Ezra Hapner
About
My name is Ezra Hapner and I'm a drummer/percussionist and rapper. I recently graduated from the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music with a BA in Ethnomusicology. My background is in jazz and rock on the Western drum set but I have accrued experience playing a variety of percussion instruments including tabla, tombak, daf, riq, congas, and timbales. On kit, I have toured for pop acts (Mad Tsai, Black Polish) and have had significant experience playing locally for artists in singer-songwriter, folk, and country styles (Anthony Arya, Sophia Bacino, Remy Sher, Dakota Dry). I also lead my own band, an 8-piece reggae/jazz group called Old Growth. In school, I focused primarily on Hindustani Classical and Iranian Classical music, with additional experience in jazz, klezmer, Turkish, and Armenian music. My last thing to mention is that I have been releasing rap for the last 5 years under the name Ezzie the Scribe and perform shows with a full band where I rap and play drum set at the same time.
Teaching Style
Patient and adaptable to a student's needs and goals. I strongly value teaching that fosters the internalization of foundational knowledge so that any musician can develop on what they learn as they work to create their own voice. Learn --> Distill --> Develop.
Curriculum
Ready to meet a drummer wherever you are at and build a curriculum centered around your goals. Want to learn how to play proficiently in a specific style? Looking to improve a certain aspect of your abilities? Book a free trial and we can talk about creating a curriculum for you.
Lessons available for any and all musicians looking to increase their overall musicianship with rhythm training. Emphasis on ways of conceptualizing rhythm and improving your passive sense of rhythm.
There is no correct way to emit sound!! Offering improvisation lessons aimed at opening up all musicians to the possibilities of free expression. Consists of improv exercises that can be carried out with any instrument or voice. Strong value on the practice of setting limitations to increase creativity in improvisation.
Offering lyric/songwriting lessons. We can focus on methods and processes of writing or we can workshop your pre-existing songs and lyrics. With a background in rap, I like to focus on syllables, phrasing, and wordplay.
Credentials & Affiliations
BA in Ethnomusicology from the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
Played drums professionally for 5 years
Began teaching private students in 2018