Lavien began his formal musical training with piano lessons when he was 10 years old.  Mostly self taught, he discovered his love for drumming in high school when he formed his first rock bank with some friends.  His love for beating the skins and laying down a solid foundation for a great rock bank has never stopped since.

Fast forward to university, Lavien studied jazz extensively and found a unique interest in West African drumming and polyrhythms at York University where he completed his honours degree in Jazz Performance  Although his bread and butter is rock drumming, he has experience playing all styles of music ranging from pop, hip hop to blues, country and traditional Chinese music.

With over a decade of teaching under his belt, Lavien likes to approach music holistically and incorporates singing, dancing and breathing techniques into his lessons because music is expressed through vibration, movement and emotions.  What makes Lavien standout as a drum teacher is his ability to drum and sing at the same time and being able to play other instruments like guitar and piano.  This makes him a well rounded musician that understands music from a variety of perspectives.