Snare Drum Methods Update: Busy Week!

Wow! This week was crazy! I played in the AZPAS Day of Percussion Kick-off Concert, attended a few clinics, wrote some etudes, and went to Gilbert, AZ for a drumline competition! A lot of stuff going on.

What am I Doing?

I am creating a compilation of 10 original etudes for a beginning to intermediate snare drummer. The goal of this book is to assist band directors and private instructors teach their intro level students. The reason I want to pursue this is that when I was in the early stages of my career I relied solely on YouTube videos, Drum Forums, and a lot of method books. When I got my first full-time teaching job at a high school in south Tucson, I noticed 2 things that were not working right and affected their education. Their band director, who is truly a great musician and teacher, probably one of the best in the world, did not know how to play percussion. When I first came up with this idea it was with that program in mind. The one thing I wanted to do was help programs like that who have incredible directors, and all they need is the right tool.

Update

I have 1 more etude left! I have to write 1 more etude to reach my 10 etudes. I also need to write out one more excerpt. I am almost there! It is hard to believe that this compilation is almost done! So far, the hardest part in the entire book is three-stroke ruffs which is a near college level rudiment. The reason I felt like this was a good time to introduce it is so that high schoolers can start developing their three-stroke ruffs early. Perfection is not the goal, the goal is to introduce these musicians to different techniques their director might not know. I was talking with a few music educators and known of them knew how to approach this technique. Most of them didn’t even know it had a name associated with it. So, my consensus was that maybe the reason high school percussionist do not know how to do this is that band directors do not know it exists! I even wrote out the different ways you can approach the three stroke ruff that way there is no confusion. Check it out for yourself!

AZPAS

So, if you recall from my post-spring break blog, I said I was playing in the AZPAS Day of Percussion Kick-Off Concert. That was this past Friday night on the 22nd and I must say, it was a lot of fun! The Arizona State University Percussion Ensemble made an appearance on the program and they were just amazing to have down here. All of them represented themselves as well as their university in the best way. I did not get to talk to them much, but the few encounters I had with their members was just incredible.

WGAZ

Alright, so Saturday the 23rd was really cool! Both of the high schools I teach at competed at Basha High School and they both took home the 1st place prize in their divisions! It was awesome! They also did a mass warmup in the lot together which was loud, to say the least! I’ll add a few pictures for you to see. With that, they head into the last week of the season, so we got work to do!

Snare Drum Methods Goal for Next Week

Everything will be done! That is the goal. I do have a lot going on, but I want it to be done. This has been a long time coming and I am very excited to see the final product. It will take a lot of work, and I know it won’t be easy, but I will make sure it happens! Talk to you soon!