During the afternoon on January 6th, Ralph Humphrey led a clinic focusing on motivic development in improvisation for drummers. Ralph showed how two and three-note motivic ideas could be combined to create phrases on the drumset. He also discussed how important it is to consciously fuse the physical process of muscle memory development and the mental process of note grouping.

The following morning featured Academy drum co-chair Joe Porcaro with legendary percussionist and Academy percussion instructor Emil Richards, along with bassist Kenny Wild. Peppering the event with lots of humorous anecdotes and insights, Emil guided the audience to participate in demonstrating how odd meters can be grouped over even meters. As the combinations became more esoteric, the audience struggled to keep up with Emil and the band.

Both clinics were extremely well attended. Said one attendee who stopped by the LA Music Academy booth, "That was some heavy stuff."