Students enjoy music masterclass from Status Quo drummer Jeff Rich

Jef visited Outwood Academy Adwick to deliver a musical workshop with the students. The session saw over 100 students playing percussion instruments along with Jeff and learning about the history, development and versatility of the drums.

After touring the world and playing to hundreds of thousands of people, Jeff was able to pass on advice to the students about setting a goal, working hard, and achieving it.

He recalled how he would practice two hours every night after school, starting with just a snare drum. As his passion for drums grew, he told them, so did his drum kit.

Andrew Scruby, Associate Principal at Outwood Academy Adwick, said: “We were delighted to host Jeff, a master of his craft, at Outwood Academy Adwick.

“You could see the students were all invested in the workshop and attentive to what Jeff was telling them.

“We believe in putting students first, and giving them opportunities like this exemplify this approach. Jeff’s workshop enabled students to take part, learn new skills, and learn about the importance of hard work to achieve your goal.

“We thank Jeff for his time and coming to deliver a fun workshop for some of our students at Outwood Academy Adwick, and we hope to welcome him back in the future.”

The masterclass lasted for just over an hour and a half, with students using different kinds of drums – ranging from African drums to old European military drums in the first half.

Jeff demonstrated different rhythms and rudiments on each drum, and then invited the pupils to have a go. They were also invited to play on Jeff’s state of the art drum kit.

Year 9 student Charlie Miller and year 10 student Ben Adeniyi took the opportunity improvise a solo in front of the rest of the group.

Jeff said: “I was most impressed with the students; the way they listened, joined in when asked and they were really enthusiastic as well!

“I look forward to returning for another workshop in the near future.”