Keeping time: Educating the modern percussionist

Breaking into the music sector is extremely challenging, so for students studying percussion at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD), preparation for working in the profession begins on day one. Patrick King, timpanist with the Welsh National Opera and head of percussion at RWCMD, has transformed his department into a forward-thinking community with diversity and employability at the core.

Having been a contemporary of King's myself at the Royal College of Music in the early noughties, his enthusiasm for percussion has always been effervescent. When we caught up on Zoom, it was apparent that his enthusiasm had not waned, and he is passionate about supporting his students to develop the skills necessary to make a career in the music industry. ‘Long gone are the days of solely focusing on orchestral repertoire; today's percussionist needs to be more versatile to remain employable in the ever-changing world of a modern portfolio percussionist,’ he says.

RWCMD students leading the Big Bash © RWCMD

A broad offering

Since King took over as head of percussion four years ago, he has made considerable strides in diversifying the department. All students have access to high quality teaching staff, including Henry Baldwin, percussionist at the Royal Opera House; Matthew French, West End drummer; and Sidiki Dembele, djembe drummer from the Manchester Collective. The department strives for artistic excellence while preparing students to be modern musicians. This is made possible through the support of the college's principal, Helena Gaunt, whose strategic vision and leadership are at the core of the vibrant, multidisciplinary college's ethos of creative excellence.

Students are no longer required to focus solely on orchestral repertoire. While this was the bread and butter of my degree, it also suggested that the only career option available was playing in an orchestra. King is keen to stress that, ‘if that is where your passion lies, then Beethoven and Brahms remain an option, but we have worked hard to create a plethora of different opportunities for the students in the department’. As part of a recent revamp to the BMus programme, spearheaded by the college's director of Music, Tim Rhys-Evans, units such as the ‘integrated musician’ are core modules designed to ensure students broaden their skillset from the start. Whatever direction students want to take, the college wants their students to be employable at the end of the course. During their time at RWCMD, students have the opportunity to perform in a range of ensembles, from percussion ensembles and orchestras to brass bands and chamber music groups.

Bespoke pathways

King is passionate about creating the best experience he can, saying: ‘The College offers a can-do approach, and nothing is off the table. If a student wants to learn the tabla, we will source a tabla teacher and create a pathway for them with the BMus values integrated.’ What is clear is that the department prides itself on the bespoke pathways they create for their students, and King stresses, ‘all musical opportunities are valid, and we do not want to set our students up to fail’.

The department is small, and duty of care is at the forefront. King teaches all students throughout the course, and as head of department this allows him to mentor them, ensuring they are getting the best experience they can. He prides himself on the family atmosphere and team spirit he has created. Everyone in the department, including students, meet once a week for a team meeting, and this supportive atmosphere focuses on pastoral care as well as teamwork and collaboration.

From the outset, the students are treated as ‘young professionals and are given opportunities to sit in with the BBC National Orchestras of Wales and the Welsh National Opera; they are also given school workshop experience with Children's Musical Adventures, and linked up with mentors from across the profession in Cardiff and beyond. Inspiring the next generation of percussionists is another passion of King's. He uses his role at RWCMD to deliver the ‘Big Bash’ percussion days, giving young people up to the age of 18 the opportunity to be inspired by the tutors and students at the College.

Owen Gunnell leading a session at a Big Bash percussion day © RWCMD

Striving towards equality

A report released by the Arts Council in November 2021 found that ‘women are less well represented in senior roles like orchestral principals, as solo artists, in artistic leadership roles and elsewhere.’ King stresses that this has not gone unnoticed. ‘Gender equality is on the map with Jayne Obradovic leading a module on Teaching Skills, and Daniella Geneva teaching Marimba. Beth Higham-Edwards from Large and Shiny has visited, and in a department where 50 per cent of our students are female, championing women in the profession is an integral part of our mentoring scheme.’

A recent report by Help Musicians recommended that organisations should ‘offer mentoring programmes to early-career musicians’. This is something that the department is proud of: ‘We are a small department in a small city. Graduates are always welcome to drop in for classes, and our duty of care is still there, post-degree.’

Success stories

You cannot fail to be impressed by what King has achieved. His opening statement – ‘running the department, employability and diversity excites me’ – is recurrent throughout the interview and is obviously at the core of King's ethos. Recent graduates include Paul Stoneham, co-principal percussionist of the Philharmonia Orchestra, and Matthew Hardy, principal timpanist of the CBSO. King is incredibly proud of Mary Johnson, co-founder of the Flying Bedroom Company – a collaborative immersive theatre project that combines collaboration, community engagement, music and drama, demonstrating the strength of the multidisciplinary approach between departments at the college.

A cursory glance at the BMus page sums up the college's holistic approach, as it reads: ‘The programme emphasises collaboration and collaborative approaches in all aspects of activity, while also being structured to offer each student a high level of support as an individual learner and future practitioner.’ With King's passion and the College's ethos, the RWCMD is firmly putting itself on the map as somewhere students grow, flourish and achieve.

www.rwcmd.ac.uk/study/music/percussion