I have been making tuned percussion instruments for over twenty five years. I gained an HND in Instrument Technology at The London College of Furniture in 1988. Then in 1989 I won a three year research grant from the Leverhulme Trust which enabled me to travel widely in Africa and Indonesia where I studied alongside the most skilled instrument makers. I completed a Phd in Music Instrument Technology in 1995 at The London Guildhall University: "The Manufacture of Tuned Percussion Instruments in Indonesia and Africa - A Selective Study".
This unique background of training in the practical skills of instrument making alongside African and Indonesian instrument makers, coupled with an academic knowledge of acoustics and instrument construction, enables me to make strong and beautiful instruments which sound fantastic and continue an acoustic instrument making tradition. I have made xylophones, marimbas, and other tuned percussion for professional musicians including an African style concert marimba for Evelyn Glennie. I also make instruments for theatre, schools and other groups working with young people with complex disabilities. I have recently been making outdoor musical instruments for schools which combine the ruggedness of playground equipment with the beauty of musical instruments. |