Drum instructor George Jones has been teaching at Hot Licks Guitar Shop for the past twelve years. Over the past 27 years, he has performed with numerous bands in the metro area. George brings a sophisticated poly-rhythmic and pocket hitting drumming that carries a lot of soul. Sitting or standing still is next to impossible with his positive and sensitive jazz-influenced playing.
His multi- stylistic playing has linked him with many different types of music, and he has performed Ethiopian, Latin, Brazilian, Pop, Funk, Jazz, R&B, and Rock groups. George is strong on his students learning good technique and Rudiments to help establish stick control and self confidence on the drum kit as a whole. " I totally believe in a musical approach to this instrument meaning "playing" it instead of "banging on it". George was a music education major at Howard University.
KJ has been playing the drums for over 25 years. He started playing and taking drum lessons at the age of 6. KJ performed in Symphonic, Marching and Jazz band through high school. After high school, KJ continued his drum education at St. Mary's College, while earning his Bachelor of Arts degree.

A versatile musician, KJ has played and recorded music in a variety of settings. He also an accomplished guitar and bass player, which enables him to accompany his students with various instruments during the students' drum lessons.

In addition to music reading, KJ plays and teaches many different styles music, including:
Rock, Latin, Funk, Jazz, Go-go, Metal, etc.
He encourages students to bring in songs from school or from a

Native Washingtonian, Matt Strain has always had a passion for drums. He began playing in 1988, studying various styles that range from jazz, funk, and rhythm and blues. With early influences from John Bonham (Led Zeppelin), and Alex Van Halen (Van Halen), Matt quickly adapted to the power of rock drumming. Later on, he acquired influences from drummers such as Terry Bozzio (King Crimson, Frank Zappa), Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) and Neil Peart (Rush). Matt currently resides in Upper Marlboro, Maryland with his wife and two dogs and teaches full-time at Hot Licks guitar shop in Waldorf, Maryland.