Enrollment Closes Monday April 18th at Midnight. Only 12 Spots Remaining. → Enroll Now
THE OHM STORE PRESENTS
Stop Playing by Feel. Start Playing with Mastery.
A 7-week live mentorship with Ben Irons — the only structured gong training program that takes you from intuitive to transformational, with a cohort of dedicated practitioners behind you every step of the way.
Join The May 2026 Cohort Early For $1,999
Early Enrollment is now Open for Gong School by The Ohm Store; the invitation is to join us on a 7 week transformational evolution in the practice of The Gong.
Your mentor and guide through the process will be guided by Gong-Master, professional Philharmonic percussionist and sound healer Ben Irons.
This is an immersive, virtual curriculum carefully created to teach you the intellectual, practical and technical elements of this powerful musical instrument. Moving through this course will cause you to grow, to challenge yourself, all while being taken care of in a loving and private container.
We’ll teach you how to create sound that transforms lives — beginning with your own.
You will learn from the perspective of a classically trained symphonic percussionist, with the heart of a healer who has dedicated his life to the vibrational arts.
With Ben, and a curated group of fellow musicians, meditation instructors, and sound therapists, you’ll move through a rich curriculum, from Gong 101 to your final capstone project, the actualization of your time and a mind expanding exercise in creating your own Gong Meditation.
By the end of Gong School, you will not just know how to play; you will understand how to listen.
You’ll have the ability to generate rich, textured, intentional sound. Not in a one-directional monologue, but to collaborate and be in a conversation with your instrument. The Gong is subtle, responsive, delicate and contains immense power all at the same time.
Many gong players you see are “intuitives” yet we will teach you in a practiced and intentional method, so you are capable of subtlety and nuance as well as raw power.
Become able to conduct and transform the energy in a room, for a private practice, a public performance, or an offering of deep service to others.
You will be trained in proven technique. Taught how to build touch, tone, timing, and intuition — so that your playing becomes an extension of who you are.
And something remarkable happens when you play from that place.
You begin to enter the field of morphic resonance, the unseen current of energy that has carried these sounds through generations of venerated masters.
Gong School helps you step into that field with integrity, confidence, and clarity. And in doing so, you not only draw strength from the past but also begin to play for the future.
If you’re being called to the gong, it’s mystery, the craft, the service, and the sound, we welcome you to join us.
Ben Irons and Frank Mocerino
42
Graduates from the 2025 Cohort
7
Weeks of Live, Structured Training
15+
Years of Ben's Professional Experience
3
Gong Types Taught: Chau, Wind & Nickel
Not Ready to Commit? Get Access to 3 Real Lessons From Inside Gong School
This is real investment of time and money into a 7 week mentorship into the gong. Before you decide, let us show you exactly what Gong School feels like from the inside.
Enter your name and email below and we will send you a series of complete lessons from the program —including Ben's foundational session on lineage and philosophy, and his first hands-on technique class.
Plus, we’ll get you the full recording of the LIVE Q and A from Ben and Frank from Week 1 of Gong School 1.0 from last year
Is Gong School Right for You?
THIS IS FOR YOU IF...
This is for you if you own a gong or are ready to invest in one, because you've been so called by the Instrument.
This is for you if you teach yoga, lead sound baths, work in wellness, or practice sound healing privately, and you want to add a powerful, differentiated skill to your work. It's for you if you want to learn how to facilitate powerful and therapeutic sounds for yourself and others.
This is for you if you are ready to invest seriously in this, and to learn in community with a small group of likeminded, passionate players.
It's for you if you simply "feel called" and have the energy, passion and enthusiasm to take on learning something new.
THIS IS NOT FOR YOU IF...
This is not for you if you are looking for a passive, "weekend certification" or to just have a series of videos that you'll go through whenever you get the time.
This is not for you if you cannot commit 3 to 4 hours per week for 7 weeks. The practice is where the transformation happens, and the practice requires time. We are honored to be of service in your learning, and if this is the course for you, you'll have time to dedicate to this process of learning and dedicated practice.
The gong rewards those who are present, who are patient, who are committed to becoming ever-more-skillful with each session they have in front of their instrument.
The Gong Is the Most Powerful Instrument in Sound Healing. Nuanced and Skillfull Playing.
The gong responds to intention, to breath, to the specific acoustic properties of the room you are in. It is a living instrument. A large format, specially hammered sheet of bronze or silver-nickel that is responsive and dynamic. Creating an experience with it is learning to have an intimate conversion with it, in real time.
For most practitioners, the journey looks like this: you buy a gong, you play it in your sessions, your clients love the sound, and then — nothing changes. You hit a ceiling. You keep playing the same patterns. There aren't many tools in your toolbox, so to speak. It's a plateau.
The answer is structure, a clearly defined learning process that incorporates not just technique -- but deep listening. The process requires a systematic understanding of dynamics, of silence, of the relationship between the player and the room.
It requires a teacher who has spent years developing that understanding and can transmit it directly.
We'd be honored to have you as a student in our Gong School.
"It's not that we're not playing intuitively. There's a degree of intuitiveness — but it's an extremely well-informed intuition. That is the language I'm hoping you take away from this course."— Ben Irons, Gong School
Introduction To Our Course
Gong School by The Ohm Store
A 7-Week Experiential Mentorship On The Gong
Gong School is a focused training for people ready to progress beyond intuitive experimentation and to begin approaching the Gong through skill, structure, and intentionally facilitated depth.
Whether you’ve never yet played a gong, or already lead sound experiences, this is your opportunity to study the instrument with real clarity. Allow us to become your trusted mentor through a process of learning how to “have a conversion” with your Gong.
You’ll be guided by Ben Irons, a professional symphonic percussionist who has played with the LA Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Arizona Opera, and more, and who has spent the past decade immersed in meditation, vibrational therapy, and sound healing traditions.
This is an immersive path. Intellectual, practical and technical evolution will take place.
You’ll be taught how to strike, how to listen, how to structure a session, and how to bring your full creative presence to this sacred instrument.
Now let’s take a closer look at what you’ll learn.
Watch: A Welcome From Ben Irons, Lead Instructor of Gong School
What You’ll Learn Inside Gong School
Over 7 weeks, we are going to watch you through an intentional and structured process combining intellectual concepts, technical practice and emotional widening to integrate a new skill, The Gong.
You’ll learn how to deeply listen, through which your ability springs forth. Some things we will focus on…
Over 7 weeks, we are going to watch you through an intentional and structured process combining intellectual concepts, technical practice and emotional widening to integrate a new skill, The Gong.
You’ll learn how to deeply listen, through which your ability springs forth. Some things we will focus on…
-
How to strike with control, subtlety, and confidence, so you can produce clear, intentional sound. We aren’t aiming to be the loudest gong player. We will study nuance, and deploy a practiced hand.
-
How to work with one and two mallets, drones, rolls, and friction techniques to allow the gong to express it’s wide ranging voice and timbre.
-
How to structure and lead sound meditations, gong baths, and complete energetic or relaxation focused journeys
-
How to develop your inner ear and refine your “mental-aural concept,” the ability to hear before you play. Playing the gong is a meditation unto itself.
-
How to build a relationship with your instrument. You will learn to be in collaboration and conversion with your instrument. Not punching at it, but responding to it, dampening and muffling can be as important as droning or proactive playing.
-
How to access and contribute to the field of morphic resonance, the current of sound that lives through generations. A feeling of continuity grants us clarity, we can continue in the spirit of those who have played before us, and feel reverence and gratitude for their contributions, and ours.
-
How to create something from nothing. Invention, creativity - true growth. You will, with our help and support, create an original, recorded 20-minute gong meditation, reviewed personally by Ben Irons, as part of your capstone project.
-
You’ll move from foundational technique in the early weeks, to depth, presence, and original creation by Week 7.
“With a singing bowl, we ask: where is the sound coming from?
With a gong, we ask: where does the sound end?” — Ben Irons
Let’s learn together, how to Speak Through Sound.
Watch: Ben Play The Gong (converse with it):
Flexible payment plans are available
Course Syllabus and Schedule
This course is designed to deliver our intentional and progressive curriculum in an easy to anticipate and follow way, while integrating the richness of live interactions and lecture-style teaching with the convenience and flexibility of an online format.
Each week, you will receive access to the week’s new learning module from Ben Irons, as well as a specifically paired listening exercise and practical exercise to actualize the new skills focused on for that particular week.
Additionally, there will be open “Office Hours” each week on Tuesdays at 10:00am central time with Ben. This is where conversations, dialogues, questions, and demonstrations can and will happen in real time. We will feed off your direction, energy and questions to inform exactly how these live sessions go.
In special weeks, we will welcome guest presenters who will be with us.
Thursdays, times are subjective to us being responsive to our guests, all sessions will be recorded. These guest presenters are Masters of The Gong, and will expose you to nuanced and specialized ways of creating sounds with these instruments. Our guest instructors are world-class, and only available to us because of Ben’s personal relationships. This is an aspect of the course that will be a valuable asset to you as an evolving gong player.
Lastly, you will have your Capstone Project, the creation of recorded Sound Meditation using your voice and the Gong.
The culmination of your experience – serving, performing, creating into the world something special.
Don’t worry if you miss a live call – all sessions will be recorded and available the next day.
Watch: Video from Frank:
What the 2025 Cohort Said
42 practitioners completed the program last year. Here is what they told us.
"Hi Frank. I'm very happy that I participated in Gong School last year. Ben Irons was exactly the right person to bring on board as our instructor.
My intention always focused on getting the most out of the instruments for my own pleasure/healing/artistry.
Leading gong baths for others, not so much. After taking the class with you guys, I decided to catch a different perspective with an online gong course taught by a well-known gong facilitator based in Hong Kong.
A very different approach based upon her Kundalini training. I enjoyed, and benefitted from, both courses, but honestly, Ben's instruction was aligned much more closely to my needs, background and learning style."
"Since taking the course I have been engaging with my gongs almost daily.
My favorite personal practice is to allow a short piece of poetry or verse to guide that day's session. I might also mention that my gongs have given me an emotional buffer as I confront some age-related hearing loss that is making it more difficult for me to perform in brass ensembles at the level I had previously enjoyed.
The gongs come through nice and clear, and I can hear my 'inner conductor' just fine!
My only regret is that I opted out of the final project, and so, didn't receive the benefit of Ben's feedback. My mistake." – Dave Berner
“Just Do it! I didn't even own a Gong when I signed up for Gong School. Quickly bought a 32" Gong and I was on my journey.
4 months later I now have 11 Gongs. No judging! I felt that the structure Ben put in place with the class was conducive to understanding why you do what you do.
Also, explaining why you don't do something a certain way. The class for me has developed my self confidence and self-esteem in being able to play a gong.
I have never played a musical instrument nor do I read music.
I also learned how to listen for sounds and create different sounds with the different types of mallets. A very positive experience and I was able to finish up classes with the ability to create a Capstone of my learnings.” – Barbara
“I’m so glad I signed up to bein the first Gong School class with The Ohm Store.
Ben Irons has tons of experience in many fields of study.
I’d say he’s a diamond in the percussion world and a gem in meditation practice.
I look forward to the coming days when we can meet up in small groups and discuss our practice.
Thank you all for the support and encouragement.” - Nick B.
“Life-long learner here! Thank you to The Ohm Store for 2025 Gong School!
I really enjoyed this culminating experience!
Special thanks to Frank Mocerino for his vision And open-heartedness and Ben Irons for his expertise, and tremendous help, great constructive feedback, and thoughtful encouragement!
Congratulations fellow Gong School participants!” - Julie Hind
Sign Up Today For $1999
It would be our pleasure to host you for 7 weeks (and beyond) through this evolution in the practice of playing the gong.
Flexible payment plans are available
The 7-Week Curriculum
Every week is a live session with Ben. Every session builds on the last. By Week 7, you will play with the confidence and intentionality of a trained practitioner.
WEEK 1
The Foundation — Lineage, Philosophy, and Your Instrument
You will learn where this knowledge comes from — Ben's direct lineage through the classical orchestral percussion tradition — and why that matters for how you play. You will understand the anatomy of your specific gong and why different instruments (Chau, Wind, Paiste) produce fundamentally different sonic experiences. By the end of Week 1, you will have a framework for everything that follows.
WEEK 2
First Touch — Mallet, Grip, and the Invitation
You will learn the exact grip (the fulcrum) that prevents strain and allows the instrument to do the work for you. Ben will show you the most common mistakes beginners make — and how to unlearn them immediately. You will understand why he calls the mallet an "invitation" rather than a striker, and what that philosophy means for your relationship with the instrument.
WEEK 3
The Architecture of Dynamics — Loud, Soft, and the Space Between
The gong's power lives in its dynamic range. This week, you will learn the specific techniques for building and releasing intensity — how to take a room from stillness to overwhelm and back again with complete control. This is the week most students describe as the turning point.
WEEK 4
The Language of Silence
The most advanced skill in gong playing is knowing when not to play. This week, you will learn to use silence as an instrument — how to hold space, how to let resonance decay, and how to read a room. The phrase "never throw a note away" will become the foundation of your practice.
WEEK 5
Structuring a Full Sound Bath
You will learn how to design a complete, intentional 60-minute sound bath from opening to close — including how to work with other instruments (bowls, chimes, voice) without losing the gong's primacy. You will leave this week with a repeatable structure you can use in every session.
WEEK 6
The Practitioner's Toolkit — Troubleshooting and Adaptation
Every room is different. Every group is different. This week, you will learn how to read your audience, adapt your playing in real time, and handle the unexpected with confidence. This is the week that separates a practitioner from a performer.
WEEK 7
Live Performance and Integration
The final week is a live performance session. You will play for your cohort. You will receive direct, personal feedback from Ben. You will leave with a recording of your performance and a clear, personalized development plan for the months ahead.
Hear from Ben: Introduction To Idea of Listening Cards:
The Gong Is the Most Powerful Instrument in Sound Healing. Most People Never Learn to Use It Properly.
The gong is not like any other instrument. The gong responds to intention, to breath, to the specific acoustic properties of the room you are in. It is a living instrument, and playing one is engaging in a two way conversation between a hand-made piece of symphonic metal and your deep listening for it’s responsiveness to your nuanced touch.
It’s too often considered either a totally intuitive art form, or simply ignored because you’re not sure where to begin or how to deepen a light practice.
The answer is structure. Mastery of the gong requires a systematic understanding of dynamics, of silence, of the relationship between the player and the room. It requires a teacher who has spent years developing that understanding and can transmit it directly to you in an an understandable format that builds on itself week over week.
That is what Gong School is.
Watch: Why I Love Gongs, A Special Note From Ben Irons:
Flexible payment plans are available
What Type Of Gong And Mallets Do I Need To Participate?
Our course begins in Mid-May 2026; we recommend that by that time you have the Gong you’ll use and your set of recommended playing mallets. Yes, the Ohm Store Will be re-releasing Specialty Hand-Made Bronze Chinese Chau and Wind Gongs, and Silver-Nickel Style Gongs in The European traditional for you to purchase before Gong School begins.
Ben’s recommendations:
-
One gong (24–40" preferred). The recommendation is to buy a Chau Gong, Wind Gong or Silver-Nickel (often referred to as Symphonic) Gong for the course.
-
A stand to mount it
-
4 Mallet Set, curated by Ben and Dragonfly Percussion for Gong School Students, available here.
-
One friction mallet (“flumie”)
-
A recording device (phone or camera)
-
Soft foam ear plugs
We’ll help you get what’s right for your path, whether you’re buying, borrowing, or fostering one from your community (a fantastic option).
The Ohm Store will have a selection of specialty, exclusive Chinese Chau and Wind Bronze Gong, and Silver-Nickel Style Gongs Available for purchase before Class Starts
Flexible payment plans are available
Watch: Ben On Testing A Gong
"It's not that we're not playing intuitively. There's a degree of intuitiveness — but it's an extremely well-informed intuition. That is the language I'm hoping you take away from this course."— Ben Irons, Gong School
Watch: Frank's Video on Ben
Your Instructor: Ben Irons
Ben Irons has spent over 15 years at the intersection of classical orchestral percussion and therapeutic sound work. He is the founder of The Ohm Store — one of the most respected sources for professional-grade gongs and sound healing instruments in North America — and the author of Sound Bath Conversations.
His training runs through a direct lineage: from Fred Hinger, principal timpanist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, through Bill Wanzer, principal percussionist of the Phoenix Symphony for nearly 40 years, and into Ben's own decade-plus of orchestral and therapeutic practice. He also draws from a Vipassana meditation tradition and a transpersonal hypnotherapy background — making his approach to the gong unlike anything else available in the sound healing world.
Ben does not teach gong playing as a hobby. He teaches it as a discipline — one that demands presence, structure, and a genuine commitment to the instrument. His core teaching philosophy is simple: the gong will show you exactly where you are. His job is to help you see it clearly and give you the tools to move forward.
The 2025 Gong School cohort was his first structured program. Forty-two practitioners completed it. Every single one reported a fundamental shift in their relationship with the instrument.
Ben is the founder of Zen With Ben, a Boulder-based wellness practice that merges sound healing, meditation, and ancestral wisdom. He is also an Artist Collaborator with Dragonfly Percussion, where he designed the Benjamin Irons Signature Series — a collection of 15 custom mallets and inviters that helped redefine what’s possible with singing bowls and metal instruments.
As the lead instructor of Gong School by The Ohm Store, Ben brings the full spectrum of his expertise, blending the discipline of a conservatory-trained musician with the presence and intuition of a seasoned healer. His teaching is precise, encouraging, and rooted in the belief that anyone, with the right training and support, can learn to wield powerful energy through sacred sound.
Whether you’ve never used a gong or have some moderate experience, Ben will meet you where you are, and help you go further than you imagined possible.
Flexible payment plans are available
Watch: Ben Play
Watch: Ben On Morphic Resoance
Investment & Enrollment Options
Embark on this transformative journey with flexible payment plans available at checkout. You can apply for financing through ShopPay, with installment plans available for up to 12 months.
The investment of your time will be 2-4 hours per week, which includes participating in one live call each week (recorded for your convenience) and engaging with pre-recorded modules that will be released weekly. This structure allows you to immerse yourself in the material while accommodating your busy schedule.
Watch: Video from Frank:
Your Questions, Answered
Watch: Video from Frank:
The 2026 Cohort Starts Mid May. Your Spot Is Waiting.
Last year, 42 practitioners completed this program and fundamentally changed their relationship with the gong. This year, we are taking a maximum of 50. The physical Gong Bundles are limited to available inventory.
If you have read this far, you already know this is for you. The only question is whether you are ready to commit to the work.