Eric Dupont
About
Eric was born and raised in New Hampshire, receiving his first drum set at the age of 12. Beginning to seriously hone his craft in high school, he earned titles as the NHMEA Jazz All-State drummer and recipient of the Woody Herman Jazz Award. His work as his school’s Drumline captain, jazz band drummer, and wind symphonic band percussionist led him to performances in New York, Florida, Canada, Germany, and Austria.
Eric initially studied European classical percussion with Jeff Fischer at the University of Massachusetts in 2012, while studying drum set privately with Boston legend Fred Buda. In 2013, Eric transferred to the jazz program at William Paterson University on music scholarship – he graduated magna cum laude in 2016 as the Outstanding Musician Award recipient, with a major in Jazz Studies and Music Management. With the school’s close proximity to New York City, Eric has been fortunate enough to study under the tutelage of such drum heavyweights as Billy Hart, Winard Harper, Jason Brown, Horacee Arnold and Bill Goodwin.
Teaching Style
Eric has experience teaching students of all ages, playing levels, and genres.
Lesson topics include but are not limited to:
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Rudiments & Snare Drum Studies
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Drum Set Technique & Coordination
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Fundamental Drum Set Grooves
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Song Forms
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Brush Technique
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Chart Reading/Interpretation
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Improvisation/Solo Transcription
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Equipment & Tuning
Curriculum
I provide free digital versions of standard drum literature and repertoire, including but not limited to the following: Stick Control for the Modern Drummer by George Lawrence Stone, Syncopation for the Modern Drummer by Ted Reed, The Sound of the Brushes by Ed Thigpen, 4-Way Coordination by Marvin Dahlgren and Elliot Fine, A Funky Primer by Charles Dowd, Conversations in Clave by Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez, Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer by Jim Chapin, Brush Artistry by Philly Joe Jones, etc.
Credentials & Affiliations
Eric has received scholarships and grants from the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) and the Music Business Association. He was also selected as one of 15 fellows of the 2018 Program for Jazz at Ravinia's Steans Music Institute in Highland Park, IL.