I recently had a discussion with the percussion studio at Southeastern University regarding goals. I am asking the students to set some goals for themselves and for the studio as a way to better understand their purpose and direction during their time at SEU -- where they're heading and why. Drifting aimlessly rarely provides any satisfaction in life, and one could argue it is a poor example of stewardship — not using well the gifts and opportunities that God has given us. I also want to make sure that the students are taking ownership of what goes on in the percussion studio. It is not my percussion studio or music department; it’s theirs, and it will be what they choose...
College professors will gather as much information about prospective students as possible to determine if the student will be a good fit for their program. For students, the college audition process can be a scary endeavor with a lot of unknowns. The following areas of consideration are designed to help you better understand the audition process more fully and are presented in no particular order: 1. ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE – GPA, ACT, SAT, Grades Your academic performance in high school can be a good indicator for how you’ll do in college courses. These grades aren’t usually a “make it or break it” component of the application process. However, they do carry considerable weight with the academic faculty when awarding scholarships and other...
One of the most common statements we hear from percussion students is, "My teacher told me to purchase a tambourine, but I don't know which one to choose". Given the fact that we offer 28 different models this is not surprising! Our time-tested model T2/GS Projection Plus with German Silver jingles is the world's best selling concert tambourine. And for good reason! It is a highly versatile, great sounding instrument and has become the "Go-To" instrument of many pros as well. However, when it comes to THE perfect general purpose concert tambourine we have two newer models worth a hard look: T2/HS "HYBRID" Silver - this model combines the best of our standard German Silver tambourine with the clarity of...
Getting Organized. We all aspire to it. We know it will make our jobs easier. We know that our students will learn more quickly and become better performers. Then, if we are successful by May, a new group of students shows up the following year and we will start all over again. Few, if any of us ever achieve the ultimate, organized percussion section year after year. The following are some suggestions to help reach the goal of maintaining an efficient and well organized percussion section. The results are directly proportional to the persistence of the teacher. The good news is that in the end, less rehearsal time will be spent setting up and searching for instruments, and more time...
A common mistake made by non-percussionist music educators is the relegation of weaker percussion students to the bass drum and cymbal chairs. While it may seem reasonable to assign the “harder” parts to stronger percussion students, in actuality it is the accessory instruments that are often more challenging to play and which provide the important rhythmic backbone of a musical composition. John Phillip Sousa knew this all too well. It was reported that his bass drummer, Gus Helmecke, was the highest paid member of the band! In Sousa’s own words, “The average layman does not realize the importance of the bass drummer to a band…I sometimes think that no band can be greater than its bass drummer because it is...
