From the time he was born, Andwele Simons was surrounded by music. His father, Andre, was both a bass player with his own band, Dread Information, and a captain in the Warner gombey troupe.

As he grew, the little boy spent time around the band, and was particularly fascinated by the drums - so much so, in fact, that at age three he was given his own set, whereupon the band's drummer, Jimmy Furbert, took him under his wing and gave him plenty of encouragement and advice.

Otherwise, Andwele was self-taught and, unusual for a child, he loved to practice and would spend hours doing so. A combination of his father's influence and a child's natural fascination with the gombeys also led to playing the snare drum and dancing in the Warner troupe from a very early age.

Nonetheless, it wasn't until he reached high school at CedarBridge Academy that Andwele began to take his music "very, very seriously", and practised from three to four hours a day.

"I always knew I wanted to be a professional drummer," he says.

As a member of the Academy band and choir, he quickly caught the attention of music teacher Anna Flood, who drove him to excel.

"She was my biggest inspiration, and was always riding me to do better," he says. "She always believed in me and motivated me to become the best that I could be. She told me I was the best drummer in Bermuda, which always made me want to push forward to live up to that title."

Miss Flood taught him the all-important but less exciting aspects of music that he had thus far missed, including theory and how to read music.

"At first I didn't want to do it because it was very boring, but it is definitely mandatory for a drummer to know, so I worked hard at it. Sometimes I would sit practicing for five hours straight," he says.

Mr. Simons also reached the point where he knew he needed drumming lessons, but they were expensive, so he struck a deal with Jonathan Dobson of the Bermuda Drum and Percussion Institute: he would work at the school on Saturdays in exchange for lessons.

"I started learning the basic fundamentals of drumming and got rid of all the bad habits I had, and I also learned a lot from instructional video tapes," he says.

The same dedication which propelled him growing up drives him onward today, only now he dreams big dreams, has real goals, and is going for them.

"I really love my craft, and I work hard to perfect it," the 18-year-old says. "I am a very determined person, and when I learn something new, if I can't do it once I keep on trying until I succeed. That is what motivates me, although it is a lot of hard work."

Two years after Mr. Simons graduated from CedarBridge he decided it was time to fulfill one of his long-held dreams to establish his own drum school, which is called Andwele's Innovative Drum School and is located at the New Clay House Inn. There he teaches students from age six to adult on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

"You have to have a lot of patience if you want to be a teacher, which I do, and you also have to make your classes fun." Mr. Simons says.

"I try to get my students to benefit from their own motivation, and I always ask them what type of music they like, and what they would like to learn after they they have learned the fundamentals. I don't believe in teaching them military-style or to a set curriculum. Instead, I believe that whatever helps them to go forward is what is going to make them a better drummer."

While admitting that learning drumming may be more of a challenge to an older student, in the end it is not age but dedication which counts.

"Progress depends on how much you want to learn your craft and perfect it," he says. "It definitely requires sacrifice. Practice is the most important thing. You have to practice."

Eventually, Mr. Simons hopes to see the fulfilment of another dream: presenting his students in recital.

"It definitely helps them to press on, be disciplined and learn because they don't want to get on stage and mess up. They want to be improvising for the audience," he says.

For himself, the drummer says the process of learning will never stop - as it doesn't for even musicians at the top of their profession. In fact, he says those people are the most humble and, like them, he plans to keep his feet firmly on the ground.

"I believe humble musicians are the best ones. When you get a swelled head you can't learn anything from anyone. As long as you can come to the middle and realise there is always someone better than you, you will always be willing to learn. Even the best have teachers. Everyone has a teacher."

Future plans include a year's study at The Collective, a New York school for drummers, where students are taught by top professionals, and courses are tailor-made to suit the individual.

"I want to settle down and really, really study, because my biggest dream is to become a professional drummer on tour with someone famous, like singers Kelly Price and Janet Jackson," Mr. Simons says.

Meanwhile, the drummer continues to practice for hours every day, often with the aid of instructional tapes, and draws inspiration from many sources, including his all-time favourite drummer, Carter Beauford, who plays with singer Dave Matthews' band.

"In searching for my own style I have taken a lot from him, so I play like him," the young Bermudian says, while noting that he does not plan to be anyone's clone.

"Every drummer has his own identity. You always have something different about you," he says.

Mr. Simons also plays gigs, and enjoys interacting with the other musicians, particularly bass players because of the synergy.

"The drummer and bass player are two of the strongest musicians in the band. In fact, they are like siblings, so they need to be really good," he says. "John Lee has been a very big inspiration to me. He is my favourite bass player in the world. Whenever I get to play with him he brings out the best in me because as a musician I can feed off him, especially if we practice together a lot. I also like to hear Tony Cox and Jonathan Dobson because I really admire them."

In fact, in preparation for the recent Caisey family concert, where Mr. Simons was the featured drummer, it was Mr. Lee and pianist John Woolridge who helped him to master the drumming for 'Spain,' a Brazilian samba sung by Dennis Moniz, which has incredibly fast and complex rhythm changes.

"It was the hardest thing I have ever done, but I was very determined and they were very patient with me because they realised I was young. In the end I kept right up with the others."

The drummer also pays tribute to Mr. Woolridge as another fine musician who has helped him to develop overall.

"I have had a lot of help along the way to make me what I am today," he says.

Most people who watch drummers in action are amazed at how they can get each arm and leg to simultaneously play a different rhythm, and also put in so many special effects from the array of equipment before them, but Mr. Simons says it is like everything else: once you learn the basic techniques, practice makes perfect until playing becomes second nature, yet he admits that the road is not an easy one.

"Drumming is a whole lot more complicated than just playing. It is really orchestrated, and you have to count. In fact, I have had a lot of compliments on my drumming because I practice with a metronome a lot. After so many years it becomes like an internal clock, it never leaves you."

Mr. Simons likes to play with his eyes closed so that he can really focus and "gel" with the musicians, which is impressive to the layman considering that he has to work with what he believes is "probably the biggest drum set in Bermuda". This includes seven drums and 15 cymbals.

"Drumming is 40 percent technical and 60 percent feel," he says. "It is one thing to know how to do something, but to know what you are doing and make it feel good, that's the hard part, but it is also the most important."

Like many Bermudian musicians, Mr. Simons is under no illusions about hometown audiences, and says that as a performer he agrees with reggae singer Aaron Silk, who told him: "If you can come to Bermuda and please a Bermudian crowd you can please any crowd," which is something he strives to do.

As for Bermudians supporting the recordings of local musicians, the drummer feels that the radio stations could do more to encourage sales. At present he believes the way they are given air time tends to prejudice listeners and stymie the music or songs becoming hits.

"I think it would be a good idea of the DJs played the song first, then tried to get some feedback from the listeners, and then announced that it was by a Bermudian. A lot of people are messed up and don't want to give Bermudians a chance," he says of the current system.