Drums Course

If you want to become a professional drummer, you’re going to want to be at BIMM Institute. After all, we started out as Drumtech – a dedicated drums teaching centre – so we know a thing or two about drums. With us, you’ll hone your drumming talent and harness your drive for music to end up with a lasting career.

Over the last 35 years, we’ve seen the likes of Jon Beavis (drummer for IDLES and listed as one of Music Radar’s 13 Best Rock drummers in the World 2018), Ben Thompson (Two Door Cinema Club) and Debbie Knox-Hewson (Charli XCX) walk through our doors and into the music industry.

In this three-year degree course, you’ll be taught by industry icons who will impart their wisdom and knowledge onto you. And, our Drums courses have been designed with the industry, for the industry. This means you’ll graduate with the know-how, contacts and skills needed to make your name in the business.

Key facts

• World-class lecturers and industry-leading Masterclasses
• Available as an industry-led undergraduate degree
• Available at BIMM Institute Berlin
• State-of-the-art facilities and top-of-the-range equipment from some of music’s leading brands
• A well-balanced blend of theory, analysis, practical and technical skills
• Unrivalled industry internships and real-world opportunities

What to expect

Our courses at BIMM Institute are made for you to establish your own exciting route into the live music sector. And, because we’ve consulted with industry professionals, you’ll develop all the necessary employability skills they’re looking for – as well as the tools needed for you to achieve your personal goals and aspirations.

Each day, you’ll learn in large live rooms, smaller studio settings and lecture-based classrooms. And of course, you’ll be surrounded by our incredible facilities. In your first year, you’ll be learning modules to give you a broader understanding of drumming as well as the music industry itself.

You’ll learn core topics within your first year, such as:

• Performance Skills
• Digital Music
• Core (and Applied) Instrument Skills
• Applied Performance

Choose your path with optional modules

Every drummer is unique – you all have different goals you want to achieve. That’s why our Drums undergraduate degree includes optional modules so you can develop your own route to success.

Pave your own path with optional modules, such as:

• Improvised Music Performance
• Creative Band Performance
• Creative Performance with Mixed Media

Studying Drums can take you places you never initially thought of. With our optional modules, you can build your own path to success and launch that dream career.

Potential drums career paths:

• Creative Performer
• Session Specialist
• Commercial Band Performer
• Music Teacher
• Academic

For students wishing to maximise their instrumental and performance experience during their studies, the BMus (Hons) Popular Music Performance degree stands unique amongst our courses for its live-performance focus for students within their first year, enabling graduates to have an expert level of knowledge and performance on their chosen discipline.

The Performance Skills module will take you through the process of effective live performance through individual preparation, live ensemble performance and reflective practice. Weekly instrument-specific prep classes will equip you with techniques for effective part-preparation, memorisation and rehearsal strategies. The Live Performance Workshop component will provide you with the opportunity to further your skillset through full-band live performance. Here you will receive guided feedback and feedforward from lecturers and peers to help further your own reflective practice. This will be recorded in a weekly Reflective Journal. You will be encouraged to develop confidence on stage, and the necessary arrangement and communication skills for professional live performance.

Your lecturers

At BIMM Institute, you’ll learn from world-class lecturers. These people live and breathe music – and they know a thing or two about having a passion for the kit and taking it onto the world stage or into the studio.

Our lecturers will provide you with those essential insider tips and exclusive knowledge that you won’t find anywhere else. It’s their role to help you step into the music industry with confidence.

Exclusive networking opportunities

At BIMM Institute, we believe collaboration is key. That’s why we offer you access to exclusive networking opportunities, connecting you straight to the action. You’ll also get to join BIMM Connect – our exclusive social media platform. Here, you’ll team up and network with fellow students, alumni, bands, songwriters, press agents, managers and promoters to get even more out of your time here.

Internships and opportunities

What better way to learn the tools of the trade than by getting real life experience under your belt? Our specialist Careers and Industry Teams are here to help you do just that. Thanks to their unrivalled contacts and insider connections, they’ll link you up with real-world experiences that you won’t find anywhere else.

Being a BIMM student also means you get access to exclusive opportunities other music students could only dream of. This includes the chance to play at some of the best festivals on the planet (like The Great Escape Festival, Brighton Pride and Glastonbury); performing at our end-of-term gigs; and collaborating with students from other disciplines including Music Business, Songwriting, and more.