A Percussion Discussion

Today we’re going to have a percussion discussion, mostly because it rhymes. And because I’m a percussion major and I write the blog. Ha ha. So, why is percussion important? That should be obvious, therefore we’re not going to talk about it. Why should every band director be more familiar with percussion rudiments? That’s a better question, therefore we can talk about it.

KIDS ARE DUMB.

So maybe as a future music educator I shouldn’t say that. But too bad. You give a kid a drum stick and they are going to hit whatever they want, whenever they want, however they want. It’s completely different from handing them a wind or brass instrument. If you give a student an instrument, they have to learn how to play it in order to get a sound out of it. They have to learn how to hold it and  how to fix their embouchure before even making a sound (that the instrument is supposed to make). Hand a student a drumstick and they instantly can make sound. While there are definitely some positives from this, there are definitely some negatives. First of all, the student automatically thinks they can play it. Though this does serve as a confidence boost, it is difficult to bring a student back to a place where they are willing to learn. The more you know about percussion, the more confidently you can tell students the things they have yet to learn. If you have a student that wants to learn the snare drum, you have to be able to show them the rudiments, play them correctly, and play them confidently in order to convey to the student that they still have a lot to learn.

PERCUSSIONISTS ARE LOUD.

I’ll be the first to admit it, percussionists are never ones to blend in. While a lot of percussion parts, such as cymbals and bass drum, are mainly rhythmic and easy to deal with, there is no way to hide a crappy snare drum or timpani part. No matter what you do, it’s going to stick out. Heck, you could have the kid play with their fingers and they would probably still stick out. And believe it or not, there is a lot of technique for the snare drum and timpani. I know what you wind and brass people are thinking, and no, percussionists don’t just “hit stuff.” There are hand positions, dynamic contrasts, rudiments, diddles, ruffs, paradiddles, paraparadiddles, accents, syncopation, flams, flam taps, and all kinds of other crazy stuff that you don’t know how to do. Ha! But seriously, learn your rudiments and teach them to your snare drummers and timpanists. They won’t shut up and they will ruin your entire band. Also, while I did sort of blow off cymbals and bass drums as easily fixable, there is a technique to those too. If you can’t teach those to your percussionists you’ll get air pockets in your cymbals during a big solo cymbal crash and a ringing bass drum for 5 minutes after your piece is finished. And let’s not forget about our lovely keyboard instruments. Sure, you can’t hear the marimba for the majority of your piece, but those orchestra bells can be heard from miles away. Plus, who doesn’t love a good marimba solo? Learning the right grips for mallet instruments is extremely important to any band director hoping to have a halfway decent percussion section or pit in marching band.

YOUR PERCUSSIONISTS ARE BORED.

Maybe you don’t see it, but trust me. At least one of you percussionists is sitting in the back completely bored to tears because they think that the parts are way too easy. And maybe they are. But there are things that you can be doing to teach and challenge that bored student. There is nothing worse, or more distracting, than a percussionist with nothing to do. When I was in High School being in the percussion section was basically the same as having a free period. The focus was always the band and when we finally did actually play through the piece, our parts were so easy that the boredom never wore off. So, instead of trying to become a better percussionist, I sat in the back of the band room and talked. For the entire rehearsal. Sound familiar? Yeah, I was that kid. The one you have in your classroom right now, or the one you will have in your future classroom. They think their hot stuff because they can already play their parts so they blow off rehearsal. Prove them wrong! There is so much you can do with even the simplest of percussion parts. Teach them a new way to stick a certain section, show them that they are holding the stick wrong, correct their grip, teach them how to do a flam with out  crunching the sound, have them try open rolls instead of closed, anything! You’ll be amazed with the results. Now let’s get one thing straight, I am under no circumstances telling you to give more attention to the percussion section than the rest of the band during rehearsal. And I’m definitely not saying that the rest of the band doesn’t need to be challenged. I am saying that some band directors blow off percussion technique because they think that as long as they can make sound, it will be ok. Just remember that your percussionists want to be the best that they can be as well. Prove to them that there is more that they can learn and do during a rehearsal and they will focus.

WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME?

I’m not so calm down. The reason I think that it is so important for all band directors to know their stuff when it comes to percussion comes down to the fact that your percussion section, in the end, is what is going to make or break your band. Seriously. The better your percussion section, the better foundation you have for the rest of the band. So sure, maybe you could get away with just letting your percussionists sit in the back and hit stuff every once and a while. But if you want a truly excellent band, you have to start with a truly excellent percussion section full of students who are willing to learn something new. Make sure that your band is not just another study hall for your percussion section. Challenge them to work on the more challenging parts and perfect parts that they find easy. If there are not enough parts for all of them, make new ones! Add to what you have and make sure that no student goes through a single band rehearsal without playing something. The more you challenge those kids in the back of the room, the more likely they are to listen and not simply glide through band like it doesn’t matter.

FINALLY, AN AWESOME VIDEO.

To conclude my rant on why you should know your rudiments, I give you a video that has nothing to do with any of that. Other than the fact that it will blow the mind of any percussionist. Even if you aren’t a percussionist it is absolutely incredible. In the movie Heima, a documentary about the band Sigur Rós‘ tour of their native land of Iceland, the band finds a huge pile of broken rocks. So what do they do with said rocks? They walk around picking up rocks and hitting them with a mallets until they have the right pitches to form a marimba. Which they play. Pure awesomeness. Enjoy!