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Drum Performance Fundamentals: Groove, Timing, Technique, and Stage Confidence
Great drumming is not only about playing fast or filling every space. The drummers who hold a band together usually have something deeper: steady time, strong groove, musical control, clean technique, and the confidence to support a live or studio performance without...
How to Become a Professional Drummer in 2026: Skills, Training, and Career Paths
Becoming a professional drummer in 2026 takes more than good chops. Speed, fills, and stage energy still matter, but the drummers who get hired again and again usually bring something deeper: strong time, stylistic range, preparation, communication, recording...
How to Plan a Live Concert: A Beginner’s Guide to Show Advance, Stage Plots, and Load-Out
Planning a live concert is not just about booking a stage and hoping the night runs smoothly. Behind every successful show is a chain of technical, creative, and communication decisions that happen before the audience ever walks in. The better those decisions are...
Live Music Event Production vs. Audio Engineering: Which Career Path Fits You?
If you are interested in sound, recording, concerts, and the technical side of music, two paths may stand out right away: live music event production and audio engineering. They overlap in important ways, but they are not the same career path. One is built around the...
Music Production vs. Audio Engineering in 2026: Which Career Path Should You Study?
If you are deciding between music production and audio engineering, the confusion makes sense. The two paths overlap enough that people constantly blur them together, especially online. Both can involve DAWs, recording sessions, plugins, studio work, and collaboration...
How to Become a Touring Guitarist: Evan Weant’s Journey from MI Student to International Tour
When Evan Weant decided to attend Musicians Institute, he knew he wanted to become a serious musician. What he didn’t know was that his journey would quickly become a real-world example of how to become a touring guitarist in today’s music industry. Like many aspiring...
#TBT
#TBT: Jeff Porcaro of Toto
For this weeks #TBT post, we bright back this gem from the Musicians Institute vault, a special clinic from Jeff Porcaro, one of the most revered drummers in modern music. MI is lucky to have this footage, as his life was tragically cut short when he was only 38 years...
#TBT Michael Ruff Visits MI ( With Sheryl Crow as Back-up Singer)
A while back, we shared this pretty sweet find from the MI vault: a performance by Michael Ruff, with a very young Sheryl Crow singing backup! Ruff is a multiple Grammy Award nominated songwriter and producer, who has released many solo albums. He has written, toured...
#TBT Jaco Pastorius
Jaco Pastorius is widely considered one of the most influential bassists of all time, so to celebrate our first #TBT post, here are some Jaco performances that’ll inspire you to get you back into the practice room real quick! Opening for Joni Mitchell. Weather Report...
PROFILES
A Conversation With: Aaron Mercier of Mercier Guitars
Aaron Mercier is a guitarist for Kings Of Carnage, and a Musicians Institute alumnus who is keeping very busy in many areas of the music industry, both as a performer and a man behind the scenes. On a recent visit back to the MI campus, Aaron spoke to The Mix about...
Panelist Spotlight: Adam Blackstone
Musicians Institute is proud to bring some of the best working musicians onto our campus to inspire our students and give them insight into what a career in the music industry holds. With this new series on our blog, we will start to highlight upcoming clinicians or...
The Life And Career Of MI’s Own: Francis Buckley
Grammy Award®-winning record engineer Francis Buckley’s broad range of experience has seen him occupy the studio seat for breakout bands, established chart-toppers and Hollywood films. Buckley started out working at W.E. Studios in Redondo Beach in 1979. He then went...
GUEST ARTIST
Mateus Asato & Fredrik Halland Guitar Jam Session
Alumni Mateus Asato and Fredrik Halland come back to MI for a special jam session. Who do you think killed it? Let us know in the comments!