Percussion Department

The percussion department offers tuition in orchestral percussion and drum kit. Students have a individual class, which focuses on the leaning aspects specific to the instrument, and an ensemble class, which focuses on developing group playing skills. The ensembles for percussion and drum kit students are the wind bands, the stage band and percussion ensembles.

Drum kit tuition focuses on preparing students to be able to perform in a wide range of musical styles that reflect the performing trends in today’s musical world. Much of the tuition utilises backtracks so the students can play as if they were playing in a band. The advantages of this are numerous, but a very important aspect is learning to play in a realistic setting. Material is drawn from a variety of syllabi for the greatest variety of material. These syllabi include Trinity Guildhall, Trinity Rock and Pop, and Rockschool.

Orchestral percussion students have the full gamut of percussion instruments to learn. Mallet percussion, timpani and snare drum are the main focus for orchestral percussion students. A full set of percussion instruments is available for tuition and practicing, and a wealth of repertoire, built up over the last three decades ensures that all aspects of percussion playing can be covered. In addition there are hire instruments available for students to practice at home. The percussion ensembles deal with group playing and developing listening skills, but also provide students with the opportunity to learn techniques for the many other percussion instruments they may play in wind bands or other ensemble settings.

 

The Drum Kit Exposé 2014

The theme for 2014 was ‘Inspirations and Influences’. We referenced some iconic drummers through performing a famous piece that they either recorded or played in a live setting. There were performances paying tribute to drummers like Jeff Porcaro, John Bonham, Steve Gadd and Phil Collins, to name a few. Performers for this event were Shannon Devy, Heinrich Goosen, Darren Petersen, Sheldon Yoko and David West. Yamaha Music South Africa provided valuable support in the form on additional drum kits and a PA system. They also very generously supplied the main prize of a full 5 piece Yamaha Gigmaker drum kit. Paul Bothner Music provided some additional support and prizes in association with Zildjian SA, and SoundOut! supplied lighting and did the sound engineering at the performance.

 

The Drum Kit Exposé 2013

In 2013, as with the 2012 edition, the theme was largely still reading based, this time focusing on ways reading skills can benefit students learning to play drum kit. This year we also included performances with back tracks, including advanced charts like Hair Off by Marco Minnemann. The performers for this Exposé were Simon White-Philips, Mike Horne, Darren Petersen, Jarryd West, David West and Sheldon Yoko. Simon was in his matric year for this concert, and the only school pupil to perform. Once again, Paul Bothner Music provided support in the form of additional equipment and prizes.

The Drum Kit Exposé 2012

2012 was the second installment of the Drum Kit Exposé, highlighting reading elements in drum kit. The title of this event was ‘Past & Present'. The programme consisted of solos, duets and quartets, all completely scored. Some of the highlights were the drum kit duets In The Pocket and In and Out of the Pocket by J Beck, scored for bass drum, snare drum and splash cymbal. The performers had great fun preparing these slightly comical items. Students still studying at Beau Soleil at the time performed alongside past students. The students performing this year were John Milligan, Jarryd West, Joshua Wheatley and Simon White-Philips. Past students were Austen Fredericks, Reuben Crowie Mike Horne, Devin Jones, Darren Petersen and Julian Schübel.  Many of these drummers have gone on to pursue successful careers as professional performers. Paul Bothner Music provided some assistance in equipment and prizes.

David West

Head of the Percussion Department 

david@beausoleil.org.za

Percussion Gallery

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The Drum Kit Exposé


This annual event is a performance based workshop that features elements related to the drum kit. It takes place in the third term each year, straight after the end of term percussion concert.

In 2011, past pupil Mike Horne was invited to do a shared workshop with Heinrich Goosen. At the time, it was only planned as a one-off event, but the response was positive and planning started for a second event the next year.

The 2012 and 2013 editions were focused on reading music, a skill that is becoming increasingly important in professional drummers working in the music industry worldwide. Paul Bothner Music provided assistance in the form of additional equipment and prize give-aways.

The involvement of Yamaha Music SA and SoundOut, along with the continued support from Paul Bothner Music, in the productions from 2014 onward has enable us to put on a professional production with top quality sound and impressive lighting displays. There is always a theme for each production and the workshop is more performance based, with at least 4 drummers performing in each show. in more recent events we have been using more live musicians, rather than just pre-produced back tracks. Yamaha's involvement has stretched beyond back-line support. They have provided a full drum kit as the main give-away for 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017. Paul Bothner Music and Zildjian have provided sponsorship in the form of cymbals, sticks and other items at each of these events. Please look under "Percussion News" for individual write-ups of each event.