{"id":26431,"date":"2025-04-19T15:36:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-19T20:36:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/?p=26431"},"modified":"2025-10-16T10:52:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T15:52:39","slug":"berklee-online-student-thomas-thunder-on-pursuing-his-degree-at-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/berklee-online-student-thomas-thunder-on-pursuing-his-degree-at-17\/","title":{"rendered":"Berklee Online Student Thomas Thunder on Pursuing His Degree at 17"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-from-sons-of-apollo-to-berklee-online-thomas-thunder-s-remarkable-journey\">From Sons of Apollo to Berklee Online: Thomas Thunder\u2019s Remarkable Journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Thomas Ferreira, a 17-year-old drummer from Fairhaven, Massachusetts, is better known by his artist name, Thomas Thunder. After watching a video of him playing, you\u2019ll understand why. His parents coined the name when he was seven and learning how to play the double bass pedal in their home. For context, most drum kits have one bass pedal, and mastering the double pedal is challenging, even for experienced drummers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Obsession Official Music Video by Thomas Thunder\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A5wESg8wduc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Thomas Thunder\u2019s 2025 music video for his song \u201cObsession.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI would play all the time, and my parents would listen to it,\u201d says Ferreira. \u201cI\u2019d be done practicing and they\u2019d say, \u2018It sounds like a rumble; Sounds like thunder.\u2019 So Thomas Thunder kind of stuck ever since that early age and it really worked out.\u201d&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ferreira\u2019s accelerated timeline has really worked out in all areas of his life\u2014from graduating high school early and studying at Berklee Online, to collaborating with rock legends from the supergroup Sons of Apollo\u2014and he\u2019s just getting started.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"16-year-old music prodigy from Fairhaven studying drums at Berklee College\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wMLRqDAS8jw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">CBS Boston highlights Thomas Thunder\u2019s accomplishments at Berklee Online.&nbsp;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Being from the Boston area, Berklee has always been on Ferreira\u2019s radar. At 14, he started taking Berklee Online courses, eventually earning professional certificates in <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/certificates\/music-theory-and-composition-professional?campaign_id=7010Z000001ZkQgQAK&amp;pid=&amp;utm_source=takenote&amp;tum_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bol-gen-takenote-article-link\" target=\"_blank\">Music Theory and Composition<\/a> and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/certificates\/drums-professional?campaign_id=7010Z000001ZkQgQAK&amp;pid=&amp;utm_source=takenote&amp;tum_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bol-gen-takenote-article-link\" target=\"_blank\">Drums<\/a>. He says his favorite course was with <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/instructors\/yoron-israel?campaign_id=7010Z000001ZkQgQAK&amp;pid=&amp;utm_source=takenote&amp;tum_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bol-gen-takenote-article-link\" target=\"_blank\">Yoron Israel<\/a>, who authored <em><a href=\"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/courses\/drum-set-performance-101?campaign_id=7010Z000001ZkQgQAK&amp;pid=&amp;utm_source=takenote&amp;tum_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bol-gen-takenote-article-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">Drum Set Performance 101<\/a><\/em>.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat work basically covered everything in a short span of 12 weeks,\u201d says Ferreira. \u201cWe started with rock drumming, then went into more jazz, swing-type music. We went to Afro-Cuban, Latin music. We went basically everywhere in such a short amount of time. I learned so much from that course just because it covered so much and it really challenged my abilities.\u201d<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Up until that point, Ferreira was taking Berklee Online courses along with his high school work, which he was doing as a homeschooled student. At age 16, he fulfilled all of his high school requirements and had what he needed to apply to Berklee Online\u2019s degree program, transferring the credits he had earned along the way.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAll of my algebra, everything that I had to do, I was able to finish it at an early age so there was really nothing more that I had to complete to move on to the next step in my life,\u201d he says. \u201cMy parents were completely on board with it. They completely supported my decision in wanting to do Berklee Online full time.\u201d<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ferreira was accepted into the <a href=\"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/music-degrees\/undergraduate\/music-composition-for-film-tv-and-games?campaign_id=7010Z000001ZkQgQAK&amp;pid=&amp;utm_source=takenote&amp;tum_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bol-gen-takenote-article-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">Music Composition for Film, TV, and Games<\/a> degree program and is currently in his second year.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe reason why I picked that specific major is because I felt it represented what I want to do and what I had been doing up until that point,\u201d he says. \u201cI have always been interested in putting music to something visual. It hasn\u2019t been in a professional way yet, but when I was really young, I used to make little animations, and I\u2019d put songs to them. It comes naturally to me and I really enjoy it.\u201d<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A drummer at heart, Ferreira says that he still tries to incorporate complex rhythms into his assignments.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI find with things I compose, that it is sometimes rhythmically intense,\u201d he says. \u201cI might not realize it, but then someone else has to play it and is like, \u2018Oh, you know, this is tough to do,\u2019 because the rhythm is syncopated or something like that. So there is definitely music that I write that is rhythmically challenging.\u201d<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ferreira hasn\u2019t published his scores for the public yet, but he has a lot of original music on his streaming platforms and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@ThomasThunder\" target=\"_blank\">YouTube channel<\/a>. In 2021, he released his first album. Titled <em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/album\/6Gr7IqkPjZ49GaO93RKXKn?si=omYbdIYGS46eIANbobCqUw\" target=\"_blank\">The Pharaoh\u2019s Temple<\/a><\/em>, it features members of Sons of Apollo: keyboardist Derek Sherinian (who also plays with Dream Theater, Alice Cooper, and KISS), guitarist Ron \u201cBumblefoot\u201d Thal (who is also known for playing with Guns N\u2019 Roses), as well as bassist Tony Franklin (who also played with Jimmy Page in The Firm). The collaboration started when Ferreira reached out to Sherinian via email at age 11.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t really expecting much of it, but it turns out he was completely over the moon with what I was doing compositionally, so he instantly hopped on board,\u201d says Ferreira about Sherinian. \u201cHe\u2019s kind of become a right-hand guy for things.\u201d<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sherinian brought Thal and Franklin into the mix, and they\u2019ve all been creating music together ever since.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI had all of these top-of-the-line musicians able to perform my music,\u201d he says. \u201cSo I was able to hear what I was making\u2014because I was doing it through MIDI, GarageBand, DAWs\u2014but played by professional musicians, which is awesome!\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Interview Video Ron Bumblefoot Thal, Tony Franklin, and Derek Sherinian\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/f7yYIgAgSzI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Derek, Ron, and Tony discussing Thomas Thunder\u2019s music.&nbsp;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of Ferreira and Sherinian\u2019s collaborations have been virtual, but they met in person in 2023 when Sherinian was playing a local show with guitar legend Joe Satriani. Sherinian gave Ferreira a free ticket and introduced him to the band.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1919\" height=\"1199\" src=\"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Thomas-Thunder-and-Derek-Sherinian.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26436\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Thomas Thunder and Derek Sherinian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>With a full music career ahead, Ferreira is proving that age is no barrier when it comes to mastering your craft (or several crafts) and staying grounded along the way.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI always try to stay humble and try not to let it all go to my head,\u201d says Ferreira. \u201cI always try to think of, \u2018How can I improve? How can I get better?\u2019 Whether it\u2019s with my drumming, some of the other instruments I play, or my songwriting, I always feel like there\u2019s some type of room for improvement, and for just constantly getting better.\u201d<br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thomas Ferreira, a 17-year-old drummer whose artist name is Thomas Thunder, talks about his accelerated musical journey, from graduating high school early and studying at Berklee Online, to collaborating with rock legends from the supergroup Sons of Apollo\u2014and he\u2019s just getting started. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":26435,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,9577,9560,32],"tags":[9611,456,978,9612,9613,9614,9615,7589],"class_list":["post-26431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-drums-articles","category-spotlight","category-student-stories","tag-derek-sherinian","tag-drums","tag-music-for-film-tv-and-games","tag-ron-bumblefoot-thal","tag-sons-of-apollo","tag-thomas-thunder","tag-tony-franklin","tag-yoron-israel"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.8 (Yoast SEO v25.8) - 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