Percussion

Teaching

Our percussion students are trained to be first-class musicians and performers, able to work confidently at the highest levels in a variety of contexts. This may embrace orchestral, chamber, solo, theatre, studio, world, improvisation or indeed any types of music. The music profession today is excitingly varied, and the demanding training WBP offers to percussion players mirrors that closely.

All undergraduate students study either: Percussion and Timpani with Drum Kit; or Percussion and Drum Kit with Timpani.

Alongside that core training in percussion, all students study both timpani and drum kit throughout the course with the weighting to favour the particular discipline chosen by the student.

‘Percussion’ covers all aspects of professional percussion playing from tuned percussion to clash cymbals and world percussion that may be required in any style in the profession.

Instrument-specific classes take place regularly. These might focus on repertoire, technique, stylistic issues, different genres, performance, transposition, sight-reading, recording studio techniques, doubling, period instruments, performance anxiety, and more.

Chamber music/small ensemble work is compulsory, leading to an assessment each year, and there are frequent opportunities to gain performance experience for small ensembles.

• All Percussion students, both postgraduate and undergraduate, receive Individual Tuition in their principal study instruments.
• All Principal Study Teachers also deliver group tuition sessions, in which all their students study together in groups of no more than seven.
• Undergraduate students are required to split the available annual total of 32 hours individual tuition between Percussion (14 hours), their choice of either Timps or Kit as primary focus (14 hours), and Kit or Timps, whichever is not the primary focus (4 hours).
• From Year 2 onwards, there is a degree of flexibility as to how you use some of these hours: you could have 4 mallet technique lessons (recommended), Jazz Vibraphone (subject to approval by the Head of the Department), or lessons to keep up an instrument on which you have achieved a good standard previously, such as piano or voice.
• Percussion students have regular classes together to work with a leading exponent on specific and wide ranging topics. These might focus on anything from repertoire to instrument maintenance or recording studio techniques.
• There are regular World Music classes throughout the year.
• There are regular small ensemble sessions both in percussion ensembles and in mixed ensembles.
• There are regular Percussion Ensemble concerts, in which all Percussion students are involved.

View the Percussion Teaching Staff