A BENDIGO South East Secondary College year 10 student has been named as one of three finalists in a nation-wide competition aimed at recognising Australia's up-and-coming drummers.
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Kane Watts got the good news last week he came third in the Drumtek Drumming Competition, beating hundreds of other entrants.
As one of the three finalists in the intermediate category, Kane will now go on to compete at the finals in the 2015 Australia's Ultimate Drummers Weekend in Melbourne on May 30.
Kane submitted four pieces in the competition, which he had worked on hard for about 12 months.
"It was awesome when I got the call from (Drumtek founder) Frank Corniola," he said.
"I thought about doing it last year but I've built up my skills over the past year so I could go in the competition, and I'm lucky to get in."
He said he was looking forward to taking part in the finals, which will see him perform for a select judging panel of Australian and international drum artists.
"Over the next month I'll try and get my pieces together and really tight so there's no worries when I'm on stage," he said.
Head of music at BSE, Stephen Briggs, said Kane's drumming skills were well established in the school community.
"He was the first year nine student to have won BSE's musician of the year award last year and he's in with a decent chance this year as well," he said.
Mr Briggs said it was impressive Kane was selected as one of three out of 900 students across Australia to be part of the Drumtek finals.
"These (sorts of events) are critical for young performers to have these experiences, this is the start of a pathway for him in building networks with a whole range of artists down in Melbourne," he said.
He said Kane had been getting lessons from a drum teacher in Melbourne who had been instrumental in building up his skill set.
"He was spotted on YouTube by his drum teacher from Melbourne, who doesn't usually take on teenagers, but he called him up," he said.
Kane said he was grateful for the help from his drumming instructor, Gerry Pantazis, who inspired him from the get go to keep improving.
"I learnt so much and I still am learning heaps from him," Kane said.