Bio

Austin has won awards at events including the Percussive Arts Society Drum Set competition and the Next Generation Jazz festival. Additionally, he has collaborated and performed with GRAMMY winning and nominated musicians including Rosana Eckert, Erin Bentlage, Johnaye Kendrick, and Amanda Taylor. Other musical collaborations include performances with Brad Leali, Kate Reid, Groove for Thought, Josh Nelson, Gabriel Mervine, Ben Markley, Halie Loren, the Guerrilla Fanfare Brass Band, Chantil Dukart, Steve Owen, the Yakima Symphony, Aurora Symphony, and many others. 

Austin’s teaching philosophy revolves around tailoring lessons to the students' interests and needs. An expert in a variety of styles and techniques, Austin’s goal is to help students achieve the level of playing they desire through technique, improvisation, style studies and listening. Austin holds a BA in percussion performance from Central Washington University and an MM in jazz studies from the University of Oregon. He has studied drum set and percussion with Gary Hobbs, Mark Goodenberger, Mel Brown, Chris Whyte and Dave Tull. 

When not teaching, Austin is an active performer in the Northern front range music scene. He can be heard performing with groups such as the Guerilla Fanfare Brass Band and the Chantil Dukart Trio to name a few. Outside of music Austin enjoys hiking with his family and walking his amazing dog Sadie!

BOOK LESSON
Phone: 866-737-2877
Email: info@denverpercussion.com






Student Testimonies:

"Austin is a gifted musician and a nurturing and supportive teacher who leads with kindness,
respect, humility, patience, and a deep passion for music. His knack for explaining various
concepts and identifying creative solutions to overcome challenges is invaluable. Equally
important, Austin's ability to listen deeply to and confirm understanding of the many questions
asked during lessons consistently ensures that our communication is clear. I appreciate that he
takes time to document points of performance for each aspect of the lesson and records and
posts videos to asynchronously aid development of rudimentary skills. Austin is an efficient
and focused instructor committed to providing maximum support during lessons who also
takes time at the start of each lesson to connect with his students. Austin is a wonderful blend
of talent, expertise, and personal integrity and it is a pleasure to have him as my teacher."
-Teresa C.

"My name is Carter M., and I was a student of Austin’s for nearly two years. I have been
playing the drums since the age of nine (I am currently nineteen) and Austin is my most recent
instructor. Our lessons focused mainly on jazz drumming, along with funk and Latin. I can
confidently say that, while learning with Austin, I was able to progress more than I have with
any other instructor – not just by learning a lot of songs or improving my technique, but in how
I think about playing the drums and how I feel when I play. My favorite thing about Austin’s
teaching is his ability to combine his own perspectives with those of the drummers who
pioneered the techniques we study. Through Austin’s explanation of the playing styles and
musical ideas of influential drummers (and how he incorporates them in his playing), I was
able to get a much better understanding of how those styles and ideas are applicable to my
learning process. I thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from our lessons’ focus on versatility and
adaptability, and I now feel much more confident playing unique styles of music that I had not
encountered before. Finally, Austin’s sense of passion and kindness as an educator made our
lessons a truly wonderful and fulfilling experience. I can only hope that many drummers young
and old have the opportunity to study with Austin."
-Carter M.

“Austin is a knowledgeable and experienced instructor fully armed with an arsenal of great
exercises and advice. His lessons are a great way for any student to improve their playing and I
can not endorse his services enough."
-Sara B.

"I have had the pleasure of receiving drum instruction from Austin Hass. After a long hiatus from
playing music, retiring, and then returning to the drums, Austin quickly identified fundamental
areas to improve which then laid the groundwork to make significant progress.  Austin takes the
time to identify the interests and priorities of his students and then he tailors a program that is
meaningful.  Austin uses many tools at his disposal to facilitate instruction including but not
limited to visual/auditory analysis of his students, drum books appropriate to the needs and level
of his students, demonstration, and multimedia technology. It has been fun to identify a concept
and then have Austin pull-up a video/music clip from various masters demonstrating these ideas. 
Austin makes the instruction process fun and engaging, which at the end of the day is what it’s
all about."
-Mike Z.