Percussion Masterclass With Bath Philharmonia

Each year a series of Masterclasses take place here at school, led by a visiting soloist from our music partners, Bath Philharmonia.  The Masterclasses typically involved 6-7 pupils, who are given the opportunity to develop their solo performance skills guided by a professional musician from the orchestra.

At the beginning of the Spring Term it was the turn of the Percussion Masterclass which was led by percussion aficionado, Matthew Turner, from Bath Philharmonia.  Five KES musicians took part, playing a combination of snare drum, vibraphone or drum kit. Angus Cannock in Year 12 reflects on his experience.

“On the 11th January, I was lucky enough to be a part of a Percussion Masterclass at school with Matt Turner - a percussionist from Bath Philharmonia. Graduating from the Royal Academy of Music, Matthew has also played Timpani and Percussion with orchestras such as The City of London Sinfonia, Britten Sinfonia, BBC Concert Orchestra and English National Opera Orchestra. 

“I’d wanted to perform in a Masterclass for years after being in the audience for one in 2019, but the pandemic always got in the way. I’m glad I took the opportunity when I got it; attending the Masterclass was one of the best things I’ve done this school year. Seeing other percussionists playing and being tutored gave me the opportunity to see some of the other pieces I play, played by different performers, which was a great way to gain a different perspective on them and have new ideas about techniques to use and how I should approach the piece. 

“I also performed myself during the Masterclass. Its leader, Matt Turner, helped me to pick apart a few stumbling blocks in my snare drum piece, and provided lots of interesting advice for me to work on in future. I feel I learnt a lot that evening, through direct tutoring, through watching the rest of the Masterclass and through taking in Mr. Turner’s lessons and experiences. 

“Overall, the Masterclass was a great experience, and one I’m eager to repeat next year.”