Name: Nikki
Location: United Kingdom
Examiner panel: Rock & Pop
Nikki is a professional musician and Trinity examiner with a career that spans more than 25 years of performance, composition, and education in equal measure.
She talked to us about her career and her work on Trinity College London’s Rock & Pop examiner panel.
Nikki started by telling us about the different roles she has had in the music industry.
“I've been all sorts of people, which is how it is with most musicians I think. I've done a lot of performance, a lot of composition work, years of playing in bands, and I've always done private teaching.”
A passion for music education
After achieving a PhD, Nikki has been concentrating more on teaching in the past few years. It was her work as a teacher that first introduced Nikki to Trinity College London.
“I moved over to Trinity because I've always enjoyed doing composition with students. When I found out that you could enter an own composition for an exam piece, I was like oh this is brilliant!”
“The other thing that I really like is that you're able to improvise in your exams.”
From teacher to examiner
We asked Nikki what she enjoyed about her work on the examiner panel.
“I'm so invested in music and music teaching - I properly care about it - so being able to give people some feedback in that situation is really great.”
“It's also nice, as a lifelong musician and teacher, to have a look on the other side of the mirror and see what's going on.”
Nikki told us about some memorable experiences she’s had while examining.
“When we first went into the digital exams in the lockdown, I had an initial grade drummer who was an adult learner and he played so brilliantly and with such sensitivity - that was wonderful!”
“I also think it’s just so inspiring when you get candidates who are rising above those challenges to come and sit the exam. I've examined a drummer who had lost an arm, and I've examined children and adults with all manner of special educational needs.”
We asked Nikki to tell us about a performance that had a particular impact on her.
“I'm particularly into jazz and improvised music - that's really my go to. For me the best music is when you can see the communication between the musicians on the stage, and their joy in bringing that out into the audience and sharing it. “
“That can be an amateur performance, or it can be a professional performance – It’s not about quality, it's about communication.”
“I'm so invested in music and music teaching - I properly care about it - so being able to give people some feedback in that situation is really great.”