VIDEO: 12-year-old Woolton Hill drummer makes speedy recovery to pass grade 8 exam

Move over Ringo! A 12-year-old drummer from Woolton Hill has just attained his grade 8 award on the drum kit a mere four years after taking up the instrument.

Alfie Graham started drumming in 2019 when a friend recommended it to him and he quickly fell in love with it, starting lessons and continuing to play every day throughout lockdown when teaching wasn’t possible.

The young musical protégé passed his grade 3 in November 2021, then his grade 5 in July 2022, and now, just a year later, he’s passed his grade 8 with a high merit.

Alfie said: “I can get inspired by anything. I will look at bands like Tears for Fears, Oasis, The Beatles, loads of bands like that.

“I’ll see Ringo Starr, Ginger Baker all drumming and I’ll watch videos of them on YouTube. There are lots of different things that I have been inspired by and have been able to look at and see if I can attempt.”

However, at one stage Alfie wasn’t sure if he was even going to be able to take his grade 8 exam.

Three weeks before the July 1 exam date, he contracted nephrotic syndrome, a condition that causes the kidneys to leak large amounts of protein into the urine.

He was sent to hospital and it caused his legs to swell up, putting his upcoming examination in jeopardy.

However, after a miraculously speedy recovery, Alfie was back banging on the kit in no time which allowed him to sail through the important exam.

His mother Jenny Graham said: “He is an entertainer. When he plays, he doesn’t just play the drums, he performs and I think he was quite rare because he was really looking forward to his grade 8 exam.

“He wasn’t nervous, he was excited.”

His father Luke Graham added: “The lad’s work ethic is amazing. He is very unusual for his age in the way he just knuckles down and goes for it.

“Obviously he is a natural talent, but the work ethic is a huge part of it as well.”

Since the beginning, Alfie has been taught by local drum teacher Alex Lewis who runs his own tuition company Drum With Alex.

Mr Lewis said: “He’s a star student really. I was always think, if he’s this good now, what’s he going to be like in five years’ time?

“It’s just been fantastic. He’s really easy to teach. He listens and he’s passionate. Alfie definitely has a lot of natural talent but he works extremely hard.”

Mr Lewis was shocked at just how much Alfie has achieved at his young age.

“It’s really rare,” he said. “Usually you’d get a grade 8 at around 18 years old, so to do it at 12, it just hasn’t sunk in.”

Alfie now participates in online education so he can fully focus on his drumming at home. He hopes that he will be able to drum professionally when he grows up.

He said: “I want to be a drummer when I’m older. I’m not sure what I want to do, maybe play in lots of different places and play lots of different things. Definitely something to do with drumming.”