Dhol Academy is one of the longest-running Dhol establishments in the UK.
In the early 90’s Pritam Singh Bamrah recognised the lack of musical outlets for the South Asian community in East London and set on a mission to establish an open, safe and friendly environment for people of all ages, backgrounds and genders. The club became an integral part of the community, and thus Dhol Academy emerged – officially naming itself ‘Dhol Academy’ in 1994. Pritam’s core belief was that Dhol Academy is a family, a place where everyone is welcome and cares for one another. Helping Pritam along the way were his younger brother Dhanna and ex-student turned manager Parmi. Our current members range from 5 all the way to 60 years young! The success we’ve been fortunate to experience over the years has come from a belief that everyone should have an equal opportunity to perform and showcase what makes them unique.
Dhol Academy is now in the innovative and established hands of Jasdeep Singh Bamrah – with over 25 years experience learning & teaching Dhol, Jasdeep has developed his own unmatched style of Dhol. He has created a detailed learning syllabus including extra challenges for students to not only learn Dhol rhythms, but also understand the technical concepts and different styles behind Classical Indian Music.
Services available include; In The Dhol Drums (The World’s Largest Dhol), Dhol Addiction (Alongside Addictive TV), Bharaat Entrances, Band Baja, Stage Sets, Processions, Recordings, Studio Sessions, Collaborations, Parties, Religious events, Corporate events, Workshops, Classes, Educational talks, Lectures, School visits, and many more.
We have worked with renowned organisations including; BBC, BBC Radio London, BBC Asian Network, ITV, NSPCC, Metropolitan Police, Newham London, Newham Music, London Borough of Culture, Addictive TV, Transe Express, Rhythms Of The City, Nutkhut, Walk The Plank, Emergency Exit Arts, Continental Drifts, The White Keys, The Live Experience Live Band, Lewisham Council, The London Mela, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, Sapnay UK, KSparks Entertainment, The Faith and Belief Forum, Parkinson’s UK, Singh Kaur Cyclists, Seva Team, Orchestra Age of Enlightenment, Baba Fateh Singh Gatka Group, Ramgharia Sikh Gurdwara East London, Emirates Airlines, Virgin Group, Newham Library, Guinness Book of World Records, West Ham Football Club, Millwall Football Club, Leyton Orient Football Club, Asian Pop Awards, Glastonbury Festival, Notting Hill Carnival, Olympic Games, Opening of the Millennium Dome (now the 02 arena), Queen’s Golden Jubilee, Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant, New Year’s Day Parade, Vaisakhi London, NuSound Radio, Sunrise Radio, University of Queen Mary’s, City University London, Atam Academy, King Edwards VI Grammar School, many other educational institutes across the UK and many more organisations around the world.
Our Drummers have performed alongside major artists including; Jazzy B, Jassi Sidhu, DCS, Dr Zeus, Beanie Man, Beyonce, Rishi Rich Project, Metz and Trix, Bally Sagoo, Premi, Shaktee, K.S. Bhamra and more.
We work with many DJ’s and producers including; Swifty Beats, Isher – Desi Vibes Studio, Harry HMC – CellBlock H, Official Team TJ – Dipz Entertainment and many more.
Dhol Academy is one of the longest-running Dhol establishments in the UK.
“Dhol Academy is one of the longest running Dhol establishments in the UK. In the early 90’s Pritam Singh Bamrah recognised the lack of musical outlets for the South Asian community in East London and set on a mission to establish an open, safe and friendly environment for people of all ages, backgrounds and genders. The club became an integral part of the community, and thus Dhol Academy emerged – officially naming itself ‘Dhol Academy’ in 1994. Pritam’s core belief was that Dhol Academy is a family, a place where everyone is welcome and cares for one another. Helping Pritam along the way were his younger brother Dhanna and ex-student turned manager Parmi. Our current members range from 5 all the way to 60 years young! The success we’ve been fortunate to experience over the years has come from a belief that everyone should have an equal opportunity to perform and showcase what makes them unique.
Dhol Academy is now in the innovative and established hands of Jasdeep Singh Bamrah – with over 25 years experience learning & teaching Dhol, Jasdeep has developed his own unmatched style of Dhol. He has created a detailed learning syllabus including extra challenges for students to not only learn Dhol rhythms, but also understand the technical concepts and different styles behind Classical Indian Music.
Services available include; In The Dhol Drums (The World’s Largest Dhol), Dhol Addiction (Alongside Addictive TV), Bharaat Entrances, Band Baja, Stage Sets, Processions, Recordings, Studio Sessions, Collaborations, Parties, Religious events, Corporate events, Workshops, Classes, Educational talks, Lectures, School visits, and many more.
We have worked with renowned organisations including; BBC, BBC Radio London, BBC Asian Network, ITV, NSPCC, Metropolitan Police, Newham London, Newham Music, London Borough of Culture, Addictive TV, Transe Express, Rhythms Of The City, Nutkhut, Walk The Plank, Emergency Exit Arts, Continental Drifts, The White Keys, The Live Experience Live Band, Lewisham Council, The London Mela, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, Sapnay UK, KSparks Entertainment, The Faith and Belief Forum, Parkinson’s UK, Singh Kaur Cyclists, Seva Team, Orchestra Age of Enlightenment, Baba Fateh Singh Gatka Group, Ramgharia Sikh Gurdwara East London, Emirates Airlines, Virgin Group, Newham Library, Guinness Book of World Records, West Ham Football Club, Millwall Football Club, Leyton Orient Football Club, Asian Pop Awards, Glastonbury Festival, Notting Hill Carnival, Olympic Games, Opening of the Millennium Dome (now the 02 arena), Queen’s Golden Jubilee, Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant, New Year’s Day Parade, Vaisakhi London, NuSound Radio, Sunrise Radio, University of Queen Mary’s, City University London, Atam Academy, King Edwards VI Grammar School, many other educational institutes across the UK and many more organisations around the world.
Our Drummers have performed alongside major artists including; Jazzy B, Jassi Sidhu, DCS, Dr Zeus, Beanie Man, Beyonce, Rishi Rich Project, Metz and Trix, Bally Sagoo, Premi, Shaktee, K.S. Bhamra and more.
We work with many DJ’s and producers including; Swifty Beats, Isher – Desi Vibes Studio, Harry HMC – CellBlock H, Official Team TJ – Dipz Entertainment and many more.”
Dhol Academy is one of the longest-running Dhol establishments in the UK.
“Dhol Academy is one of the longest running Dhol establishments in the UK. In the early 90’s Pritam Singh Bamrah recognised the lack of musical outlets for the South Asian community in East London and set on a mission to establish an open, safe and friendly environment for people of all ages, backgrounds and genders. The club became an integral part of the community, and thus Dhol Academy emerged – officially naming itself ‘Dhol Academy’ in 1994. Pritam’s core belief was that Dhol Academy is a family, a place where everyone is welcome and cares for one another. Helping Pritam along the way were his younger brother Dhanna and ex-student turned manager Parmi. Our current members range from 5 all the way to 60 years young! The success we’ve been fortunate to experience over the years has come from a belief that everyone should have an equal opportunity to perform and showcase what makes them unique.
Dhol Academy is now in the innovative and established hands of Jasdeep Singh Bamrah – with over 25 years experience learning & teaching Dhol, Jasdeep has developed his own unmatched style of Dhol. He has created a detailed learning syllabus including extra challenges for students to not only learn Dhol rhythms, but also understand the technical concepts and different styles behind Classical Indian Music.
Services available include; In The Dhol Drums (The World’s Largest Dhol), Dhol Addiction (Alongside Addictive TV), Bharaat Entrances, Band Baja, Stage Sets, Processions, Recordings, Studio Sessions, Collaborations, Parties, Religious events, Corporate events, Workshops, Classes, Educational talks, Lectures, School visits, and many more.
We have worked with renowned organisations including; BBC, BBC Radio London, BBC Asian Network, ITV, NSPCC, Metropolitan Police, Newham London, Newham Music, London Borough of Culture, Addictive TV, Transe Express, Rhythms Of The City, Nutkhut, Walk The Plank, Emergency Exit Arts, Continental Drifts, The White Keys, The Live Experience Live Band, Lewisham Council, The London Mela, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, Sapnay UK, KSparks Entertainment, The Faith and Belief Forum, Parkinson’s UK, Singh Kaur Cyclists, Seva Team, Orchestra Age of Enlightenment, Baba Fateh Singh Gatka Group, Ramgharia Sikh Gurdwara East London, Emirates Airlines, Virgin Group, Newham Library, Guinness Book of World Records, West Ham Football Club, Millwall Football Club, Leyton Orient Football Club, Asian Pop Awards, Glastonbury Festival, Notting Hill Carnival, Olympic Games, Opening of the Millennium Dome (now the 02 arena), Queen’s Golden Jubilee, Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant, New Year’s Day Parade, Vaisakhi London, NuSound Radio, Sunrise Radio, University of Queen Mary’s, City University London, Atam Academy, King Edwards VI Grammar School, many other educational institutes across the UK and many more organisations around the world.
Our Drummers have performed alongside major artists including; Jazzy B, Jassi Sidhu, DCS, Dr Zeus, Beanie Man, Beyonce, Rishi Rich Project, Metz and Trix, Bally Sagoo, Premi, Shaktee, K.S. Bhamra and more.
We work with many DJ’s and producers including; Swifty Beats, Isher – Desi Vibes Studio, Harry HMC – CellBlock H, Official Team TJ – Dipz Entertainment and many more.”
Pursuing an artistic career can be an exhausting, emotional journey. Whether your goal is to learn new skills, launch an independent business or work within the industry, DHOL ACADEMY is the perfect place to build the foundation. And as a student here, you will have access to our amazing, supportive network throughout your time studying, while searching for a job and as an alumni.
“I’ve been learning Dhol ever since I was a toddler. Not long after I was born, my Dad, (known by many of our students as Dhanna Uncle) took me to one of the Dhol Academy classes to show me off to all his friends – keeping in-mind Dhol Academy is a community where music is at its core but where people gather to socialise with one another too. And that was it… I was hooked. I started picking up pencils/pens and constantly tapping on everything. By the age of 2 I was already tapping out the chaal rhythm, and that’s when my Dad felt I had something and decided I should start learning from those more experienced. I attended Dhol classes weekly and learnt until around the age of 12 from many of the older Dholis at Dhol Academy.
Learning from a wide and diverse group of Dholis helped me to understand different teaching techniques and guided me enormously in developing my own skills as a Dholi.
Then around the age of 12/13 years old, I began teaching my own Dhol class with Dhol Academy. Teaching at such a young age worked in my benefit. By helping others I constantly saw opportunities to improve myself. My students pushed me to always improve, as I needed to think outside the box and develop new material for them to learn!
Over the following years, my class grew in size – until I had 30 students attending weekly. I have performed at and led Dhol Academy, alongside Parmi, at many events throughout the UK, including The Queen’s Jubilee Pageant, Newham Music’s Passing The Torch, The London Mela, Vaisakhi in the square, Wembley festival of lights – under the Wembley arches, Weddings and many more. I’ve performed alongside many groups including The Live Experience Live Band, The White Keys, Newham Music Orchestra, Addictive TV, Rhythms Of The City, Transe Express to name a few – and I’m sure there’s so much more to come!
Once I started university, I had the opportunity to join a Bhangra dance team and learnt about Panjabi Folk Dhol. I gained insight on how different rhythms are played to accompany contrasting dance moves, and how a variety of sounds are used to create wide-ranging rhythms. I started to study this in more depth, by watching videos of Folk Dholis and Bhangra teams and replicating the rhythms while practising. Then one random day whilst scrolling through Instagram, I found my Ustaad Ji – Gurmukh Singh. I saw a video of Ustaad Ji playing Dhol, and immediately sent a message asking whether he would consider taking me on as a student. Luckily for me, I was given a chance and from there on my life changed!
Ustaad Ji has introduced me to the world of Sufi’s. The intricacy with which they play Dhol, the complex patterns they play, the mathematical understanding required to break down the patterns and the amount of dedication required to gain their respect and time. I’m nowhere near the finished article, I have so much to learn and work on, but my style of playing dhol has drastically changed. Having also learnt Tabla from a young age, I combine my Tabla knowledge with my Dhol knowledge as part of my teaching. All of the rhythms and compositions are transferrable between both instruments and it’s always a brilliant challenge to replicate a Tabla piece on the Dhol!
Recently, I have built a whole new syllabus for my students to learn Dhol. Educating them on the Timings of Indian Classical Music and the amazing language of notes, hopefully my students will be able to help change the perception Dhol has in this country. It’s not just an instrument which is to be played at a party for a bit of noise. It’s a wonderfully complex instrument which needs to be respected.
A Dhol is a being, its bass is the bottom, it’s treble the head. Respect your Dhol like that, and you’ll open your mind to learn so much more. Then when you do perform at an event or even a party, you can blow away the crowd with your funky rhythms!”
Pursuing an artistic career can be an exhausting, emotional journey. Whether your goal is to learn new skills, launch an independent business or work within the industry, DHOL ACADEMY is the perfect place to build the foundation. And as a student here, you will have access to our amazing, supportive network throughout your time studying, while searching for a job and as an alumni.
“I’ve been learning Dhol ever since I was a toddler. Not long after I was born, my Dad, (known by many of our students as Dhanna Uncle) took me to one of the Dhol Academy classes to show me off to all his friends – keeping in-mind Dhol Academy is a community where music is at its core but where people gather to socialise with one another too. And that was it… I was hooked. I started picking up pencils/pens and constantly tapping on everything. By the age of 2 I was already tapping out the chaal rhythm, and that’s when my Dad felt I had something and decided I should start learning from those more experienced. I attended Dhol classes weekly and learnt until around the age of 12 from many of the older Dholis at Dhol Academy.
Learning from a wide and diverse group of Dholis helped me to understand different teaching techniques and guided me enormously in developing my own skills as a Dholi.
Then around the age of 12/13 years old, I began teaching my own Dhol class with Dhol Academy. Teaching at such a young age worked in my benefit. By helping others I constantly saw opportunities to improve myself. My students pushed me to always improve, as I needed to think outside the box and develop new material for them to learn!
Over the following years, my class grew in size – until I had 30 students attending weekly. I have performed at and led Dhol Academy, alongside Parmi, at many events throughout the UK, including The Queen’s Jubilee Pageant, Newham Music’s Passing The Torch, The London Mela, Vaisakhi in the square, Wembley festival of lights – under the Wembley arches, Weddings and many more. I’ve performed alongside many groups including The Live Experience Live Band, The White Keys, Newham Music Orchestra, Addictive TV, Rhythms Of The City, Transe Express to name a few – and I’m sure there’s so much more to come!
Once I started university, I had the opportunity to join a Bhangra dance team and learnt about Panjabi Folk Dhol. I gained insight on how different rhythms are played to accompany contrasting dance moves, and how a variety of sounds are used to create wide-ranging rhythms. I started to study this in more depth, by watching videos of Folk Dholis and Bhangra teams and replicating the rhythms while practising. Then one random day whilst scrolling through Instagram, I found my Ustaad Ji – Gurmukh Singh. I saw a video of Ustaad Ji playing Dhol, and immediately sent a message asking whether he would consider taking me on as a student. Luckily for me, I was given a chance and from there on my life changed!
Ustaad Ji has introduced me to the world of Sufi’s. The intricacy with which they play Dhol, the complex patterns they play, the mathematical understanding required to break down the patterns and the amount of dedication required to gain their respect and time. I’m nowhere near the finished article, I have so much to learn and work on, but my style of playing dhol has drastically changed. Having also learnt Tabla from a young age, I combine my Tabla knowledge with my Dhol knowledge as part of my teaching. All of the rhythms and compositions are transferrable between both instruments and it’s always a brilliant challenge to replicate a Tabla piece on the Dhol!
Recently, I have built a whole new syllabus for my students to learn Dhol. Educating them on the Timings of Indian Classical Music and the amazing language of notes, hopefully my students will be able to help change the perception Dhol has in this country. It’s not just an instrument which is to be played at a party for a bit of noise. It’s a wonderfully complex instrument which needs to be respected.
A Dhol is a being, its bass is the bottom, it’s treble the head. Respect your Dhol like that, and you’ll open your mind to learn so much more. Then when you do perform at an event or even a party, you can blow away the crowd with your funky rhythms!”
“It’s a great thing about being a musician; you don’t stop until the day you die, you can improve. So it’s a wonderful thing to do.”
Addictive TV
Dhol Addiction @ London Mela 2019
Nutkhut
In The Dhol Drums
DHOL ACADEMY
Sarangi Dhol Sarangi Dhol Challenge – Swifty Beats ft Ickey Singh, Frenzo Harami & Raashi Sood
