Mike Mangini
Dream Theater - United States

Overview

Mike Mangini has successfully applied his Rhythm Knowledge to all styles of music, from classical to speed metal. He has consistently developed both the melodic and rhythmic sides of his musical personality. He has documented his command of these styles on recordings, with Internationally Renown and Multi Platinum Selling bands, as a multi-time Grammy nominee, as the featured clinician at most every drum festival in the world, and as a full-time faculty member at Berklee College of Music along with being named to their Educational Committee and as Advisor to the Percussion students.

He is both teacher and student. He has been studying music since the age 5. He studied percussion privately with Walter Tokarczyk (Public School System, Waltham, MA), from age 10 through 18. Since 1987 he has given private instruction to drummers, guitarists, and pianists. Michael completed his first drum clinic tour in 1996, and since then he has traveled the world as a clinician selling out venues in over 40 countries. The principles on which he based his extraordinary style can be found in his publications entitled Rhythm Knowledge Volumes I and II.

His numerous awards include: Official Multi Category W.F.D. World’s Fastest Drummer, Boston's Best Drummer/Rhythm Section; NAJE All Eastern United States Percussionist - First Chair; All Massachusetts Jazz Band Drummer - First Chair; All Massachusetts Concert Band Percussionist - First Chair; All Massachusetts (N.E. District) Jazz Band Drummer - First Chair; Concert Band Percussionist (N.E. District) First Chair., and he appears in Drum Magazine Reader’s Polls yearly.

He has spent time in the recording studios. His more celebrated Rock credits include his 6 records in 4 years with Steve Vai, Waiting for the Punchline by Extreme, Set the World on Fire & All for You by Annihilator, (Mullmuzzler 1, 2, and Elements of Persuasion) with Dream Theater’s James LaBrie, & Tourist by Pop Artist Chris Emerson.

When Mike speaks of the importance of being able to relate to others "in and out of the limelight ", he is talking from experience. He has toured with Steve Vai, Extreme, Dale Bozzio/Missing Persons, and Annihilator, to name a few, and is an active clinician with close multi year relationships to his endorsement companies and to the bulk of his drumming peers.

Mike's is a Full-Time faculty member whose current title at Berklee College of Music is "Associate Professor of Percussion." He is also one of two percussion department advisors to the students. He has been on the faculty since Fall 2000. In 2002, Mike was appointed to the percussion department's Education Committee. There, he served time working on departmental curriculum and direction issues with other faculty, and student feedback.

He has also started an online lessons service so he can teach all over the world... "My intention is to bring out the player in you that you envision in your heart. I want you to tell me what kinds of things you are interested in. I am not under the umbrella of a specific curriculum, any books or at the mercy of anyone else telling you what is best for you. You can choose a more musical usage path, a more mechanical wiring path or any mixture of the two." For more information, go to Mike's Online Lesson Site.

Links

Mike Mangini.com
Mike Mangini @ MySpace
Mike's Online Lesson Site