As part of CAS, I have externally taken part in learning the drums. I have been playing the drums for several years now, and I felt that I should look to persevere it and taking part in exams. I have completed the Yamaha syllabus, so I switched into learning the Trinity Rock School curriculum, where I recently took the Grade 5 exam.

After picking up the drums after not playing for a while, it was quite unfamiliar and felt as if I picked up the drums for the first time. However, after a couple weeks I managed to pick up quickly. It was quite a big risk to skip grades 1-4 and go straight to taking the grade 5 exams, but I feel like this is where my perseverance and my determination to do well in the exam came in, as I repetitively practiced on a weekly basis to make sure that I was on par with the syllabus and that I would be able to complete all the content before December. Being a tough syllabus, I had made a lot of changes in the process with my song selection to match my strengths. Despite this, there was always a struggle with certain bits of the song being difficult, so I with the help of my teacher I was able to overcome those challenges.

Overall, I was able to do well in my exam and I’m glad that I had done this experience. I was able to rekindle my interest in playing the drums and had gained a lot more skill whilst preparing for the final exam.