Sally Wiggins

Drums

What do you teach at the Con?

Drums Kit

What genres do you teach?

I play and teach folk, jazz, blues, afro, reggae, country, rock, & basic Latin grooves.

What is it that you love about teaching music – particularly at Wollongong Conservatorium?

Through playing music, we have the opportunity to connect with others on a meaningful level and to radiate joy through our art. My drumming and performing allow me to travel to new places and meet new people; hence, through teaching drums, I hope to impart the knowledge I have acquired over the years so that my students can access the same wondrous opportunities.

As a teacher, I enjoy getting to know each unique student, and I shape my lessons accordingly, so that they feel comfortable and confident to explore, grow, and shine in their own authentic way at the drum set. I am looking forward to being a part of a highly skilled team of tutors at WollCon, and helping students make the most of all of the opportunities it has to offer, which will be highly beneficial for their growth as musicians.

Please share a particular career highlight and why it’s special to you.

At the beginning of 2024, I had the opportunity to play alongside The Whitlams on their South Coast Tour, playing drums and doing backing vocals for award-winning folk/blues artist Karl S. Williams, who was their support artist for some of these shows. This was special to me, as The Whitlams were the first band that I saw performing live when I was a young girl. Despite already having some great opportunities in my career thus far, I feel as though my performance career is only just starting to really accelerate. There are some wonderful opportunities coming up this year with artists including award-winning blues artist Frank Sultana, Karl S. Williams, Robyn Martin, and more. I look forward to sharing my ongoing performance experiences with my students, and I hope that it inspires them!

What’s one piece of music that you’d recommend people listen to?

This is a very tough question, as I love many different songs for varying reasons, and many different drummers inspire me for many different reasons. And so, this is not a song but a documentary (available for free on YouTube – see below) that I recommend. It is called ‘Changing Time’. It is an honest insight into the life of a professional drummer that I love, called Jojo Mayer. He discusses his life as a full-time performing musician, talks about how Tony Williams was a big inspiration for him, and how he would practice drums growing up, among other inspiring things.

Also, a band that I am really digging at the moment is Trichotomy. This is a jazz group from Brisbane. I highly recommend checking out any and all of their discography!

Sally Wiggins

Drums

Positive Change Through Music

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