5 New Student Drum Performances: AC/DC, Weezer, Blink-182, 30 Seconds to Mars & Red Hot Chili Peppers

At Drum Lessons by Josh Kastleman, students don't just practice exercises—they learn songs they enjoy and work toward performing complete songs on the drum set. Our latest group of studio recordings features five students taking on songs from AC/DC, Weezer, Blink-182, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

These performances also include two firsts for our studio. Camden became the first student to perform “Adam's Song” by Blink-182, while Sage became the first student to perform “This Is War” by 30 Seconds to Mars. Here are the latest student drum performances.

Erik – “Back In Black” by AC/DC

Erik takes on one of the most recognizable rock songs of all time with AC/DC's “Back In Black.”

With a difficulty rating of 4/10, this song gives Erik the opportunity to work on the steady rock groove, timing, coordination, and powerful playing style that are such an important part of AC/DC's sound.

Song: “Back In Black”Artist: AC/DCStudent: ErikDifficulty: 4/10

Watch Erik's full performance on his student page.

Jupiter – “Buddy Holly” by Weezer

Jupiter performs Weezer's “Buddy Holly” in this studio recording.

The song provides a great opportunity to work on maintaining a consistent groove, developing timing and coordination, and playing through an entire song from beginning to end.

Song: “Buddy Holly”

Artist: Weezer

Student: Jupiter

Difficulty: 4/10

Watch Jupiter's full performance on the student page.

Camden – “Adam's Song” by Blink-182

Camden takes on “Adam's Song” by Blink-182, a significantly more challenging performance with a difficulty rating of 8/10. This performance is also a first for Drum Lessons by Josh Kastleman. Camden is the first student at the studio to perform “Adam's Song.”

As students progress through drum lessons, they can move from foundational songs to increasingly difficult music that challenges their timing, coordination, endurance, and ability to follow a song's structure.

Song: “Adam's Song”

Artist: Blink-182

Student: Camden

Difficulty: 8/10

Studio First: First student to perform “Adam's Song”

Watch Camden's full performance on his student page.

Sage – “This Is War” by 30 Seconds to Mars

Sage requested “This Is War” by 30 Seconds to Mars and became the first student at the studio to perform the song. With a difficulty rating of 7/10, the performance gives Sage an opportunity to work on challenging rhythms, coordination, transitions, timing, and endurance.

Student-selected songs are an important part of our approach to drum lessons. When students can work toward songs they actually enjoy listening to, they have a meaningful goal to work toward while continuing to develop their drumming skills.

Song: “This Is War”

Artist: 30 Seconds to Mars

Student: Sage

Difficulty: 7/10

Studio First: First student to perform “This Is War”

Watch Sage's full performance on the student page.

Westen – “Can't Stop” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Westen performs “Can't Stop” by Red Hot Chili Peppers in his latest studio recording.

With a difficulty rating of 6/10, the song challenges Westen to maintain the groove while handling the timing, coordination, transitions, and rhythmic details throughout the performance.

Song: “Can't Stop”

Artist: Red Hot Chili Peppers

Student: Westen

Difficulty: 6/10

Watch Westen's full performance on his student page.

Learning Drums Through Real Songs

One of the goals of Drum Lessons by Josh Kastleman is to help students become better drummers while giving them music they are excited to play.

Learning complete songs helps students apply the skills they develop during their lessons, including timing, rhythm, coordination, technique, dynamics, endurance, and musicality.

Students also have the opportunity to see their progress through studio recordings. Each performance becomes a record of what they were capable of playing at that point in their development.

Whether a student is just starting out or working toward challenging songs like “Adam's Song” and “This Is War,” the goal is the same: become a better drummer while having fun playing music.

Drum Lessons in the Tooele Valley

Drum Lessons by Josh Kastleman provides drum instruction for students throughout the Tooele Valley and surrounding communities, including Tooele, Stansbury Park, Grantsville, Erda, Lake Point, Stockton, Magna, and West Valley.

Students learn drumming fundamentals while also working toward songs that match their interests and current skill level.

Want to learn drums? Visit our drum lessons page to learn more about lessons and how to get started.

Learn more about Drum Lessons by Josh Kastleman.