Performer & Music Educator

About

Growing up in Alberta, Canada, Carson Schafer picked up drum sticks at an early age when he began playing drums in church by the age of 11 alongside his mom and dad who were also musicians. He would play in many bands and live settings throughout his early years, and would eventually obtain his BMus in Drumset Performance from MacEwan University in 2017, where he studied with Brian Thurgood, Dan Skakun & Sandro Dominelli.

In 2019, Carson completed his MFA in Jazz Drums from the California Institute of the Arts where he had the privilege of studying with Joe LaBarbera (drums) & Joey de Leon (Latin Percussion).

Carson's versatility as a live performer spans from Jazz, Rock, Pop, Country, World Styles, Salsa, Odd-Time, Classical, Musical Theater and beyond. A selection of artists he has recorded or toured with include: Sogand, Zak Astor, Darek Oles, Lexi Lawson (Hamilton) Steve Newsome, Jens Lindemann's Drum & Brass Crossover Ensemble, ENCC Music, Kyle Sherrington, Dino Dominelli, The Mighty Cash Cats, 33 Thunder, Analog Dream, UFOSoul, Elis Band, the Calarts Salsa Band just to name a few.

Alongside performing and recording, Carson is a dedicated teacher who has taught thousands of lessons to students of all ages and experience levels. Additionally, he is an accomplished drum transcriber --since 2020, he has completed 700+ note-for-note drum transcriptions of complete songs for Drumeo for their students. He currently holds the role of Drum Transcription Specialist at Drumeo.