Drums, Piano, Guitar, Bass and Voice Teacher
Julia Ava Boehme
My name is Julia Ava W Boehme. I am a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and music teacher. I moved to Philadelphia with dreams in my heart in the spring of 2026 from my hometown of Dallas, Texas. I’ve been teaching for over ten years. I see teaching music as a collaboration with each student, as I learn about and honor their particular passions and personality. I believe everyone is born with natural creativity, and that my job is to help students develop musical language and skills through which to channel that creativity. I offer lessons on drums at all levels in a variety of styles, as well as lessons on piano/keyboards/synthesizers, guitar, and bass. I work with many of my students on songwriting and composition and offer technical guidance for students interested in recording and producing music. I also enjoy facilitating collaborations between students and have led many student bands, helping them learn to play their favorite songs together and come up with original songs of their own.
I studied in the music cluster at Booker T. Washington High School For The Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas with drums as my primary focus, where I performed in many of the school’s ensembles. After graduating from Booker T., I studied at The Art Institute of Dallas, where I received my Bachelor of Science in Audio Production. I began my early education at White Rock Montessori School, where I attended from preschool through eighth grade, which helped shape my patient and expansive teaching style.
When did you begin playing Drums, and why?
I received her first drum set from my grandparents when I was 5. When I was about 8, my best friend started playing guitar. I tagged along to one of his lessons and was hooked. Since he and many other kids played guitar already, it seemed like a better move for me to focus on drums. I soon fell in love with music and became totally immersed in it.
What other instruments do you play, and what is your experience with them?
Once I started drum lessons, my obsession with generating rhythm was supplemented with piano and voice lessons soon after. As a teenager, I began teaching myself how to play guitar and turned my focus to songwriting and composition, which has been my primary creative outlet for over 15 years. I use piano and guitar primarily as songwriting tools, often accompanying myself on one of them when I perform my songs live. Recently, I’ve put a lot of focus into developing my finger picking technique on the guitar, which has expanded the possibilities of what I’m able to express as a solo performer.
What are your personal goals as a musician?
I strive, through my music, to make connections with people across the globe. Every time I perform, I’m given life by these connections and feel a little more in touch with the world. As someone who sometimes struggles with personal interactions, feeling understood through music is a sacred and essential thing for me.
Do you have a memory of a time when a musical concept or technique really clicked? Something you’ll remember forever?
Once I got my first set of guitar chords into my muscle memory, since I had been playing drums for years, my strumming hand knew what to do. I played and sang song after song in my bedroom, feeling the independence and power of accompanying myself. Any instrument can be a percussion instrument, and if you have strong rhythm, that can be a source of confidence.
What is your favorite piece of advice from one of your past (or current) teachers?
When performing, play just under your “highest” ability level. We spend time as musicians challenging ourselves with new things, and expanding our comfort zones as players, but once you’re in front of an audience, do what you feel confident doing. This is how your spirit as a performer will shine through.
What was your most challenging moment learning an instrument?
After I had spent a little time on the drum set, my first drum teacher stuck me with a solo snare drum sheet music book. The dense sheets of rhythms were a blur to me as my little 9 year old system tried to play through them on my own. I became very overwhelmed. With the teacher’s help, I eventually became much more confident with reading rhythms, but this experience created a negative association with reading music for me.
This experience was a very powerful lesson to me as a teacher. I always try to find balance in challenging students by gauging what their capacity is for the challenge, (which can change from lesson to lesson,) to avoid students building up resentment towards their instruments. With enough patience and guidance, students are happy to discover that they’re able to do more than they thought they were capable of.
What is your biggest musical achievement?
The first time I played in New York, it was a show that I booked myself remotely. The bill was full of NY based artists who I revered as a Texas based artist who dreamed of setting myself up on the east coast. The show was sold out. As I stood on the stage with my band, seeing the audience and fellow performers move to my songs, I felt I was being celebrated in a place where I belonged. The encouragement and enthusiasm I received at that show and other east coast shows gave me confidence and resolve to move to Philly.
Favorite thing about teaching?
I love writing songs with kids. If a musical idea comes from within them, rather than from another artist, it’s usually easier for them to latch onto and feel when performing. Experiencing this phenomenon sends me home from a lesson with a smile on my face, and a fun song in my head.
What is a piece of advice you would like to share with anyone learning music?
Playing what you want to play will always feel the best. Let your taste in music guide you into what you learn to play. It takes a lot of time, so be patient with yourself. You’ll start to feel that gap closing between what you want to hear and what you’re able to do.
Personal music projects:
In 2016, I formed my ensemble Starfruit, which has functioned as a revolving cast of brilliant musicians who have so graciously performed my songs. Leading this group has been the most significant creative experience of my life. We’ve toured the country multiple times and released 3 albums.