10th–11th October 2026 | Into Music, Horncastle
If you’ve been playing drums for a while and you’re starting to feel like you want to get more from your playing, Will Daly’s Intermediate Drum Camp could be exactly what you’re looking for.
Taking place at Into Music on 10th and 11th October 2026, this two-day camp is designed for intermediate drummers who want to challenge themselves, explore new ideas and become more creative behind the kit.
Will has built the camp around a simple idea: rather than just teaching you more things to play, he wants to help you understand how to use the things you already know more effectively.
That means looking at your existing knowledge, introducing new vocabulary and concepts, and exploring how you can turn those ideas into musical, creative playing.
With just eight spaces available, it’s a deliberately small group, giving Will the time and space to work with the individual drummers attending rather than simply delivering a set programme to a large audience.
A camp that starts with you
One of the most interesting parts of Will’s approach happens before you even arrive.
Once you’ve booked your place, you’ll complete a questionnaire with Will, which he calls a “drumming MOT”. It gives him an opportunity to understand where you are with your playing, what you enjoy, where you feel you need to improve and what you’d like to get out of the weekend.
That information helps Will shape the content around the group.
So while there will be a clear structure to the two days, the camp isn’t simply a pre-written collection of exercises that everyone works through regardless of their ability or interests. The people attending have an influence on what gets explored.
For an intermediate drummer, that can be really valuable. You might have very different strengths and weaknesses from the person sitting next to you, and having the opportunity to explore those areas with an experienced educator can help you start making much more sense of your own playing.
Moving beyond the basics
By the time you reach an intermediate level, you’ve probably already built up a decent amount of knowledge.
But there often comes a point where simply learning more beats and fills doesn’t necessarily make you a better drummer.
You might know plenty of things but struggle to bring them together naturally. You might find yourself playing the same fills over and over, or feel like your playing has become a little predictable. You might want to improvise more but not really know where to start.
This is where Will’s approach comes in.
The camp will explore new drumming vocabulary, techniques and concepts, but just as importantly, it will look at how you can take the knowledge you already have and use it in more musical and creative ways.
The aim isn’t to give you a huge list of things to memorise. It’s to help you understand what’s possible with the things you already have under your hands.
Expect to be challenged
This is an intermediate camp, so Will is going to challenge you.
The suggested playing level is around Grade 4–6, although you don’t need to have taken any formal drum grades to attend. It’s simply a useful guide to the kind of experience and ability the camp is aimed at.
You should be comfortable with a range of drum beats and fills, have some understanding of rudiments, be able to play songs and have solid timing. Some experience of playing in front of other people is also recommended.
You don’t need to be an advanced drummer, and you certainly don’t need to arrive knowing everything.
In fact, the whole point is that you’re there because there are things you want to improve.
Some of the material will probably push you outside your comfort zone. You’ll be asked to try things differently, experiment with ideas and approach the kit in ways you may not have considered before.
That’s where a lot of the progress happens.
You won’t just leave with two days’ worth of notes
Will has also put a lot of thought into what happens after the camp.
Each student will receive a bespoke book syllabus, created specifically for the group. You’ll work through the material during the weekend, but it’s designed to give you plenty to continue working on once you’re back home.
The idea is that the syllabus will give you enough material to keep developing your playing for the next 6–12 months.
That means the camp isn’t simply about having an enjoyable weekend and then going back to your normal practice routine on Monday.
You’ll have something tangible to take away and continue exploring, with the concepts you’ve worked on during the camp giving you a starting point for your own practice.
Eight drummers. One weekend.
Keeping the camp to just eight people is an important part of the experience.
It means there’s enough space for Will to get to know the people attending, understand their playing and give everyone the opportunity to be involved.
There’s also something valuable about learning alongside other drummers at a similar stage.
Everyone will arrive with different experiences, strengths and weaknesses, and you’ll inevitably learn from each other as well as from Will. You’ll hear other people’s questions, see how they approach the same exercises and have the opportunity to share ideas about playing and practising.
It should feel much more like a group of drummers working together and learning from each other than a traditional classroom environment.
Who is Will Daly?
Will Daly is an award-winning drummer and educator with more than 20 years of drumming experience and over 15 years of teaching experience.
He’s a working musician as well as a teacher, having performed and toured across Europe and played at festivals including Glastonbury and Y-Not Festival.
Education is a huge part of Will’s work. He teaches more than 35 students each week from his purpose-built drum education studio and runs performing drum groups and student showcase events.
He has also continued to develop his own playing by studying with some of the leading drummers and educators in the world, including Mark Guiliana, Ian Thomas, Mike Johnston, Craig Blundell, Robert “Sput” Searight, Anika Niles and JP Bouvet.
His experience also extends beyond traditional drum tuition. Will co-created the education programme at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London’s The Making of Harry Potter, where he taught more than 45,000 students over a four-year period.
That combination of performing experience and a genuine focus on education is what makes his camps particularly interesting. The aim isn’t simply to show you what Will can do on the drums; it’s to help you understand the ideas behind it and work out how they can apply to your own playing.
You can find out more about Will and his work at willdrumsdaly.com.
What can you expect across the two days?
The exact content will depend on the group and the information Will gets from the pre-camp questionnaire, but the weekend will centre around playing, learning and experimentation.
You’ll explore new techniques and vocabulary, work on your existing skills and look at ways of making your playing more creative and musical. There’ll be demonstrations from Will, practical exercises, group work and plenty of opportunity to actually get behind the kit and try things for yourself.
Because there are two full days, there’s also time to properly explore an idea rather than simply being introduced to it and immediately moving on.
If something doesn’t click straight away, you can work through it. If an idea sparks another question, there’s time to explore it. And if you discover something that you really enjoy, you’ll have the opportunity to take it further.
That’s one of the biggest advantages of having a full weekend dedicated to your playing.
And then there’s Into Music...
The camp is taking place at Into Music in Horncastle, with the bottom showroom providing the dedicated space for the group.
While the focus of the weekend is very much on Will’s teaching, being based in a specialist drum shop does come with one fairly obvious advantage: there’s a lot of gear around.
If you fancy trying a different snare, comparing some cymbals, playing another kit or simply seeing what something feels like, the Into Music team will be on hand throughout the weekend to help you experiment with whatever takes your interest.
There’s no pressure to buy anything by the way. It’s simply an opportunity to try things you might not otherwise get the chance to play.
The shop will be open to the public on Saturday, while the bottom showroom where the camp takes place will remain private for the students.
Food, breaks and everything in between
The camp runs from 10am–5pm on both days, with breaks throughout the day.
Tea, coffee, water and snacks will be available, and there will be a one-hour lunch break on Saturday, giving you time to head into Horncastle and grab something to eat or bring something with you.
On Sunday, Will and the Into team are looking at heading somewhere locally for a roast for anyone who would like to join them. This will be at your own cost, but it should be a nice way to finish the weekend.
If you’re travelling to Horncastle for the camp and need somewhere to stay, The Admiral Rodney in Horncastle and The Leagate Inn in Coningsby are both nearby options.
What should you take away from the camp?
Hopefully, quite a lot.
You’ll have spent two full days working closely with Will, exploring new ideas and challenging the way you approach the drums. You’ll have your bespoke syllabus to continue working through, as well as new techniques and concepts to practise.
But the biggest thing Will is aiming for is a change in the way you think about your playing.
The goal isn’t to make you leave playing exactly like Will. It’s to give you more options and a better understanding of your own instrument, so you can start making more informed choices about what you play and why.
You might discover a new approach to fills, find a different way of developing a groove, become more comfortable improvising or simply find yourself looking at the drum kit in a completely different way.
Everyone’s experience will be different, which is exactly why the camp has been designed around the people attending.
Is it right for you?
If you’ve been playing for a while, have a good foundation and feel ready to push yourself further, then this is the level Will has designed the camp for.
You don’t need formal grades, you just need enough experience to be comfortable with the basics and a genuine desire to improve.
If you’re the kind of drummer who enjoys learning, likes experimenting and wants to get more creative with the kit, you’ll probably get a lot from the weekend.
With only eight places available, it’s also a great opportunity to spend two days learning in a small group rather than being one face in a crowd.
The details
Will Daly Intermediate Drum Camp
10th–11th October 2026
10am–5pm both days
Into Music, Horncastle
8 spaces available
Ages 14+
Suggested level: Grade 4–6
The full price is £335, with the option to secure your place with a £75 deposit.
For Into Music customers, you can also get £40 off with the code INTO40, bringing the full price down to £295 or the deposit down to £35.
Ready to take your drumming further?
If you think the camp sounds like your kind of thing, you can find the full details and book your place here:
Will Daly Intermediate Drum Camp – Into Music
And for more information about Will, his teaching and his work, visit willdrumsdaly.com.
With only eight places available, this is going to be a really focused couple of days for anyone looking to get more from their playing — and hopefully a weekend you’ll still be getting something from long after you’ve left the shop.