James Hughes

Hey folks, I’m James Hughes – a London based drummer, composer/producer. I was a performer with the hit percussion show STOMP 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 Birmingham Conservatoir, and the Principal percussionist of the City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. I graduated from LIPA with a 2.1 BA Hons Degree. 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 lot 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, or embrace a different method of teaching. 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, a branch of Haringey Council.  Your child 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 in my opinion the most important end result is that your child will discover from within, a platform for artistic and emotional expression that could also be a gateway into further learning about other art forms.