Drummer and Exeter College Music Academy student Kai Craig came a very close second in the Young Drummer of the Year national competition. The competition was put together to give the country’s young drumming talent a national and international platform, which the organisers hope will be the first steps in their musical career. Kai, from Exeter, is taking three BTEC subjects, including Music Technology, along with AS Level Music. This is complimented by an enrichment programme of Jazz Project and Jambassadors.

Five hundred people initially entered the competition which was then whittled down to only 10. On competition day entrants had to perform a 2 minute set. They were given a song in advance to practice and were then tasked with performing another song on the day, along with an interview with the judges.

Kai said: “I was really pleased with the result and got amazing feedback from the judges. It’s a really good networking experience and great to meet other people who are passionate about the same thing. I would definitely do this kind of competition again in the future.”

Kai’s plans for the future include completing a 4 year degree at the Royal Academy of Music in London before moving on to a post-graduate degree at the Juilliard School in New York.