What is your approach to percussion pedagogy at conservatoire level?
It's all about employability. I don't worry about every student graduating with the same skillset. Instead, I focus on what makes an individual employable in the real world. I've enjoyed creating the bespoke syllabus at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC) where, for example, master's students can choose to knuckle down in particular areas. The ballet and opera options are really successful and our head of drum kit, rhythm and world percussion Sophie Hastings, is running some popular Latin options. I'm also keen that students learn the repertoire in the right setting rather than in practice rooms. Recently we've sent students to Brazil, Taiwan, Germany and Spain. The life skills, memories and team bonding on these trips are beneficial for the dynamic of our department.
What do you think of the standard of percussion players coming through at the moment?
The standard is generally impressive, though it is clear to me which colleges are excelling in which areas. Having sat through City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) job auditions in recent years, the results tell quite the tale. I've met some amazing young Spanish players so they must have some great schools over there. As ever, with younger students, it goes up and down, particularly with the National Youth Orchestra's section, and every year is different – though the standard is always pretty slick.
What developments do you have in mind for your department?
We're planning to bid for more new instruments. We are constantly fine-tuning our courses, seeking out new and exciting opportunities for the students. I welcome having more international trips and I'll keep on aiming to set the bar higher with recruitment, with numbers of applicants increasing annually. The new building has helped recruitment no end. Having a top-of-the-range facility is a whole new beast for us and it's great to be competing nationwide and attracting international students.
What first attracted you to percussion?
From a very young age I wanted to be a drummer, probably due to the accessibility and physicality of it. It's pretty easy to have fun hitting drums!
How do you see your own career developing?
I'm pretty absorbed in what I'm currently doing, to be honest, so hopefully more of the same. I still freelance, and I've got some cool gigs coming up including the BBC Young Musician and the World Orchestra for Peace concerts at the BBC Proms [15/21 July]. The CBSO percussion and timpani section is an amazing team to work with so it would be a shame to stop. My daughter Nathalie is now two, which means that nearly all my admin work is done in rehearsals, on trains or late at night, but I would not change it for the world. The main difference is that she has increased my passion for my pastoral responsibilities to my students.
Adrian Spillett, head of percussion at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (Upstream Photography)
What repertoire do you suggest young musicians get to know?
Gigs which include Shostakovich! I once took on the notorious snare drum in Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7 at the Proms with Andris Nelsons: a truly terrifying and rewarding experience, I have never felt adrenaline like it. Stravinsky, Mahler and John Williams also normally tick all my boxes. Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians is my all-time favourite tune. I love the programming part of my role at RBC and I make a point of being reasonably fearless and challenging the students with some pretty daring works: recently we've performed Reich's Drumming, Mallet Quartet, Sextet, Pieces of Wood, Music for Mallets, Voices and Organ and Six Marimbas; Cage's First Construction; the UK premiere of Mason Bates's Stereo is King; Persephassa by Xenakis; Concertante by Maki Ishii; Stockhausen's Mikrophonie and Zyklus; Takemitsu's Rain Tree; Varèse's Ionisation; and Apex by Ben Wallfisch.
Outside music, what do you get up to?
I've enjoyed a lot of cricket tours watching England play and I'm the CBSO's wicket keeper. I love skiing, though I'm not so good. I have a personal trainer who makes me go to the gym and, along with my CBSO percussion colleagues, I'm doing a ‘Tough Mudder’ on 9 September to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society.
What's the most important thing you hope to pass on to your students?
I hope that all my students graduate with excellent life skills including brilliant team work, rounded and fun personalities with brilliant percussive versatility offering them the opportunities to survive and enjoy the real world. I hope they never turn a gig or an opportunity down because they don't feel qualified to do it.
Students from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire's Millennial Percussion ensemble perform at the XXXV Festival Ibérico de Música (© JUAN HERNANDEZ)
Adrian Spillet and the CBSO percussion section's fundraising efforts can be supported at tinyurl.com/mt7-asfund
