OUR STORY
Company Name: Beat Factor Music
Role: Rod Pilois-Music Director & Educator
Artistic Practice: Music performance, Music Education & Music Production
Beat Factor Music began from Rod Pilois’s parents home in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, where he started to teach drums and guitar in the home, privately to local residents. The tuition service was known back then as Rodz Drum and Bass Tuition.
The tuition service then relocated to the local Arts Community Centre in Dandenong where Rod continued teaching students of all ages. Rod also started to organize yearly music concerts for students so they could showcase their talents and hard work for their friends and families at the community arts centre.
Rod’s passion for music and dedication to teaching saw him being accepted to Melbourne’s prestigious music school, The College of the Arts after auditioning among 200 other prospective students. After being awarded for his Bachelor of Music (Performance) from Melbourne University, Rod embarked on further post-graduate studies at Monash University specializing in music education.
Since graduating from his Post-graduate Diploma of Education in 1996, Rod has been employed part-time and later full time for the Victorian Education System. Rod has taught at many schools during his 20 years in the primary and secondary school sector.
Some of his achievements has seen him and his school students performing twice at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall. First time with 20 percussion students and the second time with 5 students on the djembe drums. He has also performed alongside other music educators in the Regional staff band at Hamer Hall.
Other workshops conducted in the Eastern Region of Melbourne, saw Rod run an Afro-Cuban percussion workshop for gifted students and music staff, as well as directing a Latin-Jazz ensemble in rehearsals and performance.
Even when relocating to the Western suburbs in early 2000, Beat Factor Music has always remained a side music service for Rod. Since, cutting down on his full-time employment with the education school system, Rod has been able to take on more students in drum-kit, guitar, bass guitar and world percussion at his well equipped private music studio, known as Beat Factor Music.
For further details, please click the links below:
https://beatfactormusic.com/lessons-for-adults/
https://beatfactormusic.com/music-tuition-for-kids/
https://beatfactormusic.com/bfdrumgroup/
For further details on community drumming performances, please click the link below:
https://beatfactormusic.com/events-performances/events-performances/
For Articles on community recognition for music education, please see the following links below:
1.‘Rhythms of The World’-1/6/18 https://wyndham.starweekly.com.au/uncategorized/rhythms-ofthe-world/
2. ‘Feel The Beat’-23/2/21
https://wyndham.starweekly.com.au/news/feel-the-beat/
3. ‘Give me a Beat’ Winter Edition 2021- From Pages 36-40
https://issuu.com/provincialmedia/docs/westside_living_winter_2021_9_
For more details on artistic and other achievements, please read the following below.
MORE INFO:
Rod Pilois is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and music educator. Rod has played with a number of artists from various musical styles and backgrounds, from Rock, Jazz, Latin, Reggae and Ska. Projects have been from independent bands to commercial outfits. For media photos, please click the link: https://beatfactormusic.com/home/media-more/
His compositions have received industry acknowledgement, radio airplay and has had band CD’s released in Australia and overseas. Rod’s compositions include a vast array of genres and production styles, which include pieces written for short films, documentaries, children’s show, business promotion and commercial pop tunes.
One of his songs ‘Frozen Heart’ was nominated for song of the year at the Australian Songwriters Association. His other music production work was featured in the short film ‘Pirate’ starring Amy Vellucci and Chris Buntworth, produced by Marian Lee and screened at London Film Festival and Sao Paulo International Film Festival.
A graduate of Music from The College of the Arts, Melbourne and Graduate Diploma in Teaching from Monash University. Rod immersed himself in music studies at the VCA, where he further learnt his craft and skills from mentors such as legendary Jazz icon, Brian Brown, composer Dr. Tony Gould, Latin percussionist Alex Pertout, drummers Michael Jordan, David Jones and Dr. Rob Vincs in music technology.
Rod has worked for the Education department for the last 15 years teaching Drums, Bass, guitar and ensemble skills in percussion and contemporary bands. His percussion ensemble compositions have been performed at Hamer Hall, Immigration Museum in Melbourne and at Gasworks Theatre in Albert Park, by various schools percussion ensembles in the past.
Rod’s other live performances have been at international events such as Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australian Grand Prix, and other major events such as AFL Grand Parade, Moomba Festival, Fringe Festival, Brunswick Festival, Bayside and Williamstown Festivals.
Overseas performances have been in Montreal, Canada and in Bali at various venues.
Due to his love and interest for music technology, Rod later embarked in further studies remotely from University of Newcastle, where he was awarded with a Masters Degree in Music Technology with distinction. One of his projects was the planning and preparation of a music resource manual for music educators in ‘Rhythms For Ensembles’, combining traditional western rhythms with world music influences.
This enabled him to initiate further subjects and courses in the school music curriculum, by running the Certificate III in Music Performance, electronic compositions, song-writing and music business to Year 11 and 12 students.
Rod currently runs Beat Factor Music where he teaches students of all ages in drums, guitar, bass and electronic music. For further details, please click the link below:
https://beatfactormusic.com/lessons-for-adults/
https://beatfactormusic.com/music-tuition-for-kids/
Out of his passion for drumming and teaching, in 2018 he started the community drumming group (Beat Factor Drum Group) in the Western suburbs, where he has been running drumming workshops at Saltwater and Point Cook Community Centers. For further details, please click the link: https://beatfactormusic.com/bfdrumgroup/
The drumming group has performed at various multicultural arts Festivals and Pop Up Parks performing African and Latin drumming in the Wyndham and Hobsons Bay area. Rod has also given generously his time and sharing his skills freely to community run programs such as the Wyndham Learning Festival. Over the last three years he has donated his time and knowledge to run African and Brazilian drumming classes to the local community, to introduce them to music of other cultures and share his passion for drumming.
For further details on community drumming performances, please click the link below:
https://beatfactormusic.com/events-performances/events-performances/
Rod regularly performs with Jazz/Funk and Reggae bands in inner city clubs, such as Bar Oussou, in Brunswick. In 2019 he joined ‘Gaia The Band’as the band’s drummer, where they performed at the Jamaican Music Festival in Williamstown alongside international artists ‘Horace Silver’ and ‘Mad Professor’. Gaia The Band was the headline act for the Big Bob Marley Birthday concert in Melbourne at the Corner Hotel in 2020 and 2021. His love of Ska music re–emerged from his days with Melbourne’s underground Ska band ‘Loin Groin’for many years. Rod currently performs with Melbourne’s Ska outfit Jonny Longshot, and past performances have been at the Esplanade Hotel, The Prince Bandroom, Transit Bar, The Lomond Hotel, Federation Square and the Dogs Bar in St. Kilda.
For media photos, please click the link below: https://beatfactormusic.com/home/media-more/
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, Rod has kept in touch with his students via online teaching. That has enabled him to gather lots of music and teaching materials, which he hopes to further develop and produce into a fully professional publication with accompanying audio and video tutorials.
Beat Factor Solo, as a solo artist, Rod often combines electronics and loops with live percussion.Click here for short live videos.
(Photo Angus Smith)
Company Name: Beat Factor Music
Role: Music Director & Educator
Artistic Practice: Music performance, Music Education & Music Production
Website: www.beatfactormusic.com | www.beatfactor.com.au
Facebook: @rodney.pilois | @beatfactormusic
Email: info @ beatfactormusic.com
Mobile: 0411 028 077
P.O BOX 1085 Altona Meadows Victoria 3028