, and Northside High School. I prepared students for marching band and concert percussion ensemble festival competitions, where drumlines and ensembles consistently earned Superior ratings as well as Best in Class awards.
My teaching focuses on strong fundamentals, relaxed and efficient technique, time, feel, musicality, and confidence. Lessons are tailored to each student’s goals, whether that involves building basic coordination, improving groove, preparing for auditions, developing ensemble skills, or understanding how professional musicians apply these concepts in real-world performance and recording situations.