Tech Music School

Tech Music School is a contemporary music school that trains musicians for the music industry in the following disciplines: drums, vocals, guitar, bass guitar and music business. It is situated in Acton, West London.^[1] The school is known for its notable alumni, including Radiohead's Phil Selway and Ed O'Brien.

Tech Music School was the first UK institution to offer a BMus (Hons) degree in Popular Music, before this time BMus degrees were only available to classical musicians.

History

Founded in 1983 by drum tutor Francis Seriau, and described as the original contemporary music school,^[2] it has grown into a comprehensive contemporary music college that train musicians to be professional performers. The School was sold to the BIMM Group in 2010 by Francis Seriau who left the organisation at the same time.

Accredited by Thames Valley University,^[3] Tech Music School offers a [BMus Hons Music] Degree, One Year Diploma, One Year Higher Diploma, Part-Time Courses, Private lessons and a [BA Hons Music Business] Degree, delivered by a faculty of teachers who are also working professionals. The teaching faculty comprises top musicians that have worked with some of the artists from around the world. Tech Music School is internationally known and has significant numbers of students from Europe, Asia, Africa and the USA. Currently overseas students account for around 30% of students on full-time courses.

The school was featured in the 2007 BBC documentary series Play It Again (episode 3), where celebrity Aled Jones was taught by tutor Erik Stams (Head of Drums) to play the drums.^[4]

A poll to find the greatest guitar riffs of all time amongst students from Tech Music School received huge media attention in 2008/9.^[5] It was featured as the main story on the BBC Breakfast news on Wednesday 2 April 2008,^[6] as well as in the Daily Mail,^[7] The Telegraph,^[8] and the Metro.^[9] The results of the poll sparked widespread debate through comments in response to online articles.

Patrons

Nick Beggs

Sam Brown
Billy Cobham
Jason Cooper
Gary Husband
John Jorgenson
Andy Newmark
Billy Ocean
Rick Wakeman
James Taylor

Notable alumni

• Mick Avory - The Kinks
• Richard Beasley - Gary Numan
• Aaron 'Breakbeat' Fagan - NDubz, Kano, Kanye West
• Jon Brookes - Charlatans
• Luke Bullen - KT Tunstall, Joe Strummer
• Julien Brown - Massive Attack, A1, Will Young, Kylie Minogue, Romeo, Heather Small, Lyndon David Hall, Mica Paris, Kano, Mariah Carey, Shane Ward, Raymond and Co.
• Laurence Colbert - Supergrass, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Ride
• Pascal Consoli - Bjork, D'Influence, Underworld
• Jason Cooper - The Cure
• Lee Davies - Jerry Donahue,
• Mark Decloedt - EMF
• Ed Drewett - Solo
• Marina Diamantis - Marina & the Diamonds
• Laura Fares - Sam Sparro, Ricky Martin, Guy Chambers
• Doug Fink - Noah and the Whale
• Nick Francis - Goldheart Assembly
• Graham Godfrey - Soweto Kinch, Gabrielle
• Brian Greene - George Benson, Cliff Richard
• Nenad Gajin - Emma Bunton, Slobodan Trkukja, Mokhtar Samba, Bojan Z
• Dominic Greensmith - Reef, Kubb
• Victoria Hart london - Solo
• Charlie Arthur Appell IOW - solo, Jamiroquai, The Project, Papa Do Plenty
• Greg Haver - Producer
• Mark Heaney - The Seahorses
• Carlos Hercules - George Michael, Beverley Knight, CJ Lewis, Lyndon David Hall
• Becky Jones - Groove Armada, Emma Bunton, Skunk Anansie
• Ged Lynch - Black Grape, Peter Gabriel, Electronic, Public Enemy
• Aditya Narayan - Sa Re Ga Ma Pa
• Andie Rathbone - Mansun
• Mark Roberts - Massive Attack, Neneh Cherry, D:Ream
• Phil Selway - Radiohead
• Ashley Soan - Faithless, Squeeze, Del Amitri, Hear'Say, Lewis Taylor
• Sebastian Steinberg - Lily Allen
• Amy Studt - Solo
• Justin Welch - Elastica
• Pick Withers - Dire Straits

Master classes and visiting artists

Tech Music School has a history of offering its students master classes by some of the best musicians in their field. Some of these include:

Drums
Billy Cobham - (Drum Legend)
Ian Paice - (Deep Purple)
Mark Schulman - (Pink)
Chad Smith - (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
John 'JR' Robinson - (Session)
Manu Katche - (Session)
Andy Newmark - (Roxy Music, Sly and the Family Stone)
Ian Thomas - (Session)
Neal Wilkinson - (Session)
Danny Gottlieb - (Session)
Dave Lombardo - (Slayer, Fantomas)
Mark Mondesir - (Session, Jeff Beck)
Andy Gangadeen - (Session, The Bays)
Steve Smith - (Session)
Ralph Salmins - (Session)
Karl Brazil - (Session)
Bill Summers & Mike Clark (Headhunters)
Troy Miller - (Amy Winehouse, Soweto Kinch)
Adrian Erlandsson - (Cradle of Filth)
Aaron 'Breakbeat' Fagan - (Kanye West, NDubz)
Ash Soan - (Session) Gary Husband - (Level 42, John McLaughlin)
Dennis Chambers - (Drum Legend)
Pat Petrillo - (Session)
Barry Van Zyl - (Johnny Clegg)
Horacio Hernandez - (Session)
Pete Lockett - (Percussionist)
Gary Powell - (The Libertines)
Jojo Mayer - (Nerve)
Dave Weckl - (Drum Legend)
Phil Maturano - (Session)
Woody Woodmansey - (David Bowie)
Brooks Wackerman - (Session, Bad Company)
Peter Erskine - (Jazz Legend)
Danny Heifetz - (Mr Bungle)
Chuck Silverman - (Percussionist)
Martin Atkins - (Nine Inch Nails, Pigface, Ministry)
Jerry Brown - (Session)

Guitar
Guthrie Govan - (Dizzy Rascal, Solo)
Christophe Godin - (Solo, Morglbl)
Ace - (Skunk Anansie)
Carl Verheyen - (Session)
Jon Gomm - (Solo)
Bernie Marsden - (Whitesnake)
Larry Coryell - (Fusion Legend)
Adrian Legg - (Solo)
Pete Callard - (Session)
Thomas Leeb - (Solo)
Rodney Brannigan - (Solo)
Brett Garsed - (Session)
Marc Rizzo - (Soulfly)
Pat Martino - (Jazz Legend)
Frank Gambale - (Fusion Legend)
Dave Martone - (Session, G3)

Bass
Stu Hamm - (Joe Satriani)
Hadrien Feraud - (Fusion)
Yolanda Charles - (Robbie Williams, BB King)
Julian Crampton - (Incognito)
Laurence Cottle - (Session) Janek Gwizdala - (Session)

Vocals
Ola Onabule - (Solo, Session)
Cleveland Watkiss - (Session)
Juliet Russell - (Session, Gorillaz)
David Combes - (Session)
Sharleen Linton - (Session)
Brendan Reilly - (Session, Basement Jaxx)
Sam Brown - (Solo)
Natalie Williams - (Solo, Session)
Andy Abrahams - (Solo)
Sophie Ellis-Bextor - (Solo)
Billy Ocean - (Solo)

Scholarships and Bursaries

The school runs a large number of high profile scholarships with various magazines and other media partners including EMI's Music Sound Foundation bursaries which are awarded to only 7 colleges in the UK and whose Patrons include Sir George Martin, Sir Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Cliff Richard, Diana Ross, Mstislav Rostropovich and Tina Turner.
Ongoing scholarship partners include; The Stage,^[10] Marshall Amplification, Rhythm magazine, Guitar Techniques magazine, Guitar Part magazine (France), Batterie (France) Ritmi magazine (Italy), Chitarre (Italy).

The school has made a pledge to support the aims of the Music Manifesto.

References

1. ^ "Official website". http://www.techmusicschool.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-02-23. 
2. ^ Tim Walker (23/03/2006). "Contemporary music academies give stars of future a chance to be heard". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/student/career-planning/vocational-study/contemporary-music-academies-give-stars-of-future-a-chance-to-be-heard-470972.html. Retrieved 2009-02-24. 
3. ^ "Thames Valley University's Legal Status and Framework for Collaborative Agreements". http://www.tvu.ac.uk/the_university/governance_and_policies/legal_status_and_framework/Collaborative_agreements.jsp. Retrieved 06/03/2009. 
4. ^ "BBC's Play It Again official page". http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/playitagain/programmes/series1/aledjones/. 
5. ^ Atholl Simpson (03/04/2008). "Doo doo doo "Smoke on the Water" still top riff". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSL0391745720080403?feedType=RSS&feedName=lifestyleMolt&pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0. Retrieved 2009-03-04. 
6. ^ Tim Muffett (2008-04-02). "BBC Breakfast Video, Counting Down the Great Riffs". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7320000/newsid_7326200/7326267.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&news=1&nol_storyid=7326267&bbcws=1. Retrieved 2009-03-04. 
7. ^ Arthur Martin (03/04/2008). "Rock'n'roll riffs ain't what they used to be by". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-555152/Rocknroll-riffs-aint-used-be.html. Retrieved 2009-03-04. 
8. ^ Bonnie Malkin (02/04/2008). "Top 25 riffs: modern rockers 'can't make great guitar riffs'". The Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3672251/Top-25-riffs-modern-rockers-%27can%27t-make-great-guitar-riffs%27.html. 
9. ^ "Deep Purple Top Riff Poll". Metro. 02/04/2008. http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/article.html?in_article_id=132194&in_page_id=7&in_a_source. 
10. ^ "The Stage, Take a Chance: Scholarship at Vocaltech!". http://www.thestage.co.uk/features/feature.php/23380/take-a-chance-scholarship-at-vocaltech. 

External links

• Official website
• The Telegraph 26/06/2008 Tech Music School: School of Rock
• Official YouTube page with all visiting artist master class footage