Musical Accomplishment

The depth of James' musicality begins from his early musical upbringing. James discovered his love for music at a tender age by experimenting with a dizzying array of instruments such as organ, classical guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, clarinet, flute, piano, drums, and percussion. As a young budding musician, James is also diligent in studying the works of classical & contemporary composers, fostering an appreciation of form and a serious command of coordination techniques.

At sixteen, James was introduced to master teacher Blair Sherrill, a student of world-class drummer Dennis Chambers and began private drum lessons with Blair for 4 years in Singapore. He started performing with Blair for YMCA Singapore in 1999, and gradually brought his performances to many campuses and around town. Since then, he has performed before thousands of people in countries like Australia, Thailand, East Malaysia, and the United States.

James graduated from the summer program with the L.A Music Academy and also received a Certification of Accreditation from Orff Institute (Melbourne). He had the privilege to study with drumming professionals like Blair Sherrill, Gary Ferguson, Quentin Dennard, Dave Beyer, Mike Hughes, and Jimmy Lee. Besides being engaged with top gigs like Musiac Conference '08, Singapore Food Festival '09, 15th Drum Exchange Singapore, MediaCorp, Disney Channel and OKTO TV, he also travels to other countries like East Malaysia and Thailand to conduct clinics and conferences. He has also been on the judging panel for nation-wide competitions like Drumzout and Borders Without Walls.

James has a special ability to inspire and educate others via the drumset. He is passionate about his work, radiating joy and patience while graciously sharing the Spirit of Drumming.

As an educator and principal, James owns the nationally recognised My Drum School in Singapore. Within less than four years, the reputable school has 12 teachers and over 800 students - a testament to James’ hard work and ever-growing passion to offer a high level of music education in a distinctive contemporary setting. Besides tight schedules in performances, he is also currently serving as a music director and drummer in his church for more than 12 years and as a drum consultant to more than 100 churches in Singapore.

James is proud to be endorsed by Mapex and is dedicated to raise up a new generation of drummers in Singapore.

Academic Accomplishment

James' music accolades are paralleled by his academic achievement - completed his Bachelor of Business Studies with a First Class Honors at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He held two scholarships and was on the Dean's List for three consecutive years, and won a gold medal for emerging top of his academic cohort.

In 2006, James became the face of NTU’s Nanyang Business School (NBS) print advertisements. His pictures appeared on bus-stops shelters all over Singapore and the newspapers, making him one of the most recognizable faces on campus.

Upon graduation in 2006, James moved on to the business world and performed exceedingly well in the top accounting company he was employed. In spite of his bright prospects in the business world, James resigned from his position in the accounting firm, 8 months later, in order to pursue his dream of establishing a drum school. MDS was then founded in October 2007.

Shortly after in July 2009, James was featured in The Business Times (here) as one of the successful entrepreneurs under 30 in Singapore. He also appeared in Computer Times (here) and other magazines for his innovation in using technology in his business.

James believes in using and imparting his gifts and talents, and now builds his drum school upon two pillars: to inspire and to educate. (Read more about our school here)

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