PERCUSSION

THE ANATOMY
Drum Workshop has been created for students who are interested in further exploration of percussion principles and practice. The purpose of this class is to acquaint students with the fundamentals of percussion and to help them pursue music performance with a deeper appreciation of the craft. Drum Workshop requires hard work, discipline, mental agility, patience, and time. You will spend the rest of your life making sense of the material you will get here… enjoy, work hard, and be good.

Part I. Fundamentals of Theory

• The Basic Language of Music: Staff, treble and bass clefs; reading the dots.
• Sound in Time: Tempo, meter, rhythm, note and rest values.
• Time Signatures: Simple, Compound, Asymmetric meters.
• Conducting Patterns: 2, 3/4, 4/4, 5, 6/8, 7.

Part II. Percussion Workshop

• Sight Reading: Ta –ta-ing and conducting.
• Aural Development: Transcribing Pop music using drum notation.
• Trap Set Familiarity: Drum names, hardware, care, posture, and techniques.
• Learning Independence: Open and closed positions on the trap set.
• Rhythmic Notation: Note and rest values; measures, staff, time signatures.
• Hand Drum Families: Afro-Cuban (tumbadora, conga, quinto).
• Latin / Afro-Caribbean Rhythms: Tumbao, Guaguanco, Son Montuno.
• Bell Patterns: For bongocero and timbalero.
• Development of Technique: tone production and control; fluidity and agility of motion; bass pedal variations.
• Drum Patterns: Rock, Hip Hop, Funk, R&B, Reggae, New Orleans R&B.

Evaluation and Grading

• Attendance / Participation 25%
• Homework / Quizzes (5 total) 25%
• Final Project and Performance 25%
• Final Theory Exam * 25%