How I gesture while conducting does not matter as long as the group plays well.

This is the most popular myth among band directors. In talking with countless college and high school instructors, I have found some consider boring conducting the best. They say expressive conducting is showboating and dismiss it as an egotistical display.

I believe, however, that if you can communicate such concepts as legato and forte with gestures, it is unnecessary to stop playing to express these ideas verbally. It requires a great deal of rehearsal time to stop the entire ensemble to single out a few players who need to make adjustments. Some directors will respond, “My students don’t watch anyway so it wouldn’t matter.” The reason they do not watch is that they have become accustomed to lifeless conducting with little useful information.

I have to correct every wrong note or students will think I do not hear them.

This view stems from insecurity. Those who exhaustively correct minor errors feel that they have to prove their abilities to students. It also shows inherent mistrust of young musicians, most of whom are making an honest effort to play correctly. Wrong notes are a part of learning music and will decrease as students become more certain of a work, especially the difficult passages.

I have seen sightreading rehearsals where well-known conductors stop to point out note errors. There is no faster way to upset a group than by correcting mistakes during sightreading. In some cases players respond by deliberately making mistakes simply because of indignation. Obviously there are situations where note corrections are necessary. If I hear the same mistake twice in a row, I will certainly say something. In the vast majority of cases students fix the problem.

Carefully tuning several notes with a tuner will produce excellent intonation.

No amount of tuning produces good intonation. Indeed, tuning and intonation have only a limited link because tuning occurs on a single pitch while intonation happens in musical time in association with many other notes. The flutes may tune perfectly to Bb but the first Bb the flutes play in a melodic line may be greatly out of tune.

Musicians who play with good intonation understand the tendencies of certain pitches on their instrument and know how to make minute adjustments to correct those tendencies. Studies have shown a tuner may indicate certain notes to be as much as 25 cents sharp or flat, yet these notes sound perfectly in tune when professional musicians play them within the context of a piece. Tuning involves one note; intonation involves a million. I recommend spending less time tuning and more discussing intonation difficulties in actual musical contexts.

I have to be strict to enforce discipline in rehearsals.

The best way to promote good behavior is to direct rehearsals efficiently. If students are playing instead of sitting around for long periods, they will have no time to become bored and talk. When players take part in productive rehearsals, they will come to class with a good attitude, ready to work.

I should select only the music that students like.

Although we all like music that is familiar, teachers fail when they allow students to dictate the pieces they play. Just as children have to be persuaded to eat their vegetables, there are also students who need to be coaxed to play good music that will expand their musical tastes and knowledge.

Competition is good for music students.

Competition seems to have taken over music education, particularly in the last ten years. I have seen the desire to win solo and ensemble festivals, concert band competitions, and marching competitions overtake many high school directors. These directors counter that because the world is so competitive, we do students a service by having them compete. I strongly disagree.

Music is not a sport. Competition teaches students that making music is worthwhile only if you win something. I have seen countless directors obsess over scores from festivals and competitions rather than simply and honestly praising students for their efforts.

Many young people have had such negative experiences with high school competitions that they burn out and decide not to continue playing in college. At a certain point, developing musicians need to learn that music is a competitive field but there is no need to do it with such a strong emphasis in high school. The musical world would be better served by instilling a true  love of music making for its own sake.

Listening to recordings of music I plan to conduct will ruin my interpretation of the work.

Music students are generally encouraged to listen to recordings of famous players to improve their playing, but many conductors do not follow the same approach. I firmly believe that all conductors, regardless of age or experience, should listen to recordings.

Great recordings help us to refine our concept of sound, just as a great flutist provides a model for young players. In addition, if your musicianship is so weak that the interpretation will be corrupted by a recording this may not be a bad thing. If you do not have strong interpretive ideas, it may be helpful to emulate the Eastman Wind Ensemble. Many people are still developing interpretive skills as conductors and hearing several interpretations of the same work can be a helpful part of the process.

I am still an effective educator regardless of how the band sounds.

The late Gerald Welker, former director of the Alabama Wind Ensemble, used to say, “Good conductors conduct good bands, bad conductors conduct bad bands.” We are responsible for what happens in our groups. Directors love praise, and I have seen many glow under the compliments heaped upon them after a successful concert. However, these same directors are often unwilling to accept criticism for failure. We make mistakes every day by spending too much time on a passage, overlooking an intonation problem, or failing to have the right percussion instruments.

If we are sincere about improvement we have to be willing to identify our mistakes – without ego – and work to correct them. The best performers demonstrate a persistent willingness to improve. If the band gives a bad performance, the director is responsible, even if the lead trumpet was home with the flu. By discarding some of the myths and excuses used by many directors, you can make great strides forward with students.

What’s your take on these myths? Share your views with us: editor@instrumentalistmagazine.com

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The influence of popular music is apparent in such concert bandworks as Eric Whitacre’s Godzilla Eats Las Vegas!, Michael Daugherty’s Motown Metal, Scott McAllister’s Black Dog for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble, and Donald Grantham’s Baron Cemetiere’s Mambo. These pieces are widely appealing but often range in higher difficulty levels; Sticks and Stones for drum set soloist and wind ensemble by Jim Bonney (BCM International/Hal Leonard) is grade 3. It is an opportunity for an accomplished drumer to show his stuff.

In May 2004 Bonney performed his electric guitar concerto, Chaos Theory, with the Mountain View High School (Loveland, Colorado) wind ensemble. After the concert, band director Peter Toews asked him to write a composition featuring the school’s percussion instructor, Shilo Stroman, on drum set. Bonney states, “I rarely take suggestions, but the drum set is a fantastic instrument, and Sticks and Stones is an opportunity for a drummer to play out and show off instead of back everyone up.”

The instrumentation is standard but the number of parts is reduced. There are only two parts for clarinet and trumpet and one part for oboe, bassoon, and horn. Says Bonney, “I wanted to have massive sections so each part would sound big. The goal was to reproduce the energy of rock music – structurally sound and viscerally powerful. It was unnecessary to write complicated harmonies.” It is worth noting that the work has no piccolo part but three trombone parts (two tenor, one bass) and an optional part for string bass. Percussion scoring is for timpani, marimba, tam-tam, snare, bass, crash cymbal, two suspended cymbals, and glockenspiel.

The drum set solo part offers a great deal of freedom, and the interpretation determines what the performance will be like. “In my experience, the less that is written in the part for the drummer, the better the performance turns out. The work starts with three short drum solos so that the audience knows to pay attention to the drummer. The drummer even counts the director and band in.”

The director is responsible for leading the band accompaniment, but interpretation of the solo part is left up to the drummer, who should base his interpretation on an understanding of what the band’s role is. “As I was writing the piece I imagined different well-known drummers in each section. The opening four bars might be played in the style of Max Roach.”

Measure 5 starts with a basic groove, which asks for heavily ornamented hi-hat 16ths six measures later. At measure 23 the focus shifts slightly to a mix of cymbals and cymbal bells. Drummers might consider emulating Carter Beauford of the Dave Matthews Band or Paul Wertico of the Pat Metheny Group, “both of whom make great use of mixing hi-hat and cymbals. The idea in these sections is to draw different colors and accents out of the cymbals, showing the audience the variety of sounds a drum set can produce.”

At measure 35 the drummer plays a series of short fills around rhythmic figures. “Neil Peart of Rush is a master at this. Rush is a trio, so the drummer has to take up more space in the music.” At measure 43 the solo part is labeled ad lib. highly ornamental funk/rock groove. This should sound like a combination of a funk rock beat with a loose jazz feel.

The band may have a bit of difficulty at measure 81. Most of the wind instruments have four measures to “ascend independently through the chromatic scale gradually, from lowest playable note to highest playable note” while the soloist plays out of time. Students will need to watch the conductor closely during these four bars.

At measure 85 the drummer turns the snares off and switches to mallets. “I’m looking for a tribal, jungle feel in this section. The pulse should be less dominant with color and rhythmic diversity, but the drummer has to keep things moving or this section will feel heavy, slow, and directionless. Bill Bruford is a good example for this section; he uses polyrhythms and can keep something driving without making it feel lockstep.”

The cadenza is entirely up to the drummer, but he must be careful not to lose the audience. After a recap, the piece ends with an extremely fast (q=192) seven measures, with the soloist playing a thrash rock groove. A drummer with strong double-kick chops could show them off here.

The most important aspect of the piece is to keep the groove going. “Although I have given a great deal of thought to the tempo markings, the energy of the ensemble and the space the group is playing in can both affect the tempo. Both rushing and plodding through it slowly can destroy it; the piece should always have a driving feel to it.”

The score and an mp3 of Sticks and Stones is available at www.jim bonney.com/sticks&stones.php

Jim Bonney is the audio director at 2K Boston and a founding member of the composer consortium BCM International. He graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 1994 with a double degree in classical guitar performance and audio recording technology and completed the advanced studies program in scoring for motion picture and television at the University of Southern California in 1999. He has scored numerous short films, documentaries, commercials, games, and videos.

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Congas come in three sizes. The smallest drum, usually 11" in diameter, is called a quinto and is placed on the player’s left. The conga is 11.75" in diameter and is on the right. Some players will add the 12.5" tumba drum, but the most common setup is to use the quinto and conga. The drums may be placed on a stand or rest on the floor, although a stand makes it easier to get a good bass sound.

The quinto should be tuned a perfect fourth above the conga, and the tumba should be tuned a minor third below the conga. Tune the drums in a cross pattern.

Strokes

The most basic conga sound is called an open tone because the drum is allowed to ring after it is hit. The open sound is played at the edge of the drum using the arm and wrist together with the fingers slightly apart. Each open stroke should consist of a simple up-and-down motion of the forearm and hand. Make a quick downward motion with the wrist as the forearm approaches the drum. All four fingers should hit the drum and immediately come off it so the sound is not muffled.

The bass tone is produced by the palm of the hand pushing into the drumhead. The fingers and thumb are relatively close together and the wrist bends upward so the drum is struck with the heel of the palm and the weight of the arm helps produce the sound. The hand should not rebound off the drum as quickly as for the open sound.

The slap tone is difficult to produce, and it takes quite a bit of practice to get consistent tones. The stroke is similar to the open sound, but a whip motion with the fingers is added right before the drum is struck. At the completion of the stroke the hand should be in an inverted V shape. The slap requires more finger strength than the open and bass tones. Slaps can be open or muted, in which the left hand mutes the drum while the right hand plays the slap.

The heel and toe strokes are softer filler sounds, played with a rocking motion in the left hand. Heel refers to the heel of the palm and toe refers to the fingertips. These strokes are played on the far side of the drum.

Patterns

A conga swing pattern can be as simple as open quinto on beat two and open conga on beat four, or it can be widely embellished. The quinto note on beat two can be changed to a muted slap with a heel right before it, and the beat four note can be changed to two eighth notes with a toe right before. The same pattern can be used for rock-style music by playing the eighth notes straight instead of swung.

The gallop pattern is also commonly used in rock charts.

To play the basic Latin pattern, called the tumbao, the conga player should understand the two-measure clave pattern. It is referred to as a 3:2 pattern when the measures are in this order and a 2:3 pattern when they are reversed.

The order of the measures in the clave pattern determines the order of the tumbao measures.

It is important for conga players to listen to recordings and watch videos to understand the sounds required. Although learning correct technique can be frustrating, a good conga sound can be a wonderful addition to an ensemble.

For performance examples, click the publications tab on the author’s website: .

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    As a young clarinetist in Port Lavaca, Texas, Lisa Rogers never could have guessed that she would end up as president-elect of the Percussive Arts Society.

    Encouraged by her parents to participate in various activities including dance, piano, and choir, she had never picked up a drumstick until the senior year of high school. Forced by an allergy to give up the clarinet, she became a beginning percussionist at the end of her high school career. Some of the difficulties she faced as an older beginner have contributed to her teaching. She is associate professor of percussion studies at Texas Tech University, where she has taught for 16 years. She is also a member of the Midland and Lubbock Symphonies and earned degrees from the University of Oklahoma, Southwest Texas State University, and Texas Tech University. 

You started out playing clarinet but switched to percussion in your senior year of high school. How difficult was this transition?
    I have always loved music and knew from the time I was 8 or 9 that I wanted to be a music teacher. My dad was a jazz saxophonist and started me on clarinet in 5th grade, the year before I could start taking band. I developed an allergy to reeds and ultimately had to give up the instrument altogether. My band director suggested trying percussion and because I had a background playing piano, I picked up the keyboard percussion skills very quickly. I know there are school districts today that will not let students become percussionists without some experience on piano.
    In my journey the benefit of piano skills had less to do with reading music than with having the muscle memory necessary to play without looking down at my hands. I had no similar advantage on snare drum and had difficulty developing the chops. Other students had been playing snare drum for many years, and I could barely play a roll.
    I remember well how this lack of experience became obvious during college auditions. I remember playing on mallets for instructors at one school. Then I was asked to play on snare drum; I remember one of the faculty members laughing at me as I played. This was devastating at the time, but I knew my skill was pretty horrible. I ended up attending the school anyway as a double major in piano and percussion.
    There I met a wonderful teacher, Alan Shinn, who told me that if I wanted to make percussion my main instrument, I could do it. He said it would take 4 to 6 hours a day of practice to make up for my lack of experience. Because I was willing to work twice as long, I made huge improvements. Knowing that my teacher said I could make it as a percussionist was so inspirational to me. I knew he would stand by me, but there were still days when I thought I couldn’t make it.

What helped you improve the weaker areas of your playing?
    I had to develop the discipline to practice for long periods of time on technical exercises that were mind-numbing at times. I spent many hours with the drum pad; it became my friend as I worked on certain patterns over and over. I used various books including Stick Control by George Lawrence Stone and also played etudes using a metronome. These sessions could be frustrating because I had strong musical knowledge but my hands could not respond to what my brain wanted. At times the sounds I produced were completely bizarre because I lacked consistency and stamina.

When you hear students playing now what is the most common weakness?
    The biggest weakness is that we have so many percussion instruments to play at a proficient level. There is a temptation to specialize too quickly before students get a sense of the similarities between timpani and mallets or even four-mallet marimba and tambourine. I try to teach by emphasizing the common elements between the instruments. I ask many questions of students about how their bodies feel playing various instruments and what the best stance is for efficient playing with good tone production. We will even discuss the best body position for playing jingle bells and keeping these from jingling at the wrong time.

How did you start directing steel bands?
    I began working with a steel band while I was a graduate student at the University of Oklahoma. I was just a novice at the time and gained experience from working with a player from Trinidad who built instruments and also from attending workshops. The Oklahoma steel band was only open to young percussion majors, most of whom were in the top percussion ensemble. I didn’t understand this approach at first but discovered that steel band was great way to build the confidence of less experienced players. When we played a concert, the audience loved the music and often danced along with the performance. That joy transferred to the players, many of whom felt nervous. The confidence that came from steel band carried over to other percussion playing.
    Some might question the educational value of steel band, and I thought about how this type of ensemble could benefit a student who will teach percussion at a middle school or high school. I realized that there are similarities to the development of mallet reading skills. The pans do not have a familiar basic keyboard setup and this forces students to develop good reading skills as they navigate notes in new locations. I can tell a huge difference when students go back to classical percussion instruments to sightread band music or a lesson etude. They are much quicker at learning the music thanks to the time spent in steel band.
    My steel band has a small pan set-up much like a jazz combo. I have about five sets of pans, an electric bass player, drum set, and percussion. I do not use bass pans. The small set-up is because I wanted one player on a part to simulate the difficulties faced in band or orchestra. If a player drops the ball it is readily apparent.
    We have also used our program to help some local schools start their own steel bands. At a local elementary school we helped begin an innovative program with steel drums, Orff instruments, and hand drumming. Some of my college students actually go out and teach the group. I work to provide varied performance opportunities for the Texas Tech steel band. The instruments are easier to move than many traditional percussion instruments. We have even played on cruise ships and I remind students that there are people who make their careers playing pan.

What other advice do you give students about developing a performing career?
    Flexibility and a willingness to play many instruments can make you more marketable. If I had my way I would give four-mallet vibraphone concerts every week. It sounds great but I could not make a living that way. Thus, I pursue my passions but stay busy with many different gigs. I try be a good role model for my percussion students.
    My college job is my main job but I am also principal timpanist in the Midland Symphony and principal percussionist in the Lubbock Symphony. It is important that students see that I am still active as a performer.
    A harder lesson to teach is the importance of keeping a positive attitude and a good heart when you are playing percussion. You need to do everything possible to make the job you have successful. It might be playing drum set for a wedding anniversary on a night when you feel tired and grumpy. Giving the best effort possible will lead to future jobs. Showing up with a bad attitude will mean that others will get the call for gigs; there are plenty of other people waiting for a chance to perform.

You have worked with adult students at the International Music Camp. Is there any difference in how you teach beginning and intermediate adult players?
    These players had many of the same difficulties as their younger counterparts. Sometimes I found the adults were not as fearless as 12-year-olds and did not want to do anything wrong. The physical problems were basically the same as with any beginners. Many of the adults saved up questions for me the entire year to ask during the summer camp sessions. The adults were definitely more conscious of having the right equipment than school students.
    Many of the students at the International Music Camp were Canadian, and it was interesting to hear about the strong community band programs there. In this country most community bands provide an opportunity for former school musicians to continue playing as adults. Many of the older players I met had never participated in music in their younger days but decided to sign up for band. It was inspiring to work with them.

How did you get involved in the Percussive Arts Society and how does the organization benefit educators?
    I found a home with them. My journey in percussion is very different from those who started playing in fifth grade. I had heard about the organization and subscribed to their magazine. I attended their convention in 1987 with the help of a Zildjian scholarship, and the experience changed my life. I met legendary players and teachers that I had only read about in books and magazines, and I shyly went up to some of them to introduce myself. There was not one person, regardless of how famous, who was not willing to help me. I realized that there were other ways to build up your knowledge in music besides college classes.
    I became a member of PAS, went to conventions religiously, and while studying at the University of Oklahoma helped one of my professors with work he did on the association magazine. After he resigned I was asked to continue writing. The PAS offices were located nearby in Lawton, Oklahoma, which allowed me to stay active with the organization. I felt so strongly about what PAS provided, and this enthusiasm led to becoming a member of the board and now president-elect.
    Sometimes I look back and wonder how a little girl from a tiny town in Texas went from playing clarinet to where I am today. At every step there were people who believed in my talent and encouraged me to keep striving. Because of their help, I am even more motivated to lend a hand to others on the journey.     

It’s All About the Basics  

    Just as a well-stocked kitchen is necessary for a chef to make a masterful dinner, keyboard percussionists needs a well-stocked arsenal of techniques to present memorable performances. For keyboard percussionists, time spent discovering and employing the basic elements of technique will improve accuracy and sound production. There are several basic ingredients two-mallet keyboard percussionists should keep on hand to improve performance skills. If two-mallet players emphasize these elements when performing, they should notice increased accuracy, consistent sound production, and efficiency of motion.

Ingredients:
    Stance   
    Stroke
    Body Position   
    Stickings
    Grip

Serves: Keyboard percussionists at all levels.

Stance
     Try keeping feet almost shoulder width apart in order to move easily and fluidly from side to side with the instrument for better accuracy and sound production. Avoid taking too many steps as you move throughout the range of the instrument. Too many steps tend to shift your center of gravity and compromise accuracy.

Body Position
     If your instrument is height adjustable, adjust it in the same way you would adjust your snare stand. This will allow for maximum efficiency of body motion and, in turn, will help accuracy. If the instrument is not height adjustable, place blocks of wood underneath to raise the instrument slightly or build a wooden platform to stand on while playing if reaching the instrument is difficult.
     If you are having trouble reading music, adjust the music stand. Don’t move your body closer to or further away from the instrument, resulting in poor or uneven sound production.

Grip
     Two-mallet grip is similar to matched snare drum grip; however, try to fit the mallets almost in the groove of each palm or slightly offside. This placement will allow the mallets and wrists to move in up-and-down motions efficiently so the mallets contact the bars accurately.
     Every pair of mallets has an ideal balance point (where the mallets will rebound the most). Even though the bars of a mallet instrument don’t rebound like the batter head of a snare drum, the balance of a mallet is extremely important for the efficiency of motion and accuracy. Test the rebound capabilities of your mallets on a drum pad or snare drum. Position your fulcrum (thumb and first finger grip) at various points along the mallet. Then, drop with a weighted wrist motion and check the number of rebounds. When you find the ideal balance point, you have also found where your fulcrum should be placed on the mallet.

Stroke
     Try thinking about one stroke per wrist motion. As you strike a bar, follow through and return to the starting point in preparation for striking the next bar. Don’t strike the bar, stop, and lift again as preparation for the next stroke. This results in more effort with two motions and possible loss of accuracy.

Stickings
    Fluidity of sound and accuracy on a keyboard instrument are also dependent on the stickings chosen by the performer. Most of the time, strict alternation of mallets provides a sense of flow and smoothness to the sound production.   Accuracy is improved as well. However, there may be times when double stickings need to be employed to avoid leaps or crossing of mallets, which again should improve accuracy and sound production. Marking the stickings on a piece of music can be very valuable in enhancing motion memory and thus repeated accuracy.

The Musical Meal
    Utilizing and understanding the basic ingredients and techniques needed for an impeccable meal or a superior performance will always prove successful to whoever is served. Whether an aspiring cook or master chef or beginning or ad-vanced keyboard percussionist, it’s all about the basics.                

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