I have been learning from Dean for over 30 years.  He does his homework, and I have been copying (cheating?) off of his homework for many years.  This started even prior to working at Disneyland, when Dean was completing his Masters in Jazz Studies at USC while I was working on my undergrad degree.  Even back then Dean has always seemed to “be in the know” of who is who on the performing scene (in many genres of music), what books/recordings and videos drummers should check out, and most importantly he has continued to grow as a musician.  I have been fortunate to benefit from this unofficial mentorship, and if you are an aspiring professional musician, I highly encourage you to surround yourself with as many “Deans” as you can – musicians that are always studying their craft, evolving, growing, and therefore challenging you to grow as well.