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Percussion Studies | |
MUS 201 - MUS 450 (12)
Instructors: Dr. Stuart Marrs & Dr. Thomas Wubbenhorst
Office: 104 Class of 1944 Hall
Office Hours: By appointment
Tel. 581-4702 E-Mail: MARRS@MAINE.EDU or FirstClass, thomas.wubbenhorst@umit.maine.edu
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Required equipment:
Please see Equipment Needs for First Year
Percussion Students at the University of Maine
METRONOME - electronic is best - I recommend one such as
Dr. Beat, Korg, Yamaha or the like. It should be capable of sub-dividing the beat.
ELETRONIC TUNER - Eletronic tuners are now very inexpensive and they are invaluable for timpani study.
STICKS AND MALLETS - All percussion majors are expected
to supply the appropriate array of sticks and mallets for each semester's studies. The same requirement holds true for
MUO150 (Percussion Ensemble); therefore each student should
acquire a basic selection of sticks and mallets for all of the
percussion instruments and plan to add more specialized mallets
as the need arises. See above "Required equipment."
METHODS AND MUSIC - All method books and/or music assigned must be acquired immediately. Most of the methods
used in lessons are in the stacks Fogler Library and may be checked
out like books. I recommend, however, that each student establish
his/her own library, as it will be useful for future reference
and for your own teaching.
PERCUSSIVE ARTS SOCIETY - It is important for percussion
majors to be informed of the latest developments in our field.
Membership in the PAS and the study of its trade journal, Percussive
Notes, is therefore required. An ePAS membership is avialable for $28 a
year.
Recommended:
JOURNAL - Percussion majors will find it beneficial to
keep a journal. The contents should consist of:
Goals: Until the Junior Standing exam, we will work on
developing fundamental technique on all four major areas of percussion
studies at the University of Maine: keyboard mallet instruments, snare
drum, timpani and drum set. Topics typically covered are musicality,
sound production,
sight-reading, technique and the study of idiomatic literature. After
Junior standing, we will focus on recital preparation and advanced
technical studies.
Assignments: Each week's assignment will be written in
a 7" X 8" spiral bound manuscript notebook. It is expected
that the entire assignment will be prepared for the following
lesson.
Practice: A large locked percussion practice room with
timpani and a marimba is located on the third floor are available
for your individual practice. The percussion studio (104) may
also be used during scheduled hours. Timpani and acoustic drum
set practice will receive priority for the percussion studio.
The marimba in the practice room should be used by preference.
You must obtain a key from Dr. Marrs for the locked rooms. The
instrumental rehearsal room is also available for timpani or acoustic
drum set practice when not otherwise in use. Students usually find that
2 hrs. of daily practice are sufficient to prepare the lesson material.
These times should be incorporated into your daily schedules like
regularly scheduled classes.
Practice room schedules: If there are conflicts with desired practice times, room schedules will be posted on each percussion practice
room door. You may sign up for a total of two hours per day. Open
times are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Snare drum
and drum set students should use the locked electronic set room
as much as possible. Marimba students should use the 3rd floor
marimba.
Percussion Studio - Room 104 shall be kept neat, clean
and tidy at all times. Mallet instruments and timpani must be covered
when not in use. Personal items, must be kept in a locker - NOT IN 104.
Personal items found in the room will be moved out to the hallway.
There is to be no food nor drink except for water in room 104.
Studio Class - In addition to the weekly applied lesson,
each applied percussion student is required to attend "Studio
Class" (Tues. 2:10-3:00); which counts as part of the applied course. Typical activities of studio class include:
Evaluation: You will be given constant feed-back on
your progress. You are encouraged to frequently discuss your short-term
and long-term goals with your instructor. Your grade will be based
on:
Jury: The jury is the "final exam" of the
course and is presented at the end of the semester before your
percussion instructor and two other faculty members. The exam is
approx. 20 min. in
length and reflects the semester's accomplishments. Although specific
etudes or pieces are usually prepared for the jury, the student
may be asked to demon-strate any material covered during the semester.
You may be asked to sight read on any of the instruments studied during
the semester.
During the semester of the "Junior Standing" exam and
the semester of the solo recital, the final jury is waived.
Junior Standing
At the end of the 8th credit hour of applied study, (usually the
end of the fourth semester) there is
a performance examination before the entire music faculty. Successful
completion of this fourth semester jury is a prerequisite to further
applied music studies at the MUS350 or MUS450 level. For BA students,
successfully passing the Junior Standing Exam (aka Final Exam) marks
the end of the applied instruction degree requirement. The percussion
requirements for the Junior Standing are as follows:
The percussion student should be prepared to demonstrate performance
technique and knowledge of each of the four major categories.
The minimum requirements for each category are:
Snare drum:
Drum set:
Timpani:
Mallets:
Return to the UMaine
Percussion Welcome page
Last updated 5.3.2004