Haringey Drum Lessons

Hey folks, I’m James Hughes – drummer, composer/producer, teacher, and original member of the London production of STOMP! I was on contract with STOMP full time for 15 years, until I decided to refocus my career and of course, give those joints a break!

I’ve been into drums since the age of about 10, and received Drum Kit tuition from the head of Drum Kit at the Birmingham Conservatoir, and the Principal percussionist of the City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.  I graduated from LIPA with a 2.1 BA Hons Degree and that’s the boring stuff out the way!

As well as various gigs up and down the country, I’ve also played drums for shows over the years too, and they – including STOMP have sent me as far afield as Australia, South East Asia
and all of Europe. I devote quite a l of my career to teaching and I get a kick out of igniting that musical spark in a young person – whether it’s playing your first beat, reading your first page of music, or even just clapping a rhythm correctly! I work closely with young people to try to understand how THEY hear rhythm and music, in the event that I may need to change my approach in some way. It’s all about the individual.

Any student has the potential to get into drumming, including SEN students – whom I have considerable experience with via Haringey Shed, an inclusive theatre company for young people in Haringey, and Waltham Forest Music Service, where I have been teaching for several years.
With me as your drum teacher, your child (or YOU the ADULT) will gain a unique perspective on rhythm as a whole, it’s role in todays pop music and that of yesteryear, and will also have the option to learn how to read notation and if desired, get into grades.

But the drum kit is the most improvisational, and most expansive instrument there is in terms of technique and convention, and so the most important end result is that my students will discover from within, not only an advanced skill set as a drummer, but also a platform for artistic and emotional expression that could be a gateway in to further learning about other art forms.

Just hide the pots and pans!