Meet NOA KAHN | Drummer, Studio Musician, Touring Artist and a Drum Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with NOA KAHN and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi NOA, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
I would say that the most important decision I had to make was moving to the U.S. Berklee College of Music was the reason I moved here, and I couldn’t be happier with this decision. It definitely contributed my success, since I had the opportunity to meet and work with some of the best people and musicians in the world.

Having studied at one of the best music colleges in the world, I was able to improve my playing, learn about studio recordings, learn arranging technique, gain knowledge about harmony, improve my technique and sound on the drum kit and more.

Thanks to Berklee, I have become a better musician, which happened since I decided to move to the U.S.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a drummer, musician and an arranger. I released two singles recently (“Bless Nature” and “Change The World”). The first one is my own composition, and the second one is my original arrangement of an Eric Clapton Classic.

My music journey started at the age of 6, when I began playing the piano, but 6 years later I decided to pursue my true passion, and began learning drums.
I served in the military band for two years, after which I received a scholarship for Rimon School of Music in Israel.
After Rimon, I got a scholarship for Berklee College of Music and decided to move to Boston.
My time at Berklee was incredible! I met some incredible musicians from all around the world who inspired me and pushed me to become a better musician myself.
I moved to L.A. in September, and fell in love with the city ever since.

I would say that I’m proud of the myself for pursuing the music career, since my parents didn’t really support the idea and thought that being a musician is not a true profession. It’s not an easy career, and I had to work incredibly hard to achieve my goals and prove them wrong.
Also, I did meet some challenges along the way.
Being a female drummer is unfortunately considered unusual and at times brings with it strange interactions.
I’ve had to deal with bizarre comments regarding my height and size, as some people assume that a 4′9″ person can’t reach the drums or play loud enough.

Personally, it’s nice to see the reactions of people once they find out I can actually play! But I would have liked for this “female drummer stigma” to disappear. A musician is a musician, and musical skills aren’t determined by the musician’s gender or size.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would probably visit Universal Studios (last time I’ve been there was 12 years ago!). We would go to some bars in Silverlake or NoHo and then go to the beach. We would also go to some of the best venues in the city. I really like the Hotel Café and Gold Diggers Club. Afterwards, we could go for a hike!
Regarding restaurants, there’s a great vegan place in NoHo that is called “Lotus Vegan”. The dishes are incredible and the waiters are super friendly, so I’d probably eat there with my friend too.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I believe that there are many people along the way who contributed my career path, but I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to two people in particular.

The first person is Shlomi Cohen. He is one of the best if not THE best drummer in Israel (in my humble opinion).
Shlomi is a session drummer who tours with different artists around Israel. He also worked with Moshe Peretz, a famous singer that is well known in Israel.
Shlomi was also my drum teacher, and mentor. I learned so much from him, both as a drummer and as a human being.
He taught me how to pursue my career and become the best drummer I can be.

The second person is Dave DiCenso. Dave was my drum teacher (private instructor) at Berklee. He has an endless amount of knowledge about every single music style that exists in addition to exceptional knowledge regarding drum technique . He has a unique practice system he invented himself that I still use while practicing the drums.

Also, in addition to Shlomi and Dave’s great personalities, they are both exceptional musicians and I get inspired by them whenever I hear them play.

Website: https://www.noakahn.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noakahn/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEUl50WeIwRanFzu1mMLTxw

Image Credits
Photos by: Jonathan Reisin, Berklee College of Music.