Stateside Drum Studios
About Stateside:
Here at Stateside we want to instill music as a creative passion. Something more than just another 30 minutes to an hour in your day, but a desire to express all that is within you. Michael comes from a background of teaching students of all levels and all styles. Our unique drum Studios afford the student the opportunity to sit behind their own drumkit while the instructor is behind their own kit as well. The kits are side by side thus enabling the student to play alongside the instructor and less time lost in lessons spent switching behind one single drumkit.
Whether you're young or old, experienced or novice; Stateside has a place for you. Offering a wide range of all Styles with variations including but not limited to: Rock [Pop, Punk, Hardcore, Metal, DoubleKick], Funk, Samba, Swing, Shuffle, Jazz, Mo-Town, Reggae, HipHop&Soul, Blues, Country/Western, Afro- Cuban [Mozambique, Bembe, Mambo] Calypso, and Bossa Nova etc.
Other topics of study include:
Reading in all styles. Charts to Sight Reading. As well as all 40 Snare Drum Rudiments to create a solid foundation. Proper Technique, dynamics and stick control. Tuning, Musicianship, and the responsibility of a drummer within a full band context. Playing along to a Click Track or Metronome and developing solid practice routines.
We can work through your Grades and successively get you through Grade 8 in Rock School or if you're looking to just learn your favourite songs and expand your playable styles catalogue as well, we can do that too. Nothing is out of the question with Stateside, so please feel free to get in touch with us if you're interested in finding out more!
About founder Michael Wright:
Professional touring and session drummer Michael Wright made his transition to Northern Ireland in November of 2011. Upon marrying his wife and the start of the new year came the vision to launch a percussive music teaching facility within the heart of Lurgan. Michael having graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA in 2008 with a degree in Music Business Marketing Management and a high emphasis on DrumSet Performance set out to invest back into the music industry and community in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee.
It was there in Nashville, the heart of the music industry, where Michael gained valuable knowledge and honed in on the finer skills necessary to make it as an industry standard for hire drummer. Securing cymbal, drumstick, and drumset endorsement deals as well as product deals from companies like Rockstar Energy Drinks was all part of the learning experience. As Michael puts it; "There's so much more to being 'just a drummer who plays well' if you want to be involved in any project whether on the indie or major label side of things in the industry"
Michael has been playing drums and other percussive instruments for the past 14 years, 7 of those years in a professional capacity. He has toured internationally with bands in Jamaica, Ecuador, Canada, Turkey, and Kazakhstan. Performed with artist in 45 of the 50 states that make up America to crowd sizes ranging from 2,500 to 25,000 and has been signed to a major artist on Sony's Christian label known as Provident Music Group.
