Dave Meade started teaching drums to private students in 1974 in Northern California, where he grew up. After receiving a bachelor's in Jazz Performance from San Jose State University (1982), he eventually moved to New York City and received a master's in Jazz Performance from The Manhattan School of Music (1995). In 1990, he began teaching drums and percussion both privately and in the New York City public schools. He began his tenure at NYU and instruction of Percussion Practicum in 2005. He also has continued to perform around the world as a Jazz Ambassador for the State Department, and with various notables such as Aretha Franklin, Bobby McFerrin, Wayne Shorter, Diahann Carroll, and Larry Coryell.