My Blog

Local Friends and Businesses - MK Music Scene - Paul Batson

04/12/2013 12:48:00

Hi Guys,

I hope that this blog post finds you well!

As I mentioned in my last post about RJM Cajons, I am trying to highlight some local businesses and people who play a large part in the supporting of our local music scene.

This time I would like to draw your attention to Mr Paul Batson, who had the pleasure of working with over the course of last year.

Paul is a wonderful man who has dedicated so much of his life to the teaching of music, he worked at Stantonbury Campus for around 30 years and has had a huge impact on his students in this time. Paul is inspiring, patient and extremely talented and has been cited as a driving force behind many of his ex pupils now proffesional music careers.

Paul is also an award winning wood worker who has made all manner of wonderful ornaments over the years and has now begun to turn his focus to the creation of custom made artisan conductors batons.

Paul's batons have already been lauded by leading names in the conducting world with Hilary Davan Wetton endorsing them as the finest batons that he has had the pleasure to use. If you know anyone in the world of classical conducting who is looking for a bespoke baton of unequaled quality then look no further.

You can check out Paul's handiwork at his website: www.batsonsbatons.co.uk

These batons are made by hand with no prefabricated parts, which means that the serious conductor can get their baton made to a completely bespoke specification.

Paul is also an awesome arranger and composer who can help you to get the most from an Orchestral ensemble, so if you need help composing or want to add another layer of complexity to your arrangement then please get in touch with him, you wont look back!

Have a good day and thanks for taking the time to have a read!

Joe

JR Drumming - Local Friends & Businesses

03/07/2013 13:22:00

Hi Guys,

I hope that you are all well and that life is good!

I have decided to focus my next couple of blogs on local friends and businesses that are helping the local music scene either through the provisions of service or equipment.

I really believe in supporting our local venues, retailers and manufacturers and to this end I will be trying to raise awareness of them.

The first company that I would like to bring to your attention is RJM Cajons who are based out of Newport Pagnell. I had the pleasure to meet the founder Ross Mynett last week and to talk to him about his custom hand built instruments.

Ross obviously has a huge passion for music and this is evident in the level of craftsmanship and quality that he puts into his Cajons - they sound great and they look unique (which is something that cant be undervalued in these days of mass produced vanilla instruments). Ross offers customers the opportunity to own a Cajon that reflects their own style in terms of finish and colour at incredibly affordable prices. Having played all manor of Cajons over the years I can truthfully say that his Cajons are more responsive, resonant and innovative than most of the competition in the market at the moment.

Innovation is one of the reasons that I am so happy to have met Ross as I have a lot of idea's on my Cajon wishlist that I know are not available in the marketplace at the moment. It is refreshing to talk to an instrument builder who is genuinely interested in listening to what a customer wants from their instrument, as we all have our own preferences and styles and one size does not fit all.

I am also excited that Ross is now considering launching a "Premium" range of Cajons to offer even more variation and versatility to his impressive array of products.

If you are a percussionist looking for a custom piece of equipment or a guitarist looking for a custom built instrument then I would recommend that you get in touch with Ross, you wont be disapointed!

I have posted a link to his site from my friends and links page, so please check him out.

Thanks guys, more to come soon!

Joe

Tribute to Joe Kent

01/24/2013 13:46:00

Hi Guys,

I Hope that you are well and that the new year has started in a positive way for you.

I am just posting this blog as a tribute to my former student and friend Joe Kent who sadly passed away on the 15th of January after having been assaulted without motive by three strangers.

I don't want to spend time discussing the lowlifes that ended Joe's life so prematurely and needlessly....not when there is so much to say about the positive, kind and amazing person that he was.

I taught Joe for a relatively short time (around 7/8 months on and off) however in this time I had the pleasure to working with a truly genuine and motivated young man who loved his wife, his family and his friends and also had a burning passion for music that still makes me smile. He loved a challenge and would persevere with everything that I gave him to study. He was part of the local band "Roots in Revolution" and already had several gigs under his belt even though he only started playing a short while ago - he wouldn't let nerves or doubt get in his way, he just wanted to get out and share his music and energy with others.

He was a true gentleman and a gentle soul and I feel that my life is that much better for having met him and had the pleasure of his company and humour.

I know that nothing that anyone can say can ease the pain of your loss and my thoughts are with your lovely wife, family and close friends who have paid you the highest tributes with their expressions of love for you.

Keep on rocking buddy (as if anything could possibly stop you!)

Joe Rodriguez

Just a quick note!

11/12/2012 15:08:00

Hi Guys!,

Its been a busy old year so far and I just wanted to take a bit of time to congratulate all of my students that are making such excellent progress in their grading preparations - its not easy, but the work is really starting to pay off.

I am in the process of planning some video lessons at the moment in response to student requests and hope to have something up in the coming months.

I will be posting some more pics from our recent demo session at assault and battery with my wonderful wife and our top bass playing buddy Dave Pugh - we had so much fun working through some of the tracks for the album and are enjoying working with such a stripped down line up.... it has challenges but it also allows for a lot of variation in how the songs can be arrangedwhich has made the process really refreshing.

There is also the prospect of a reunion with my wonderful friends in the Pressure Room so I will keep you all posted as to how this progresses.... very excited at the prospect of playing with such a ninja ensemble of musicians again!!

Looking forward to posting new vids and tracks in the coming months so please stay tuned.

Thanks again for the support and kind words,

Joe

Very honoured to be involved

10/02/2012 11:05:00

Hi Guys,

Another week goes by and what a week it has been!!

I am very happy and excited to say that we finally began the recording process for a new band that we are putting together and the preliminary session has been a real success. We will be going to Assault and Battery studio's later this week to continue with the development of the tracks with a view to getting a full album together over the coming year.

I will be posting some photos of the session shortly on the gallery page and cant wait to share the recordings once they are completed.

This week also saw the unveiling of the blue plaque at the home of the recently departed Robin Gibbs and I was honored to be asked to assist in providing music for the occasion as part of the function band Calibre. We played a selection of classic Bee Gees songs that meant a lot to Robin and his family as part of the order of the day. It was a very touching day and I have to say that Robin's family seem to be very caring and kind people who are genuinely down to earth and humble. I also met Mr Peter Andre at the event who also seems to be a genuinely very nice guy who made time to mingle and chat with anyone and everyone at the event - one of life's true gentlemen!

Thanks again to my students that have posted very kind testimonials on my guestbook, thanks guys they are always appreciated!!

Well that's it for now - look forward to posting more in the near future, thanks again for all the support guys!

Joe Rodriguez

More Congratulations and Happy Birthday Wishes!!

09/13/2012 13:54:00

Hi Guys,

It has been a crazy couple of months since I last posted on the blog!

I have since got married and had an amazing honeymoon with my beautiful wife Sarah - thanks to all of you who have sent gifts and kind messages, they are all very much appreciated!

On a very exciting note, my brother has just become a published author after putting out his awesome Sci-Fi novel "Ascension: The Sword Warp Series" - it really is an awesome read and I would recommend picking up a copy from the Amazon Kindle store.... here is the link: Ascension (The Sword Warp Series)

it is only £1.94 and it has been getting rave reviews, so please give it a try!... it is also his birthday today, so if you want to make him very happy please support his book! :)

I am now back to drumming and have received the fantastic news that two of my students who recently took grading exams both passed - so well done to Tom Wyant and Tia Margan for their excellent work in the lessons and their performances on the day!! - onwards and upwards guys.... it only gets better now!

I am very excited about the prospect of recording some new material in the coming months and to the possibility of ressurecting a band that I am very fond of.... I will keep you posted on the progress and am keeping fingers crossed.

I am looking forward to relaunching the "Beats and Pieces" club at Stantonbury Campus along with my friend Caedmon Salter - so heres to another term of creativity and fun!

Finally I would like to recommend that you check out the excellent series of drum instruction videos by my friend Pete Hedley, who is an outstanding player and educator. He has some great exercises that are fun and challenging and are taught in a very clear and concise style, so do yourself a favour and check him out!

Thanks again to all my students and friends of my tuition that have been so positive about the lessons.... I will be posting new multimedia soon and hope you will drop by to have a look.

See y'all soon

Joe X

Congratulations!!

04/07/2012 22:03:00

Hi Guys,

I hope that all is well in your world, it has been a busy few weeks and it has been crunch time for several students who have been working towards their gradings...

I am very proud of Michael Bradley, Holly Shields and Lee Bates who have all managed to achieve distinctions in their recent Rock School Gradings!! - excellent work all round... now onwards and upwards to the next challenge!!

Also big respect to the guys and girls of the Stantonbury "Beats and Pieces" club who performed their first public performance last month under the guidance of Caedmon Salter (an excellent drumming teacher that I have had the pleasure of working alongside for the last 7 months at Stantonbury School) - it has been a great start and we will have more fun times ahead.... remember it is all about teamwork!!

I have been busy gigging and practicing and am looking forward to getting our new band off the ground soon - so watch this space for future gig dates!

Thanks to all of my students who have left such kind feedback via the guest book - it is a real pleasure to be working with you all to achieve your pursuits in drumming, it has been a lot of fun and we are always building on success, so keep up the good work!

Well this is a brief update, I will be posting again in the near future with further updates on our live performances and new endeavors - so please do keep in touch and keep the feedback coming!

Take care,

Joe

New Business On The Way!!

03/14/2012 11:14:00

Hi Guys!,

Sorry that it has been a while since my last blog entry - things have been very busy between setting up a new company and planning a wedding.

Firstly I would like to congratulate Michael Bradley on achieving a distinction in his grade 1 examination - hard work and focus has really paid off for Michael and I look forward to working through grade 2 with him.

Also a quick mention for Lee Bates and Holly Shields who both sat their grade 1 exams on the 10th of March - I am certain that they will have both done very well and look forward to hearing more news on their results in due course.

Well done guys you have all made me very proud and I look forward to tackling future drumming challenges with you!.

I am also very excited to announce that Sarah (my fiance) and I have just set up Paradigm Music Ltd which is a company focussed on delivering corporate training, experience days and educational workshops.

We have recently been approved as a training supplier for Volkswagen and Audi and look forward to working alongside these two incredible brands in the coming months!

So life is busy and fantastic and time seems to be flying by quicker than ever.

I am hopeful that in the coming months I will e able to give gig details for a new band that Sarah and I are helping to put together along with our old friend Dave Pugh and with the talented trio that are the Meadows brothers - so I will keep you posted!.

Thanks again for dropping by and taking the time to read this update.

Have a great day and please get in touch if you feel inclined!

Joe Rodriguez

Working at Stantonbury Campus!

09/22/2011 16:15:00

Hi Guys!

It has been a while since my last post and a great deal has happened in between!

I have started working at Stantonbury Campus as a music practitioner supporting their year 10 and 11 BTEC music students.

This job has been a huge amount of fun and as given the the chance to work with fantastic students who have a wide range of talents and musical tastes!

Highlights have been coaching guitar players in the subtleties of Reggae (keep OFF the 1!) and re-arranging "Stand By Me" in a Hip Hop style.... it was interesting!.

I have also had the pleasure of working alongside the Stantonbury music department who have made me feel very welcome and have shown a real passion for delivering music education, so I am very excited about the coming months!.

On the private tuition front, it has been crazy busy (not that I am complaining) - so a big thank you to all my students who have been working very hard and making fantastic progress - you know who you are!.

So I am off to practice some rudiments and to think up some good tunes for live performance sessions for the BTEC - keep in touch and please drop me a line if you have any drumming related questions/interest!.

Take care

Joe

More teaching on the way!

08/22/2011 15:06:00

Hi Guys,

I hope that all is well out there!!

I have had a whirlwind couple of weeks, between playing copious amounts of country music, playing at Robin Gibb's house for a charity function (yep thats Robin Gibb of the Bee Gee's!) and teaching privately has been manic!

I will also be starting a new role as an on site music practitioner for Stantonbury School which is very exciting - the job is a mixture of in class assistance, one to one tutoring and group coaching.

The video's that I have been promising are going to be arriving soon - I haven't committed anything to the site as yet because I want to ensure that I provide the best quality production that I can (so stay tuned and it will be here.... soonish)

I have had the pleasure of taking on several new students and am very impressed with the progress that they have been making - it sounds cheesy but there is simply no substitute for hard work and perseverance, so keep up the great work guys!

I have also been trying to challenge myself to play things that I don't already know. It might sound obvious, but it is very easy to get into the habit of rehearsing the same styles of music or fills - remember to keep it fresh and work on your reading, it really does empower you to educate yourself.

OK Guys - please keep in touch and I look forward to posting again soon!

Take care!,

Joe