Never played before?
3schools
Each one says on its own site that it takes complete beginners.
- Verified listings
- 3Three take complete beginners, two teach online. Last checked 18 August 2026.
- What it costs
- Statewide estimate~$60An hour. A Georgia statewide estimate, not a measurement of Athens.How we calculate thisWhat drum lessons usually cost, nationally
How many schools for you
Not a ranking. Each count is everyone whose own site says they do this.
Want to learn from home?
2schools
Each one publishes online lessons as well as in person.
Want to know the price first?
1school
- Guitar Center Athens $260
Each one publishes a price on its own site.
The record
Every verified listing in Athens. A blank cell means the school does not publish it, which is not the same as no. Open a row for contact details and the page we read.
Guitar Center AthensMusic schoolYesNot stated$260for a 4-lesson packageVerified 29 July 2026
Takes beginnersMusic schoolStyles they listrnb and soul
Phone+18667610244
Websitestores.guitarcenter.com/ga/athens/767
Advertised price$260 for a 4-lesson package, as written on their site
UGA Community Music SchoolMusic schoolYesYesNot publishedVerified 18 August 2026
Takes beginnersTeaches onlineMusic schoolStyles they listclassical and folk
Phone+17065422894
Websitewww.music.uga.edu/cms
Alex DillonIndependent teacherYesYesNot publishedVerified 18 August 2026
Why here
Athens is a college town that turned into a music town, and two of the bands that did it were built around drummers.
R.E.M. formed in Athens in 1980 with Bill Berry behind the kit, and he stayed for seventeen years and eleven albums before leaving in 1997 to farm in nearby Farmington (Britannica). He is playing again, in another Athens band, The Bad Ends. The B-52s came out of the same scene, and Keith Strickland, born in Athens, was originally their drummer; he moved to guitar only after Ricky Wilson died in 1985 (Wikipedia).
What matters for someone learning here is less the famous names than what they left behind: decades of a town where small bands form constantly, where playing in one is normal rather than ambitious, and where the bar for a first gig is a room with a PA.
If you are learning drums in Athens, you are learning in a place where there is somewhere to go and play badly in public. That is worth more to a beginner than it sounds.
Before your first lesson
You probably have somewhere in Athens to put a kit eventually, but a practice pad and sticks will carry your first months just fine. Agree practice hours with the household before a kit arrives, since that is what quietly ends most beginners' playing.
Straight answers
How much do drum lessons cost in Athens, GA?
Too few teachers in Athens publish a rate for a local figure, so this is a Georgia statewide estimate of around $60 an hour, not a measurement of Athens.
How many drum teachers are there in Athens, GA?
We reviewed 3 listings for Athens, and all of them pass owner-source verification. Verified means we confirmed they teach drums from a source the business controls: their own website, or a claim from the owner. We checked it within the last 12 months. Anything we only ever saw in a third-party listing is not listed here.
Can a complete beginner take drum lessons in Athens, GA?
Yes. 3 of the 3 verified listings in Athens say they teach complete beginners, with no prior experience and no kit of your own.
Do drum teachers in Athens, GA offer online lessons?
Yes. 2 of the 3 verified listings in Athens teach online as well as in person.
What drumming styles can you learn in Athens, GA?
Between them, the verified teachers in Athens list classical, folk, jazz, rnb and soul. Styles come from what each teacher publishes about their own lessons.
Do you need your own drum kit to start lessons in Athens, GA?
No. A practice pad and a pair of sticks are enough for your first lessons. There is usually room here for an acoustic kit in a garage or basement later on, so it is worth agreeing practice hours with the household before one arrives.
