Sacred Heart University

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1 Sacred Heart University (rev. April 2013) Percussion Studio Handbook Performing Arts Department Percussion Andy Kolar, Assistant Director of Bands and Percussion Professor (Office Phone) (Fax)

2 Philosophy Percussion studies at Sacred Heart University are designed to develop the highest level of performance and understanding within the context of Sacred Heart University s core curriculum and a non-major music program. The core curriculum has three parts: -The Foundational Core skills for a global and ever-changing society -The Common Core rigorous academics along with ethical & moral decision making skills -Elective Core knowledge for the major and life-long learning The purpose of the percussion curriculum is to provide a vehicle for percussion students to achieve their very best not only in terms of music and percussion, but in themselves as well. Through individual and ensemble performance, students will learn how to expect excellence from themselves and how to apply these skills toward their area of study and the three areas of the core curriculum. There is always more time in your day-to-day schedule than you think there will be. There may be days where you only have 2 classes in 16 hours of being awake. Ask peers in the program how they schedule their time. Areas of Study The large ensembles such as marching band, pep band, and concert band use typical instruments found in most western music that include, but are not exclusive to: -Concert Snare -Timpani -Keyboard Percussion -Marching Percussion -Drumset -Accessory Percussion Percussion Ensemble focuses on not just the above-mentioned areas, but also on other areas of percussion that include: -African Percussion -Hand Percussion -Latin & Brazilian Percussion -Instrument Repair -Percussion Philosophy -Percussion History -Sight-reading -Solo & Chamber Performance Students are encouraged to discuss their personal goals and objectives with the Percussion Faculty. If there are other instruments or genres of music that a student would like to study, please bring it up with the percussion faculty. There is a curriculum in place, which all students will progress through, that includes private lessons, masterclasses, and performances. Requests will only be honored once the larger curricular needs are met. Ensemble Performance While the large ensembles and percussion ensemble are separate and distinct from each other, they are inextricably linked to the percussion studio. They are the laboratories where skills and techniques are applied. All members are encouraged to be in every ensemble on campus. The more experience and exposure to music students have, the better. Cohesive percussion sections can hold together ensembles or tear them apart and this responsibility should be met with enthusiasm and excitement. It is without question how percussionists get better. Basketball players only learn how to shoot by playing the game. Percussionists get better by performing. 2

3 Expectations Be a responsible student and adult. This means several things: o Respond to all messages and s within 24 hours. o Set up an organizational system such as a calendar where all classes, rehearsals, and appointments are kept. (Google calendar) o Be the person you want to meet. Be friendly, courteous, and professional. Be on time and prepared for every lesson and ensemble rehearsal. Performing should be fun and it is difficult to enjoy music if notes and rhythms are being worked out along the way. Learn assigned music ahead of time. Bring a positive attitude to every rehearsal and lesson. Show respect for oneself, one s colleagues, and the profession. It also shows pride in being a student in this program. Take advantage of the opportunity to learn something that you didn t know before. Any correction given is not a personal judgment on the student as an individual, but merely being that much closer to excellence. Faculty and students are a team, after all. Research and listen to all music before rehearsals and lessons. Musicians can learn what it means to be musical from listening to others and learning how to emulate what is desirable. If there is no source for inspiration, there is no goal to strive for. Each student is expected to practice a minimum of two 30-minute sessions per week in addition to rehearsals and lessons with faculty. Each student is expected to attend all percussion related events at SHU. This is part of your professional development as a percussionist regardless of major. All percussionists in an ensemble at SHU are required to join the Percussive Arts Society as a student member. A Student epas membership is around $30 for a yearly membership. This includes all the benefits of the regular student membership, except publications are provided in electronic format online, rather than hard-copy format via the postal service. Please visit the PAS website ( for more information and to complete online registration. Be a responsible person. Being a professional means more than just being a good performer. It means transforming who you are as a person to expect excellence in everything you do in life. Respond to s or voice mails within one day, stay late to clean up, arrive early to set-up strive for the best in everything you do! is the life-blood of most universities. should be checked multiple times throughout each day. Updates and information about events will be sent via . Equipment owned by the Performing Arts Department should be treated with the utmost respect, care, and caution. Damage due to negligence is unacceptable. 3

4 Private Lessons Private lessons are available to anyone on campus. Private lessons are not mandatory but it is encouraged that all percussion students take private lessons. They are not for remedial help for poor performers. The best musicians in the world have all taken lessons to get where they are. It is how musicians get better. It is expected that freshmen take lessons for at least their first year. This first year of lessons will be used to fill in the gaps in student s performance skills. Students come from all sorts of different programs and these private lessons are the vehicle used to fill in those gaps to make sure that everyone is on the same page. A mastery of all instruments isn t expected, but a basic facility around the percussion section is needed. Freshmen year is often less hectic than following years and taking private lessons is a great way to start off on the right foot. MU 131D ½ hour lesson per week MU 132D 1 hour lesson per week 4 Grading Policy Percussion students will be graded according to their preparation of the assigned music, attendance at rehearsals and lessons, and their demeanor and attitude. For large ensembles, please refer to the band program handbook for attendance policies for Marching Band, Pep Band, and Concert Band. For percussion ensemble and private lessons, each student is given one absence without consequence. Each additional absence will result in the student s grade being lowered one letter for each additional absence. In the event of illness, students are expected to schedule a make-up rehearsal with the instructor. Average performance and preparation will result in an average grade (B or C). In order to receive an A, students must demonstrate initiative, creativity, exceptional work ethic, progression of assigned music, and display a positive attitude and demeanor. Instructors do not give grades, students earn them. Practice Procedures 1. Practice on a daily basis, preferably at the same time each day. Put practice sessions on a class schedule. Studies have shown that habits consistently pursued in a methodical manner will increase success and shorten the amount of time needed to retain information. Don t expect to be successful if practicing only takes place when one has time. Every student has the feeling of there is never enough time in the day. Therefore it is best to practice at a regular and consistent time, just like any other class and treat practice time as a mandatory event. Don t underestimate the value of a quick 10 minutes of practice to learn a passage. 10 minutes each day results in over an hour of extra rehearsal per week!

5 2. Have all materials needed to make practice sessions successful. It is important to have the right tools for a job. The job at this moment is to practice. Therefore it is necessary to have all materials to practice effectively and efficiently ready at hand. Make the practice environment free of distractions (people, phones, etc) Recording device to critique one s playback All implements, instruments, and music needed Pencil Metronome 5 3. Divide practice time into short and long-term goals. Long-Term Something to work on for an eventual need or general development, a difficult technique, chop building, dynamic expression, etc. Short-Term Learning music for an upcoming rehearsal, figuring out stickings, taping music, marking up music 4. For every hour of practice, take a break! Most people are used to things in hour chunks of time. Classes in high school were approximately that length of time and many college courses are around that as well. Major studies have proved that the brain needs a break every now and then. If a weight lifter doesn t take breaks between sets for an hour, their muscles won t be very useful for the next few days. The brain is no different. It needs time to absorb information. Sometimes a short break after an hour of work can be just as productive as practicing. 5. Learn from other people read these books. (ask staff for others) The Practice Revolution: Getting great results from the six days between music lessons, by Philip Johnston The Inner Game of Tennis, by W. Timothy Gallwey The Inner Game of Music, by Barry Green with W. Timothy Gallwey 6. Always use a metronome. Ed Soph, Peter Erskin, and many others have often said everything is time. One of the fundamental roles as a percussionist is to have immaculate time-keeping skills. The only way to learn this skill is by using a metronome. Many performance problems related to rushing or dragging would be virtually eliminated by using a metronome for all practice sessions. Training the muscles, eyes, ears, and minds of percussion students requires an enormous amount of repetition in order to achieve superior results. Unfortunately, many students are victims of the immediate gratification syndrome and lack the necessary discipline to have faith in the process of gradual development. There simply is no shortcut for methodical, logical, and consistent development of one s playing ability over time. A metronome is very useful as a tangible instrument in indicating if you are progressing toward your current goal.

6 7. Mental practice is beneficial. Since it s not always possible to practice on the exact instrument desired, learning to use mental practice can be very beneficial, regardless of the instrument used. Use a bed as a marimba. Sing music to get a sense of how it feels. For drumset, sit on a chair and play on your legs to get used to different patterns. Visualize where the other drums and cymbals are. The brain can gain a lot of information away from the instrument, too! 8. Have specific goals for practice sessions. It can be daunting to think of learning an entire piece of music or re-inventing a specific technique all at once. Instead, pick a specific section or a specific technique to work on. For example, learn from one rehearsal letter to another each practice session. If this is done each practice session, the music will be learned in no time! Don t get distracted by other problems that may exist. Keep the eye on the goal at hand. When the goal is accomplished, practicing is done! It doesn t matter if it takes 15 minutes or an hour. The goal is to continually make progress, regardless of the pace. 9. Creating a good practice attitude! Each practice session should be viewed with enthusiasm and eagerness to achieve something greater, rather than a chore. A positive attitude has a direct influence on the levels of concentration and patience within a practice session. Concentration involves the use of the entire mind, so make a conscious decision to have a good attitude while practicing. 10. There is no shame in a work in progress. The process of getting better starts with acknowledging that everyone has faults and is working on something. Leave no stone unturned. Always go back and refer to the score to make sure music wasn t learned incorrectly as it is often more difficult to unlearn mistakes after muscle memory has taken over. Count out loud, get as many of your senses involved as possible, ask others to listen to you play through something. Peers are just another resource for achieving excellence. Don t be afraid of anything that may help. 6

7 Recommended Purchases The University will provide most of the equipment needs of percussionists in the program. This includes marching percussion, large orchestral and concert percussion, some small auxiliary percussion, and drumsets. There are a limited supply of sticks and mallets for students to use for percussion equipment, but we encourage students to purchase their own equipment and implements if they so desire. Below are some recommendations for sticks, mallets, music, and minor equipment that students may purchase if they choose. Concert Snare Cooperman Series concert snare sticks Vic Firth Symphonic Series snare sticks Multi-Purpose Vic Firth SD12 Swizzle sticks (stick/mallet) Vic Firth SD1 General Xylophone/Bells/Auxiliary Vic Firth Orchestral Series M130 (Soft Plastic) Vic Firth Orchestral Series M132 (Medium Rubber) Vic Firth Orchestral Series M134 (Medium Hard Urethane) Vibraphone Vic Firth Ney Rosauro Series Vic Firth Terry Gibbs Series Marimba Vic Firth Gifford Howarth Series Vic Firth Robert Van Sice Series Timpani Vic Firth Tim Genis Series Drumset Vic Firth 5A Vic Firth Heritage Brush Triangle Sabian 6 Hand Hammered Triangle Grover Triangle Beater Set Tambourine (w/ case) Grover or Black Swamp, Double Row, 10 Berylium Copper or German Silver Woodblocks Ron Vaughn Woodblocks Metronome Dr. Beat Mallet/Stick Bag Malletech LHS bag Practice Pad Vic Firth 12 Double Sided Practice Pad PAD12D 7

8 Recommended Method Books Concert Snare Portraits in Rhythm, by Anthony Cirone Intermediate Snare Drum Studies, by Mitchell Peters Advanced Snare Drum Studies, by Mitchell Peters Fresh Approach to Snare Drum, by Mark Wessels Keyboard Modern School for Xyl, Mar, Vib, by Morris Goldenberg (2-mallet) Method of Movement, by Leigh Howard Stevens (4-mallet) Fundamental Method for Mallets, Book 1 & 2, by Mitchell Peters (2 & 4 mallet) Simply Four, by Gifford Howarth Vibraphone Vibraphone Technique, by Dave Friedman Vibes Real Book, by Arthur Lipner Timpani Modern Method for Tympani, by Saul Goodman Concepts for Timpani, by John Beck Fundamental Method for Timpani, by Mitchell Peters Accessories Raynor Caroll Excerpt Series Drumset The Art of Bop Drumming, by John Riley Syncopation, by Ted Reed The New Breed, by Gary Chester Drumset Essentials, by Tommy Igoe 8

9 Recommended Solos Concert Snare Six Unaccompanied Solos for Snare Drum, by Michael Colgrass 14 Modern Contest Solos, by John Pratt Douze Etudes, by Jacques Delecluse Recital Solos for Snare Drum, by Garwood Whaley Six Concert Solos, by George Frock 14 Modern Contest Solos, by John Pratt Three Dances for Solo Snare Drum, by Warren Benson Marimba (2-Mallet) selected rags, by George Hamilton Green Violin Sonatas, by G. F. Handel Furioso and Valse, by Earl Hatch Archaic Dances, by Armand Russell Tambourin Chinios, by Fritz Kreisler Sonata Allegro, by Mitchell Peters Marimba (4-Mallet) Yellow After the Rain, by Mitchell Peters Sea Refractions, by Mitchell Peters Musser Etude in C, by Clair Musser 5 Preludes, by Michael Burritt Six Suites for Cello, by J.S. Bach Monograph IV, by Richard Gipson Three Chorales, by Evelynne Glennie Frogs, by Keiko Abe Rhythm Song, by Paul Smadbeck Two Mexican Dances, by Gordon Stout Vibraphone Solos for the Vibraphone, by Ian Finkel Mirror from Another, by David Friedman Solo Jazz Vibraphone Etudes, by Arthur Lipner Music of the Day, by Bill Molenhof Prelude and Blues, by Ney Rosauro Timpani Sonata for Timpani, by John Beck Primal Mood, by Mitchell Peters Suite for Timpani, by David Mancini Raga I, by Bill Cahn Multiple Percussion Sticks of Eloquence, by Michael Burritt English Suite, by William Kraft French Suite, by William Kraft Love of L Histoire, by Charles DeLancy Concerto for Percussion, by Darius Milhaud 9

Music 3580: Percussion Ohio University School of Music Fall Semester 2013 Music Major Syllabus

Music 3580: Percussion Ohio University School of Music Fall Semester 2013 Music Major Syllabus Professor Roger Braun E-mail Phone braunr@ohio.edu 740-597-1675 (O) / 740-591-0008 (Cell) / 740-249-2047 (H)