PERCUSSION COURSE

    AIMS OF THE COURSE

The four year percussion course is designed to bring the students to a professional level of performance in all areas of percussion playing, so that they are ready for whatever opportunities present themselves in the music world when they leave College. These may be in symphony and chamber orchestras, teaching, education workshops, the theatre, jazz/big band/pop/light music, brass and wind ensembles, contemporary groups, percussion ensembles or as a soloist.

The teaching covers a broad spectrum, with five tutors who are all specialists in particular areas of percussion. Along with participation in the many College ensembles, the students should become familiar with and experienced in all areas of music and percussion during their four years at the RNCM.

    TUTORS

The tutors presently on the RNCM staff are:-

MASTERCLASSES are given regularly by visiting percussionists. There are regular visits from players in the orchestras of the north, such as  Graham Johns (Principal Percussion, RLPO and Marney O'Sulivan (Principal Timpani, Opera North). Others from around the country and abroad have included:-

    RNCM ENSEMBLES

All percussionists will have a full range of playing experience during their four year course. This includes symphony, chamber and wind orchestras, brass band and contemporary ensembles. The symphony and chamber orchestra opportunities will generally be for students in the second half of the course, the brass band and wind orchestra places will be spread over the four years. The big band and jazz collective places are for students who choose to do intensive study in this area of percussion.

    PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE

The Ensemble performs occasional concerts covering a wide range of percussion repertoire, from Varèse and Reich through to Bach and the Beatles. Over the last few years, it has performed four concerts at the Philharmonic Hall in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society's 'Phil Power' series of concerts for young people.

    DRUMKIT & LATIN

Due to the ever-changing demands being placed upon musicians, the growing variety of repertoire (music and rhythms), plus the intense competition for employment (orchestral, popular music, shows, Latin groups, etc.), basic drumkit and Latin American skills are considered essential for all percussionists. Therefore all RNCM students will be expected to develop a level of proficiency on these instruments, plus a working knowledge of the musical styles with which they are associated. Assessments will take place in the second and third years of the course.

    INSTRUMENTS

College provides all the larger instruments which are needed for performance in the various ensembles. However, as practice accommodation in the College building are limited, students who are accepted on the course are asked to come if possible with a basic set of instruments on which they can practise at their place of residence. This consists of a xylophone or a marimba, a snare drum and a practice pad. They are also asked to equip themselves with a full range of sticks and beaters (if not at the start of the course, at least during the earlier part of it), a tambourine and a triangle.

    LIBRARY MUSIC & RECORDINGS

The College Library contains around 1000 items of percussion music and a substantial catalogue of compact discs and recordings. Students are given listings of both music and recordings so that they can make full use of these resources.    

    RNCM 'DAY OF PERCUSSION'

This has become an annual event, held towards the end of January, when around 300 percussionists from allover the country are welcomed to a day of masterclasses and workshops. The sessions cover a wide variety of percussion topics and are led by RNCM percussion staff and guest artists.

    PROFESSIONAL PLAYING OPPORTUNITIES

Students are positively encouraged to take on outside professional engagements as part of their training, particularly during the second half of the course. These may be with the many local freelance groups or with the full-time professional symphony orchestras in the area.

    TEACHING

Teaching methods are discussed as an integral part of the curriculum and students are encouraged to take on some teaching in the later years of the course. This may be either a part-time job for several hours per week at a local school or private lessons.

    EMPLOYMENT AFTER COLLEGE

Over the years students have pursued a wide variety of careers after leaving the RNCM. The majority follow a career which combines performing with a variety of ensembles and teaching.

There are ex-students who are members of the Hallé Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic (two), the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the orchestras of Opera North, Welsh National Opera and English National Opera. Many others work with these and other contract orchestras throughout the country on a freelance basis.

There are some ex-students in full-time teaching positions and many in part-time posts. Some are active in the field of education workshops. Many work in light music and several have become musical directors of stage productions. One group of ex-students formed the percussion ensemble Kalengo. Others have become members of Backbeat and Ensemble Bash.

    RNCM TUTORS’ BIOGRAPHIES

IAN WRIGHT read mathematics at Aberdeen University before embarking on a career in music, joining the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra as a percussionist in 1965. He was appointed Principal Timpanist in 1966. Since 1973 he has coached the percussion section of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, of which he had at one time been a member. He was appointed Senior Tutor in Percussion at the Royal Northern College of Music in 1980 and made a Fellow of the College in 1989. He was involved in the preparation of the first Associated Board percussion syllabus, a task which included writing timpani and snare drum pieces for the examinations.

LIZ GILLIVER graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music in 1986 (GMus & PPRNCM) after which she attended the Rotterdam Conservatorium in Holland to continue her marimba studies as a student of Robert van Sice. Since then she has enjoyed an interesting and varied career as a freelance percussionist, working in such diverse areas as symphonic (BBC Philharmonic, RLPO, Hallé amongst others), contemporary (Creative Jazz Orchestra with Antony Braxton and Peter Erskine, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, etc.) and a number of touring West End shows (notably 'Pirates of Penzance', which features a virtuosic mallet score). Liz is also in demand as a teacher and is currently on the staff at Birmingham Conservatoire, where she directs the percussion ensemble as well as teaching orchestral and mallet percussion, and at Manchester University.

DAVE HASSELL has been a professional drummer, percussionist and teacher for over 25 years. He is an active musician having a very diverse career playing almost every style of music. Since the mid-70's he has spent most of his playing time working as a session musician recording music for TV, radio, records, films, commercials and library music. Dave is on the teaching staff of the Royal Northern College of Music, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Chetham's School, Salford University and Trinity College London. He is also the Drums and Latin Percussion tutor at the Wavendon Summer School, Daily Telegraph Young Jazz Musician, Jazz College Summer School and the Shell LSO Music Scholarship. Dave also conducts Latin percussion workshops throughout the UK. Despite his busy teaching commitments, he remains first and foremost a performing musician and has worked with many eminent British and American jazz and blues artists. He is also the leader of Apitos, one of the UK's foremost Latin American ensembles. Dave has published a Graded Course for Drum Kit (2 vols. with tapes), Timeflow and Latin Grooves (with tape).

PAUL PATRICK studied at the Royal Academy of Music and on graduating joined the Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet Orchestra in 1979. He then joined the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra (since re-named the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra) in 1981 and later became Principal Percussionist, a post he has held for over twelve years. In addition to his busy schedule with the BBC Philharmonic, he is Head of Percussion at Chethams School of Music as well as teaching at the Royal Northern College of Music.

    WWW & E-MAIL

Further information about the RNCM Percussion Department and upcoming percussion events can be found at the department’s website, www.nakers.co.uk  This site also lists links to many other percussion and general music websites.

You can e-mail Ian Wright at ian.wright@nakers.co.uk Detailed information about the Royal Northern College of Music can be found at its website, www.rncm.ac.uk  You can e-mail for a prospectus and audition information to info@rncm.ac.uk  The address of the RNCM is 124 Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9RD, UK

Ian Wright
Director of Percussion Studies, September 2003