Thomas Watkins
By the time Tom was in his early twenties, he had achieved Grade 8 on three different instruments, won the Young Musician of the Year Award for his home county and completed a degree with honours in music performance from The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He also founded a rock band playing lead guitar, backing vocals and songwriting, played with some of the best brass bands in the world and became a successful private music teacher all while working full time as Head of Music in the number one school in England for progress. Tom has performed in England's most high profile venues, such as The Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall, The O2 Academy (Birmingham), Plug (Sheffield), The Dublin Castle (Camden, London) and many more.
In his remaining years in England, Tom worked for big schools around the Midlands in the role of Head of Performing Arts. He became a conductor, vocal coach and Musical Director for many professional award-winning theatre companies around the Midlands, highlighted by winning the NODA Award for Best Musical in 2017 and composing original music for a production of The Crucible at the opening of a new theatre in Derbyshire. Tom continued to teach privately and perform regularly on piano, keys, rock guitar, jazz guitar, bass and accompany candidates for exams and performances. His track record for school results was outstanding, with Music often being the highest or amongst the highest GCSE and A-level grades in the respective schools, and receiving regular testimonials for exceptional school productions and concerts.
Since moving abroad in 2019 to become the Head of the Performing Arts faculty at one of the top schools in Malaysia, Tom has been active in revolutionizing music within the school and its community. Outside of the school he has founded two successful function bands with regular gigs for corporate events and weddings, and built a recording studio in Kuala Lumpur which now records exciting artists while mixing and mastering songs from all genres. The studio has 100% 5-star reviews from clients on Google Business and Facebook.
Tom has recently completed a Masters in Music Production and Sound Engineering with the dBs Institute (Bristol) at Distinction grade, and is completing an NPQSL with UCL. Tom was voted in to the executive committee of FOBISIA Music for the whole of Asia, and also as chair for AIMS Music, Malaysia.
-
I liked how it combined 2 different sides of the brain that nothing else really did, and since when I was younger I was really into maths and physics and number patterns where music kind of combine those aspects to control emotions. Since I was young, I remembered that it was a really powerful skill you could be learning which really hooked me to learn music
-
One of my favorite pieces is Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2. I like Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 because it feels intensely emotional and richly expressive, almost like it speaks directly to the heart. I’m drawn to the sweeping melodies, especially in the Adagio, which create a deep sense of nostalgia and warmth. The lush orchestration and dramatic build-ups make the whole symphony feel cinematic and immersive, and I love how it balances tenderness with powerful, soaring moments.
-
Conducting a 35-piece orchestra for a production of Phantom of the Opera. I had been Musical Director for the company for nearly a year, and this was the biggest production I had been a part of. After training the singers for 6 months, I had selected my orchestra of professional musicians, and there is really no feeling in the world like being MD in show week. You get to lead and conduct the musicians whilst also controlling the music for the singers and actors on stage. There's electricity in the air, and it's incredible to be in the middle of it.
-
I find a lot of inspiration in the things that keep my mind and imagination active, especially composing, running, and watching artistic films. When I compose, I explore emotions and ideas in a way that helps me understand music from the inside out, which deepens the expression I bring onstage. Running gives me clarity and rhythm; it’s often during a long run that musical ideas settle or new ones come into my mind. And watching artistic films fuels my creative visuals, moods, and storytelling techniques. All of these experiences feed into the way I perform, making my artistry feel more personal and alive.
-
Yes, and I feel like everyone has, whether you are a professional or not. Although professionals have done it, the better you get at being a musician, the better you will be at disguising the mistakes. A great quote from Miles Davis says, “There are no wrong notes” you just have to make it right afterward and do it confidently to make the audience believe you.
-
One of my unique practice techniques is that I know if I know a piece really well since I will play it through one time blindfolded, and if I don’t make a mistake, that means I’ve mastered it since when you practice it with a blindfold, you are really concentrated on what you do each moment. Then after you take the blindfold off and perform it, you're not going to be thinking about the piece since it will be muscle memory, and therefore you can focus on the performance and enjoy it.
-
When I was younger I would talk about random things, like saying the alphabet, while practicing forcing myself to multitask. That meant that when I wasn’t doing it while in a performance or something, I could be more concentrated on enjoying and playing the piece of music.
-
Reaching a state where I don’t need to think about the mechanics anymore, wanting to reach the float stage not just in performing but also in practicing. I don’t want to worry about whether it is good or what other people think or worry about making mistakes.
-
Just keep playing, make music, and create. Don’t worry too much about the formal stuff; just have fun and enjoy it. Do lots and lots of it.
