THOMAS HOOPER

First Study Percussion Tutor

Bmus (Hons) LRAM

Tom Hooper began playing drums on the sofa with chop sticks at about six years old. His parents bought him his first drums when he was eight in order to save the furniture! His interest in the drums continued to grow throughout his teens in Cornwall, he began playing professionally at age 14, performing in clubs, with local band's and summer season pit work. With teacher Paul Hiley steering him and encouraging him, Tom eventually moved to London to study Jazz at the Royal Academy of Music where he studied with, amongst others, Trevor Tomkins, Martin Speake and John Marshall.

Having left college Tom embarked on a professional career that has taken him all over the world performing and recording with artists as diverse as Grace Jones, Skye (formerly of Morcheeba) , John Dankworth OBE, Christian Garrick, Kinobe, Stroke, Omar, The Kairos Ensemble, Ben Earle, Alwyn Wall and Norman Barratt and many more. He also works with many producers including Ivor Guest (Oscar winning documentary-'Taxi to the darkside' /Grace Jones), Jimmy Hogarth (James Blunt, KT Tunstall, Suzanne Vega), Matt Butler ( Paul McCartney / Freelance) and Grammy award winning engineer/producer Cameron Craig.

Tom currently lives in south west London with his wife Esther and young daughter Grace.

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