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December 2007
Scholarship Winner Hans Menacho's monthly Diary
This year Mapex drums and The Institute London teamed up to offer a full years drum diploma course fully supported with an exclusive scholarship for one lucky student.
After an initial application and selection process, talented Peruvian drummer Hans Menacho prevailed to take full advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity.
Hans will be keeping a monthly diary to keep us all updated on the progress, challenges and events he encounters along the journey of his diploma course.
Hey everyone,
My name is Hans Menacho and welcome to my diary. This is my first go at writing a diary so I hope it’s OK!
I am the lucky winner of the 2007 Mapex/Paiste Scholarship award for the Institute’s Higher Diploma course. I am 26 years old, come from Peru and have been playing drums for about 12 years. I’m going to share with you some of my thoughts on drumming and also give you some insights into the school and what exciting things I’ve been up to. Here goes…
The first few weeks have flown by and the end of the first term is already in sight. The whole Institute experience so far has been amazing! At the beginning, and coming from the other side of the world, it was a scary prospect but all the Institute staff and my classmates have been really supportive. The environment is very friendly and encourages you not only to practice and improve, but also to relax and meet new people.
In my first week there were a number of gigs where we saw bands formed by current and past Institute students. It was really great, but even more impressive was the tutor’s gig! There we saw the musicianship and abilities of our own teachers, and seeing them in action was truly inspiring!
The big highlight for me so far has been Thomas Lang. Not only was his masterclass literally amazing, but as a part of the course we had a lesson with the man himself! We could ask whatever we wanted and concentrate on any aspect of drumming. We covered double bass techniques, hand technique, coordination and even stick tricks - How cool is that?!
The Institute drum course is really varied and as a student you feel that you are covering many different aspects. I particularly like percussion, where we've been studying Congas and Bongos (we get onto timbales and lots of hand perc over the next two terms), and the Drum Technology Module where we learn how to use recording software like Logic.
As I am self taught, the most difficult classes for me are Sight Reading and Keyboards. Even though I find them hard, I already see just how useful these modules are and it has made me realise that a drummer is not just a person who plays drums, but someone who is a well rounded musician. Personally, a few things of great value that are not mentioned in the brochure are the facts that the tutors give private lessons, but they also give insider tips and advice when it comes to the music business. I think that this is a really valuable part of the experience, and something a book or video cannot give.
My life outside of the Institute has been great too. I have joined a Pantera tribute band (www.myspace.com/panteratributeuk) and we travel all over the UK, gigging in various venues and meeting lots of people. Come along and see us and say hello! London is a great city with many opportunities for musicians, no matter what kind of music you like.
That is it so far. I hope you enjoyed this first entry and thanks for reading!
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