A grounded approach to drumset
Paul built a method rooted in rhythm theory, reading, technique, and the musicality that separates a player from a drummer.
Founder
Paul Robson.
Drummer, educator, and founder of the school.
A storied drummer and drum teacher whose method and mentorship have shaped generations of Canadian musicians, and quietly built the school that families know today.
Founded the school in 1965
Second floor, Yonge and Bloor, Toronto
- 1965
- Opened his first drum school
- 1000s
- Drummers taught over his career
- 4-book
- Paul Robson Percussion Series
From the school archive
A storied history
An educator who shaped drumset teaching in Canada.
Paul Robson, founder of the Ontario College of Music, has had a storied history as a drummer and drum teacher. He has taught thousands of drummers, both through his own school and through the Toronto School Board.
He has strongly influenced drumset education and has been a leader and role model for countless drummers in Toronto, throughout Canada, and around the world.
Paul's approach has given generations of students, many now working professionals, a grounded understanding of drumset performance and the theory of music and rhythm. Blessed with a gift and a love of drumming, he has been an inspiration to a generation of drummers and drum teachers.
How it began
From a small studio at Yonge and Bloor to a full college of music.
In the summer of 1965, Paul Robson opened a small drum school on the second floor of a building at Yonge and Bloor Streets in Toronto. As he recalls it, he started with perhaps fifty to one hundred students, and enrolment grew quickly as families discovered a serious, sincere place to learn the drumset.
He kept careful written notes on his method, which eventually became the four-book Paul Robson Percussion Series, a curriculum that spread across Canada and is still remembered by drummers who came up through it.
In 1968 he purchased two buildings near Yonge and Davenport: one for music instruction, the other a dormitory for out-of-town and international students. Renamed the Ontario College of Percussion, the school taught the full range of percussion instruments alongside music history, arranging, and composition, with both part-time and full-time programs.
“I think I had maybe fifty to one hundred students. Enrolment increased rapidly and I found there was a real need for sincere and quality instruction on the drum set.”
A lasting legacy
A method, a school, and a generation of musicians.
Published curriculum
His four-book Paul Robson Percussion Series became a standard reference for drum students and teachers across Canada.
A generation of drummers
Former students went on to teach, perform, and record, carrying the school's approach into stages and studios around the world.
5 stars on Google
Trusted by hundreds of students
Teaching since 1965
60+ years in the neighbourhood
RCM exam prep
Certified professional teachers
Voted #1 by NOW Magazine
Best music school in the GTA for private lessons
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- Google reviewsRated 5.0
- Established1965 · Leaside
- CurriculumRCM exam prep
- PressVoted #1 by NOW Magazine