For over 25 years, Amir Ziv has taught musicians not just how to play—but how to think independently, listen deeply, lead with confidence, and take ownership of their own artistic identity.
His students have gone on to work with artists including Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Kendrick Lamar, Roy Hargrove, Joshua Redman, Robert Glasper, Jason Moran, Bobby McFerrin, Christian McBride, Cassandra Wilson, Q-Tip, Anthony Braxton, John Mayer, and the cast of Hamilton on Broadway.
Amir Ziv has been a faculty member at The New School's Jazz and Contemporary Music program for over 25 years, where he has played a central role in shaping its drum curriculum. He served as Head of the Drum Department during a formative period in the program's development. Courses he developed include Drum Sight-Reading, Percussion Ensemble, Theory & Performance Drum Lab, the Live Electronica Orchestra, and the Live Drum 'n' Bass Ensemble, many of which have become foundational to the program.
Ziv has presented master classes at universities, conservatories, and festivals throughout the United States and in Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, England, France, Germany, Holland, Israel, Morocco, and Portugal. He is also a Visiting Artist at the Drummers Collective in New York City. His master classes are not conventional drum clinics. They draw on his experience as a performer, composer, and bandleader to explore the full arc of a musician's development—from the creative process and individual voice to the realities of building a life in music.
Earlier in his career, Ziv spent eight years as a Resident Artist Faculty member at the DreamYard Project in Harlem and the Bronx, creating year-long music residency programs integrated into public school curricula—a reflection of his belief that rhythm is a language accessible to everyone.
Inspired by the transformative power of mentorship, Amir Ziv founded Living Arts Apprenticeship Program (LAAP) to offer others the opportunity to experience that same depth of artistic apprenticeship. LAAP is built around the oldest model of artistic transmission: the live-in apprenticeship. Students don't just attend classes—they live alongside their mentors, immersed in nature, where the environment itself becomes part of the learning. Sessions draw on drum-set study, Harmonic Rhythm, composition, visual arts, culinary arts, and aikido while cultivating a deep relationship with the natural world.
The goal is not simply technical growth. It is a shift in how an artist perceives the world—an expansion of awareness, a deepening of creative identity, and a renewed commitment to a life in art.
Work With Amir
Curriculum Development & Consultation — Percussion, composition, improvisation, and interdisciplinary music curricula for public schools, universities, conservatories, and arts organizations.
Master Classes — Interactive workshops for universities, conservatories, and festivals worldwide, adaptable to musicians at every stage of development.
Private Mentorship — One-on-one guidance for serious musicians seeking artistic, creative, and professional growth.
Immersive Workshops & Intensives — Individual and group residencies through Living Arts Apprenticeship Program LAAP.