Mike Sillitoe has worked in many different areas of music including Variety, Cabaret, Theatre, Orchestral, Jazz and Rock. His first professional job was with a ship's orchestra aboard a liner and he has been heavily involved with the theatre, including the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford-upon-Avon. He toured the world extensively with the RSC and also spent a period of time playing in the theatres and clubs of London's West End.  He was taught by the famous percussionist James Blades of the Royal Academy of Music and now enjoys passing on his expertise and wealth of experience to the younger generation, many of whom have gone on to be professional players themselves.