Carlos Herrand Pou (he/him) is a drummer, composer & educator based in Boston, MA. He started playing the drums at age 15, where he then joined the National Conservatory of Music. At a young age, he started to gain recognition in the local jazz scene and started playing with renowned local jazz musicians. After participating in the 2015 edition of Berklee on the Road in his hometown, he was given a scholarship to join the prestigious Berklee College of Music as a full-time student, where he graduated with the highest honor majoring in Performance. While at Berklee, he studied with acclaimed drummers Terri Lyne Carrington, Neal Smith, Francisco Mela, Yoron Israel and many more. He also joined Berklee’s prestige program Berklee Global Jazz Institute as an undergraduate, where he studied under the tutelage of Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano, John Patitucci, Adam Cruz, Ben Street, and others. He received the Steve Gadd Award in 2017 and The Most Active Drummer in 2018. At present, he is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Jazz and Contemporary Music at the prestigious Longy School of Music of Bard College as a Presidential & Equity Scholar. As an educator, Carlos has teaches at various private music schools in the Greater Boston Area.

Carlos works to create an environment where the students feel curiosity and inspiration. He aims to find creative ways to help the students navigate the problem so the solution is both found and significant. He is motivated by the process and the unique problem-solving of each student, as he believes a good teacher is not the one who teaches craftmanship but the one who makes you aware of the possibilities to navigate the craft.

Carlos holds a teaching approach which varies depending on the student’s age, but keeps the same philosophy: he does not provide the answers, he helps to seek them. Carlos has taught a broad range of age groups, anything from kids to young adults, on various instruments/subjects such as Drum set, Guitar, Piano & Ensemble. Regardless of the instrument, he works on three main things: 1) Technique, 2) reading, & 3) musicianship, in no order of preference; they feed off from each other to create a highly proficient musician.

Students find it interesting when he asks them to bring to the musical world from the non-musical world and then make the connection of ‘you do not need the instrument, you are the instrument.’ The instrument is nothing more but the medium in which you express.

Lastly, Carlos loves that through teaching he is constantly staying up to date with the music academia. It demands him to research and be prepared for questions that peers and students may ask. Every time he is in a classroom, he sees that as an opportunity for him to be a better teacher.

Education:
B.M. Berklee College of Music. Berklee Global Jazz Institute.
M.M. Longy School of Music.