About Me, My Philosophy, and The History of the Practice
Hello! I'm Carter.
I run Carter Skillicorn Drum Tuition, a dedicated drum education practice based just west of Edinburgh, Scotland.
I was born on the Isle of Man and have been playing drums since I was eight years old. I have worked professionally as a musician in Scotland for over a decade, alongside building my career as an educator. I studied Music at Edinburgh College through their collaboration with Kingston University, graduating with First Class Honours, with a particular focus on performance, studio practice, instrumental instruction and music education.
Alongside teaching, I continue to work professionally as a drummer across a broad range of musical settings. My career has taken me from intimate jazz clubs and grassroots venues to theatres, festival stages and international tours- working as a bandleader, sideman and freelance player across a range of projects. I've recorded for studio albums, live records and broadcast sessions, performed in pit bands, and worked extensively across the live, wedding and corporate music circuit. I've also contributed to projects that have received industry recognition and awards, while regularly working as a freelance player for other professional musicians and artists.
But in this context, none of that matters... (bear with me)
Being able to play an instrument well and being able to teach someone else to play it and develop are two entirely different skills.
Of course, I believe an educator should understand their subject deeply and be able to demonstrate what they teach. I still invest deeply into my own personal development, and continue to work professionally as a drummer- this keeps my understanding of the instrument current and evolving.
But this alone doesn't make someone an effective educator. I don't believe that someone's playing experience or ability should, by itself, be the basis on which they present themselves as a teacher.
What I've spent years developing is the ability to teach the person, rather than simply teach the instrument. I've taught students at completely different stages of development, with different personalities, learning styles, abilities, motivations and goals. I've worked with people taking their very first steps behind the kit, students working towards university-level music education, aspiring musicians preparing for a career, and people who simply want to learn an instrument they enjoy.
Over thousands of lessons, you learn to recognise where someone is getting stuck, understand why, find another way of explaining a concept, adapt an exercise, change the sequence, recognise when to push and when to step back. You learn what works for the individual and just as importantly, what doesn't.
The work behind the lesson
A good lesson is rarely the result of simply sitting down and playing drums.
There is pathway design, resource development, practice methodology, assessment, communication, reflection and continual professional development behind it. I'm constantly refining the systems I use and thinking about how students can learn more effectively.
I've trialled different approaches to practice, accountability, goal setting, habit formation and student independence. Some work brilliantly. Some don't. The useful ones stay.
The current framework around practice and accountability is the result of that ongoing process.
For me, the purpose of a lesson is not simply to give a student something new to do. It is to understand where they are, identify what will move them forward and give them the tools to work towards it independently.
The lesson is one part of that process. What happens between lessons matters just as much.
Learning how to learn
I want students to become well-rounded, technically capable and musically independent drummers, while developing their own interests and identity.
That means developing strong foundations in technique, time, coordination, musicianship and repertoire, but also learning how to practice effectively, identify problems, respond to difficulty and make informed musical decisions.
I place a lot of value on purposeful practice, good habits and a growth mindset.
Learning an instrument gives you a very tangible experience of improvement. You encounter something you can't do, work out why, practice it, make mistakes, adjust your approach and eventually do something that once seemed difficult. That process can teach much more than how to play the drums.
It can develop discipline, patience, resilience, concentration and confidence, while providing a creative outlet and something that belongs entirely to the individual.
I don't expect every student to become a professional musician, which is often how this ethos comes across to students and parents/guardians without this justification. A student who wants to play in their bedroom, a student preparing for university and a student hoping to become a professional musician shouldn't necessarily have identical lessons- but the framework stays strong, the route through it is individual.
Music has a bigger role to play
I've always believed that music can have a transformative effect on people's lives.
It can give someone confidence, provide an outlet for creativity, create friendships and community, or simply give someone something they love doing.
That belief has shaped my work outside one-to-one tuition as well. I've worked with government and privately funded community music organisations and have supported opportunities for young people who might otherwise not have had access to formal music education. I've also provided scholarships through the drum school.
Being able to watch someone discover an ability they didn't know they had, and then see that confidence carry into other areas of their life is the most rewarding part of what I do.
I'm equally passionate about the wider music community. The grassroots venues, local scenes, music clubs and jam session crowds where musicians support one another have played a huge part in my own development, and I think that sense of community is an important part of what makes music so valuable in the first place.
The history of the practice
I taught my first ever private student in 2017. The seed of Carter Skillicorn Drum Tuition was planted in 2020 with a simple aim: to share my passion for drumming and make good music education accessible to people who want to learn. It began as a one-person service offering remote and mobile lessons.
In 2021, with the support of Edinburgh Jam Group, a dedicated teaching space was established in Newbridge, providing a permanent home for lessons which are still delivered here to this day!
As the student base developed, so did the teaching approach. I've continually refined the resources, systems and frameworks used in lessons while keeping the teaching adaptable to the individual.
By 2025, I was delivering close to 1,500 lessons a year, working with students across a huge range of ages, abilities and ambitions.
The growth of the practice has always been about improving the quality of the education being provided and creating an environment where students can genuinely develop.
What I want students to take away
My role is to provide the content, structure, feedback and direction. The student's role is to engage with the process, practice, reflect, ask questions and gradually take greater ownership of their development.
When those two things work together, teaching becomes something much more rewarding than just passing information from one person to another. The aim is to develop drummers who are technically capable, musically aware, confident and independent- people who understand not only what to practice, but how to practice, how to solve problems and how to keep progressing.
I also want students to feel that they are part of something beyond their individual lessons. I see myself not only as their teacher, but as a mentor who is genuinely invested in their development, and I value the relationships that grow through years of learning together. My students become part of a community, and I want them to know that there is someone in their corner who believes in their potential and wants to see them succeed, both as musicians and as people.
The most valuable thing I can teach a student is the confidence, understanding and independence to continue learning, solving problems and growing long after they leave. If I can give a student the tools to do that while knowing they have been supported, encouraged and invested in along the way, then I feel I've done my job well!
