Mike Etteldorf was born and raised in the Milwaukee area of Wisconsin. His uncle
was a drummer who sparked Mike's interest at an early age and provided him with the opportunity to learn from him every
Sunday. Mike's first major influences came from rock drummers at the time, namely Peter Criss. Over the years Mike
has drawn influence from many drummers including Tony Williams, Philly Joe Jones, Mike Clark, Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Weckl, and Steve Gadd.
Mike especially enjoys playing jazz, jazz fusion, and latin style drums.
Mike graduated from the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music with a Jazz studies degree in 1990. He then went on to
attend the Drummer's Collective in 1991 in New York City, NY where he was able to learn from and meet many masters in
the drumming world.
Mike has been teaching drums for 17 years and has developed a method for teaching that draws from his years of experience
performing, composing, and teaching for his students. A few of the teachers who influenced Mike's methods of teaching include
Kim Plainfield and Pete Zeldman, though there are many more.
When he is not drumming, Mike enjoys swimming in his free time.
